The only thing I can think of that he is talking about is the 40 mph limit on EV. The software starts the ICE up if it detects that your speed reaches 40 MPH. This is to prevent damage to some component or other that can occur if the ICE is started when the vehicles speed exceeds 40 MPH.

 

A few thoughts occured to me:

Are you asking why when you're in EV the engine suddenly jumps alive to 4000 RPM? This could be caused by the battery being drained, and the ICE jumping on to recharge it and provide forward momentum. This could also be because the battery is too full, and it's continuing to charge, in which case the ICE spins to bleed off that excess charge. Both are software.

Are you asking why the ICE comes on at 40 MPH? This is also software, as the engine should be on at speeds greater than 40 MPH, for a number of reasons.

If you're wondering why when you stomp your foot down on the pedal, the ICE starts up and spins to an extreme amount of RPMs, it's because the system thinks you need that power ASAP. Software.

If you're wondering why the RPMs spin so high when you're climbing a steep hill with Cruise Control, it's because the CC isn't very good at that, and demands more power than necessary, which is why you're better off going over very hilly terrain manually, and over flatlands by CC.

If you're wondering why you can't exceed 100 mph (ish) it's because there's a governor in the FEH (As well as the Escape) to prevent it. I asked about it at the Dearborn FEH Experience.

If that doesn't answer your question, perhaps you should be a little more specific in what you're asking about, describe the situation and what you're doing, or actually ask a question with some information for us to use.

 

"Are you asking why the ICE comes on at 40 MPH? This is also software, as the engine should be on at speeds greater than 40 MPH, for a number of reasons."
Those reasons are what I was curious about.

 

The main reason for the ICE coming on at 40 mph is to prevent the motor/generator from overspeeding. That's one of the main reasons I use L to stay below 40 when going downhill. If the downhill stretch is relatively long, I end up with a fully charged battery and then the computer will start use the motor to spin the engine (without fuel) to provide friction and bleed off the energy that way. As Gary pointed out, if you have a long downhill with higher speed limits and no traffic to contend with, you can build up speed and use that speed to coast longer or use it to help go up the next uphill climb if necessary. The conditions really determine what works best for each of us.