Winter range dropoff

[Roy2001]

Heating eats battery like breakfast. I switched to heated seats and situation is much better.

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[392DCGC]

People way overestimate how much the heater impacts a long drive. After the initial warming of the cabin, that heater is only going to use 1500-2000 watts or less to keep it warm. That's maybe 4.5kWh to 6kWh after a 3 hour drive which is only ~5% of battery at most.

Most of the hit comes from cold battery.

You are way underestimating the power required to use resistive heat to warm freezing outside air in a poorly insulated cabin with cold, high winds (when driving) flowing over the body. It is significant. You will constantly draw 3-5 kW in freezing temperatures to keep the cabin around a normal room temperature.

Source: I have owned several EVs (Model S, Model 3, EV6) and PHEVs (XC60, XC90, S90, wife has a Pacifica), and viewed power data from either the built-in readouts or via OBD. The only time heating power was ever 1-2 kW in winter was in the EV6 with a heat pump. Every other vehicle using resistive heat drew significantly more power, constantly (for aforementioned reasons), and I imagine the Lightning is no different. The huge battery capacity helps soften the blow (a constant 4~ kW draw has less range effect on a 130 kW pack than a 80 kW pack).

Be careful….there are a couple people on here who will take you to the woodshed for speaking this truth!

It's not truth, it's wishful thinking.

Even that doesn't make sense to me. It would seem to me a 500 watt space heater could nicely heat a small space like the truck cabin! Maybe we all just need to buy space heaters and plug 'em into the power on board!

A home space heater easily pushes 1000 watts at high settings. They are also used in insulated spaces, heating (and reheating) air that is already relatively warm, not constantly fighting against freezing cold, and blowing out one "vent" instead of several placed throughout a vehicle.

 

[lightspeed]

You are way underestimating the power required to use resistive heat to warm freezing outside air in a poorly insulated cabin with cold, high winds (when driving) flowing over the body. It is significant. You will constantly draw 3-5 kW in freezing temperatures to keep the cabin around a normal room temperature.

Source: I have owned several EVs (Model S, Model 3, EV6) and PHEVs (XC60, XC90, S90, wife has a Pacifica), and viewed power data from either the built-in readouts or via OBD. The only time heating power was ever 1-2 kW in winter was in the EV6 with a heat pump. Every other vehicle using resistive heat drew significantly more power, constantly (for aforementioned reasons), and I imagine the Lightning is no different. The huge battery capacity helps soften the blow (a constant 4~ kW draw has less range effect on a 130 kW pack than a 80 kW pack).

It's not truth, it's wishful thinking.

A home space heater easily pushes 1000 watts at high settings. They are also used in insulated spaces, heating (and reheating) air that is already relatively warm, not constantly fighting against freezing cold, and blowing out one "vent" instead of several placed throughout a vehicle.

That's fair, in the worst cases, if it drew 4000 watts average (which I accept your experience on) then it's 12kW for 3 hours of driving which is about 9%.

I guess we'll see soon what total loss just from the cold people are seeing under different conditions. So far it seems closer to 20-25% than 50% which is what some people have claimed. But the numbers will be interesting.

 

[4Reeley]

I leave my house at different times every morning so I haven't set a departure time; instead, I just remote start the truck while plugged in 15 minutes before I leave.

One thing I noticed is that my charge target is reached (85%) in the morning, but when I get in the truck after remote starting I'm down 2-3%. I have the FCSP set at 48A and it does begin pulsing blue when I remote start. Is 48A not enough to warm the cabin and battery that it needs to use battery during my remote start?? I would expect it to hold at 85% and use the grid to precondition. Mid 20's to mid 30's here currently.

 

[Amps]

I would expect it to hold at 85% and use the grid to precondition.

Using the Chargepoint Home Flex power graph, it appears that preconditioning comes from the grid with a Departure Time. You have to select a toggle in the app to precondition without being plugged in. Mine shows a spike in grid to EVSE fromnot charging and the charge port light comes on and turns blue. And, the heated steering wheel won't come on again.

Remote Start power seems to act similarly, charge light turns blue on truck and EVSE draws from grid. But, only seat and steering heat. The climate control comes on only if left on from previous trip.

 

[TaxmanHog]

The climate control comes on only if left on from previous trip.

Buried in a truck menu is the option to have cabin conditioned either automatically or as last used, find and confirm how yours is set, I know I have mine set to automatic.

 

[Amps]

Buried in a truck menu is the option to have cabin conditioned either automatically or as last used, find and confirm how yours is set, I know I have mine set to automatic.

Thanks! I found it. I overlooked it the zillion times I've been in there trying to tame the lights.

Bonus, PaaK became available after the auto-update schedule this morning. It should be finished, time to go set it up.

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