Hey everyone! I just became the proud seller of a 2016 e-Golf and the more proud owner of a 2011 FEH with 23k miles. So far, I am loving the car, and thoroughly enjoying learning as much about the powertrain and how to achieve max MPG. I read through the forums and the manual and have been experimenting with the Low gear. I was under the impression it’s supposed to act like the “B” gear in a Prius or EV, kicking on regen brakes when you come off the accelerator pedal, and it’s also supposed to make it easier to drive around in EV mode at city speeds.

I’ve noticed the opposite, and just want to make sure my Escape is working properly. I notice that when the car is in L, there is regen happening, but the engine kicks on much more easily and I have a much harder time getting the car back into EV mode even when I’m accelerating at a snail pace. I even tried experimenting in a parking lot, switching between D and L at slow speeds... in D, the car very easily stays in EV mode up to 40mph, but as soon as I switch the gearbox to L, the engine will come on. Is this normal for a 2011? On the forums, a lot of people are saying they have the opposite experience I’m having, but they typically are in ‘04-07’s. Any insight would be great.

 

You may have an issue with the battery pack being "full" at 53%SOC and the software acting to burn off the excess. Do you monitor the HVB SOC? Where did you finds a FEH with 23K miles?

 

I don’t know how I can monitor the SOC... I have the model with the base level radio, not the navigation/touch screen model. I bought the car from Mossy Ford in San Diego (they told me it was purchased from their lot originally... it’s a verified 1-owner car) and I have maintenance documentation from when they inspected the car. Everything looks good there, the only work they did on the hybrid system was to change the coolant and the air filter according to the documents.

When I’m just in Drive, the EV mode kicks on really easily. All I have to do is let up on the accelerator once I get up to speed. I just want to also get more regen if I can.

 

Lucky you to find such a gem. Scan gauge II is a piece of hardware you need: 56% SOC shown from my Cmax