22 Maverick mileage and mod thread

[JRMichler]

This is the mileage and modification thread for my new 2022 Ford Maverick XL. It was ordered September 2021, and delivered 1-10-2022. It's the base model with only one option - a bed mat.

Since it's a hybrid with automatic grille shutters, there is no opportunity for adding an air dam, grille block, alternator kill switch, or engine kill switch. I plan to drive it as is through summer to get a base line, then add an aero topper Fall 2022.

On a recent cold start at 0 deg F, I backed out of the garage, and checked the trip mileage at 0.25 miles. The trip mileage at that check point was 6.6 MPG, worse than my old Canyon which would have got 9 MPG at the same point and under the same conditions. When everything is warm, that same route can be done electrically. The engine ran continuously, even with foot completely off the gas pedal, for two miles before shutting off. After that, it cycled on and off normally.

The hybrid engine is programmed to keep running until the battery is warm enough to take a charge and until warm enough to get useful heat out of the heater. This suggests an opportunity for significant mileage improvement on cold weather short trips by preheating both the engine and the high voltage battery.

At my normal speed in a 55 limit of 57 MPH and at 10% power on the power meter, the instantaneous mileage varied from 25 to 40 MPG apparently depending on the state of charge in the high voltage battery. This also explains the poor mileage at the start of a trip after a cold start. It suggests an opportunity to improve mileage on shorter trips by charging the high voltage battery to 100% charge when parked. The last three miles of a typical trip home are almost all on the electric motor, so I typically leave home with a low charge in the high voltage battery.

I have no plans to do either the preheating or high voltage battery charging at this time.

[rmay635703]

I would be apprehensive to charge a 1kwhr lion battery, during the cold it would need to be under 80% soc not to incur freezing damage also tough to know how closely the Maverick tracks and it might freak out if it starts at an unexpected soc

[Piotrsko]

Should be possible to get control of stuff via OBDS/canbus

Batteries and Ford windshields hate being cold.

[ECO-AKJ]

At 0F, the engine will run to warm up cabin and battery, so it starts at moderate load and runs rich to warm up the exhaust that has a heat exchanger on it for the heater core and battery cooling/warming, that may be burning lots of fuel.

On my C-Max PHEV, if I look at instant MPG, at 55MPH and when engine is charging battery it will show 20MPG, so you might be fighting that.

[JRMichler]

I took photos of the underside. The first photo is under the front bumper looking to the rear.

There is no air dam, except for a spat in front of each front tire. The underside is belly panned from the front bumper back to the rear axle, with gaps for the front suspension and exhaust system. This truck is front wheel drive, and the hybrid does not have a four wheel drive option. Ford did not leave space for a drive shaft to the rear axle in this vehicle.

The next photo is under the rear bumper looking forward.

The belly pan stops at the rear axle. There is no rear diffuser underneath, just an open area. But that open area is above the belly pan, so does not have high velocity air hitting things. This is consistent with a figure from Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles by Hucho:

The largest drag reduction comes from belly pans extending from the front bumper back to the rear axle, with only minimal benefit from belly pans after the rear axle.

I do not intend to experiment with front air dams or belly pans on this truck. Ford did too good a job, and I see no opportunity to make a noticeable improvement in this area.

[redpoint5]

So shiny. If ever there was a good time to mod the underside, new is cleanest.

[Isaac Zachary]

My hybrids have lots of problems with the cold, mainly, they are too efficient. The engine must run terribly retarded to burn more fuel and heat up the engine quicker. Block heaters help, but I need to get higher powered ones put on the cars than the stock ones that barely keep the engine in the 30's (Fahrenheit) when it's below zero.

Something I've always wanted to do is add a heat exchanger on the exhaust like with the gen 3 Prii to warm things up quicker. (I'd also like to add some sort of HV battery heater as the NiMH batteries don't have any, but that doesn't apply to this thread). I'm also interested in wrapping the exhaust with insulation so the catalytic converters heat up quicker and stay that way. Of course keeping them from overheating in the summer would be a concern, but maybe that can be dealt with via water injection or something similar.

Anyhow, those are my observations with modern hybrids. If you can heat the engine, the catalytic converter and maybe perhaps the HV battery (if needed) you can get summer-like fuel mileage in theory. But what would be the most efficient and cost-effective way to do that?

[freebeard]

duckduckgo.com/?q=basalt+tape+insulation&ia=web


www.basalt.guru/basalt-tape-aka-lava-wrap-for-improved-performance/

Basalt, not fiberglass.

[Phase]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

My hybrids have lots of problems with the cold, mainly, they are too efficient. The engine must run terribly retarded to burn more fuel and heat up the engine quicker. Block heaters help, but I need to get higher powered ones put on the cars than the stock ones that barely keep the engine in the 30's (Fahrenheit) when it's below zero.

Something I've always wanted to do is add a heat exchanger on the exhaust like with the gen 3 Prii to warm things up quicker. (I'd also like to add some sort of HV battery heater as the NiMH batteries don't have any, but that doesn't apply to this thread). I'm also interested in wrapping the exhaust with insulation so the catalytic converters heat up quicker and stay that way. Of course keeping them from overheating in the summer would be a concern, but maybe that can be dealt with via water injection or something similar.

Anyhow, those are my observations with modern hybrids. If you can heat the engine, the catalytic converter and maybe perhaps the HV battery (if needed) you can get summer-like fuel mileage in theory. But what would be the most efficient and cost-effective way to do that?

do you use any block heaters? noticed youre in gunnison. gorgeous area! was -8 degrees in the sunny morning when i went in february. ive always wanted to install a block heater for my ioniq since cold engines give horrible mpg, and they cant provide any cabin heat for those chilly mornings!

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Phase

do you use any block heaters? noticed youre in gunnison. gorgeous area! was -8 degrees in the sunny morning when i went in february. ive always wanted to install a block heater for my ioniq since cold engines give horrible mpg, and they cant provide any cabin heat for those chilly mornings!

I currently have a "stock" block heater on the Avalon. It's called a "cartridge" heater and slips into a specially designed hole on the engine block. It works ok, but only keeps the engine at about 30°F above ambient temperature and takes several hours to reach it, so in the winter the engine may never be above freezing when I start it. I think it's 200W but am unsure.

In the past I've used 1,500W circulating tank heaters on other vehicles such as a 1.6L 1985 VW Golf diesel engine. That heater would make a difference in as little as 15 minutes. 2 hours or less would have the engine up to running temperatures even in freezing temps. I'd like to get a couple of these again, one for each of my cars.

I had a 150W heated oil plate heater on the 1972 VW Super Bug that worked ok for an aircooled engine.