Powerboost Things to consider-After Purchase

[PPEng15]

So, you have bought your powerboost F150 and are ready to dive into the world of hybrid power inside of an excellent package.

Somethings you may have considered, some you may not have.

First MPG. Yes there are threads out there saying how bad the mpg is or how someone has gotten great mpg by hypermileing.
Take this into consideration. Are you getting the posted mpg with your current truck? If you are, you may get close to the posted for the powerboost. I have never gotten the sticker mpg on any vehicle. I am only a few fill ups in, well below posted, but I still seeing a 13% improvement over my previous F150. I call that a win (even if it does not end up paying for itself)

Second and something that I have not see discussed, Insurance. It is a hybrid with a battery and generator and it will cost more. The one item I was not aware of was that my home owners also went up as they deem the powerboost a fire hazard.
May not happen if your insurance is not packaged, but something to consider.

Those are my Two Cents. If anyone else has some additional insights or words of wisdom, please pass it along.

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[Snakebitten]

Never heard of homeowners insurance increasing because of the Powerboost.

I doubt that's a widespread issue.

 

[PPEng15]

Never heard of homeowners insurance increasing because of the Powerboost.

I doubt that's a widespread issue.

It may not be yet, but something to consider. My wife works in insurance and she is having issues finding insurance for people with hybrids, solar panels, home batteries, etc. The fire departments are being required to have special procedures for these situations. Smaller departments (or voluntary fire departments) may have issue meeting these requirements.

 

[Snakebitten]

Ahhhh
I thought you were being specific about the Powerboost. And although I still don't think what you describe is widespread, I DO believe that insurance companies are endlessly seeking ways to exclude and granularize everything they can.

And they WILL do it if they can get away with it.

 

[JJSnell]

Insurance Agent: "Heard you bought a Hybrid?"
Us: "Yes sir..."
Insurance Agent: "Welllllll I have some bad news for yo..........."
Us: "....I park outside........"
Insurance Agent: "Oh? Well... erm.... you have a good day...."

 

[Aron]

Hybrid cars have been around for 20+ years. I could understand maybe 20 years ago this type of thing taking place, when there were still lots of unknowns with regard to risks to first responders and additional risks to insured property. But seems like the insurers and first responders should have it all figured out by now.

I haven't seen any spot on my home insurance quotes that factor in the proximity to a hybrid vehicle or solar panels, for example. For that matter, I don't know that the risk of house fire from a hybrid vehicle is any higher than the risk from having a smoker in the house (which also wasn't asked about, if I recall correctly). Sure, it's a possibility that a battery will fail and catch fire, but doesn't seem like a large one. Environmental risks (e.g., proximity to wildfire-prone areas, or hurricanes) seem like they would have a much stronger correlation to insurance rates.

 

[imnuts]

My insurance went up, but only auto insurance, nothing for homeowners and they didn't even call and ask about it. I did hear that EV owners have this issue, but not hybrids.

 

[Snakebitten]

If you showed your insurance the battery in a Powerboost, they should be ashamed for even considering it. Lol

 

[Aron]

My insurance went up, but only auto insurance, nothing for homeowners and they didn't even call and ask about it. I did hear that EV owners have this issue, but not hybrids.

Well, my insurance went up as well, but I was mostly attributing that to a $70k vehicle replacing a 14-year-old minivan worth about $3k. Admittedly, I didn't inquire about the potential insurance cost differential between a PB and an equivalent EB, so it's possible that there's a slightly higher cost. But I expect that the majority of folks' higher insurance costs are mostly related to the underlying high cost of the insured vehicles themselves.

 

[Tosh]

re: achieving EPA rated MPGs - just drive the same way the test is conducted. Keep it under 60MPH. My 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel was rated to yield 24MPG. I averaged 27MPG when driving 60 or less.

re: higher insurance rates - well, I went from an old devalued car to a new high(er)-end truck, so yeah my rate went up. However, nothing about hybrid/electric ever came up. Perhaps I'm just lucky that way....

 

[JJSnell]

If you showed your insurance the battery in a Powerboost, they should be ashamed for even considering it. Lol

LOL, truth!
I think my batteries in my TV remote are bigger....

 

[eharri3]

Going from an 09 Tundra My insurance did not really change much. I have also been with GEICO for nearly 20 years so they're pretty good about working with me to keep my rates stable. My homeowner's increases every year regardless. I think it did a little this year. I was given no impression it had to do with buying a hybrid. No matter what the only way I seem to be able to get a break on homeowners is to switch between a few carriers every several years. Homeowners company does not seem to care how long I stay loyal, they generally want more every year and will usually let me go rather than negotiate.

 

[air2mag]

I went from an 09 Lariat to my 22 Platinum and my insurance went down! I am not a power boost guy.

 

[PPEng15]

I went from an 09 Lariat to my 22 Platinum and my insurance went down! I am not a power boost guy.

Same thing happened when I went from a 2010 to a 2017 (equivalently loaded for their respective years). It did not make sense.

 

[air2mag]

I just assumed it was because of all the safety updates on the new vehicles.

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