Unexpectedly low range

[TaxmanHog]

I do precondition. That picture was taken right after. Unfortunately right now all I have is level 1 at home. Hopefully this weekend I'll get the Tesla charger installed so I have level 2. If anyone is wondering, yes it does precondition on level 1 if you tell it to precondition when unplugged.

You will see improvements with a level 2 EVSE and remote start warm up & pre-conditioning while plugged in. The energy capacity of level 1 is insufficient for the process, so it depletes the SOC of your battery if only a small fraction....

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[luebri]

precondition when unplugged.

Unplugged precondition will not precondition the battery. Only the cabin...

..and yes it is completely idiotic that Ford uses the same terminology for those 2 very different scenarios.

Furthermore, As @TaxmanHog stated. 120v is not adequate to Precondition the battery and the cabin at the same time.

Getting 240v installed and setting up your Preconditioning with that will help you dramatically.

 

[Computermedic78]

The battery DOES precondition on level 1. Two trips on the same day, for the first I had preconditioned and I had 100% power available. For the second I did NOT precondition and had 97% power available. It does work, but does slightly drain the battery. I am more concerned about losing half of the range than I am about the 2% I lose from the precondition process.

 

[LightningShow]

What is your trip meter telling you for driving energy?

I've been keeping my Trip 1 meter as my seasonal meter, I reset it in April and October (roughly). From October to April my average was ~1.8mpk. In the coldest weather it will be 1.5-1.6, assuming I keep the speed reasonable. 1.3 if I'm cruising at 80. My overall driving pattern is about 60% highway/40% city. Hwy is usually 75ish. My average over 20k miles is 2.1mpk.

Since October my driving energy is about 73% of my energy usage (vs 80% all time). That's with about 1.9mpk in that span.

 

[Computermedic78]

Right now it says 78% driving over 1600 miles. This week I've been seeing right around 85% driving.

 

[bmwhitetx]

Bottom line there is nothing wrong with the truck. Look at the Similar Threads at the bottom of the page. This forum is full of similar experiences and your range is due to highway speeds in cold weather. For many, they learned to live with it, for others they sold. Just be glad you got an ER - you would have even less range if bought a SR.

Once you have Level 2 and can charge/condition every day hopefully the truck will be good for you. If it meets your daily driving needs then actual range should be an after-thought. You can start with a "full tank" every morning. It's a great truck but this is by far the biggest gotcha for new owners.

 

[Computermedic78]

I'm currently working on getting rid of it. Reduced is fine, half is unacceptable.

 

[Zprime29]

I don't have any cold weather experience yet. Coldest it's been here is around 40F in the morning, but my commute is 500ft drop in elevation so I haven't noticed any change in my efficiency yet. I did notice that I took a sizeable hit this morning when I forgot to turn off climate. I left it on at auto 1 and 72F (had it cooling from yesterday's afternoon commute at around 80F) and my morning commute went from 3.0 to 2.5. Normally a jacket is enough to keep me comfortable so only difference was leaving climate control on.

In ideal conditions, 70mph will net 2.1, knock off 10% for cold/climate control and you're at 1.8. It wouldn't take much, slight elevation change, headwind, clear roads, etc...and you'll see a bump further to what you are seeing. Precondition battery on level 2 whenever possible (for long trips, won't make much of a difference for shot trips) and stay strong. It will get better in warmer weather.

I'm in Tucson, AZ and we are mid 40's for lows and upper 60's to mid 70's for highs right now and with mixed driving I'm averaging 2.8. Good range is possible.

 

[Computermedic78]

I don't have any cold weather experience yet. Coldest it's been here is around 40F in the morning, but my commute is 500ft drop in elevation so I haven't noticed any change in my efficiency yet. I did notice that I took a sizeable hit this morning when I forgot to turn off climate. I left it on at auto 1 and 72F (had it cooling from yesterday's afternoon commute at around 80F) and my morning commute went from 3.0 to 2.5. Normally a jacket is enough to keep me comfortable so only difference was leaving climate control on.

In ideal conditions, 70mph will net 2.1, knock off 10% for cold/climate control and you're at 1.8. It wouldn't take much, slight elevation change, headwind, clear roads, etc...and you'll see a bump further to what you are seeing. Precondition battery on level 2 whenever possible (for long trips, won't make much of a difference for shot trips) and stay strong. It will get better in warmer weather.

I'm in Tucson, AZ and we are mid 40's for lows and upper 60's to mid 70's for highs right now and with mixed driving I'm averaging 2.8. Good range is possible.

At 30-40 degrees, it's not cold here yet. I already need a rental car to get to and from work, I can't imagine it getting worse.
Last night on the drive home I was at 1.3, 35 degrees out.

 

[LightningShow]

At 30-40 degrees, it's not cold here yet. I already need a rental car to get to and from work, I can't imagine it getting worse.
Last night on the drive home I was at 1.3, 35 degrees out.

For one trip? What's your average for 1600 miles? Are you keeping track? if you're at 78% driving energy there's no possible way your average efficiency is close to 1.3, it's probably around 2.0.

 

[Computermedic78]

For one trip? What's your average for 1600 miles? Are you keeping track? if you're at 78% driving energy there's no possible way your average efficiency is close to 1.3, it's probably around 2.0.

1600 miles has me at 1.5.

 

[invertedspear]

@Computermedic78 What's the 8th digit in your VIN? Just reading through this and what people are saying your numbers should be, it almost seems like you got an SR and they told you it was an ER. If the 8th digit is L, that's the SR, V is the ER.

 

[Computermedic78]

@Computermedic78 What's the 8th digit in your VIN? Just reading through this and what people are saying your numbers should be, it almost seems like you got an SR and they told you it was an ER. If the 8th digit is L, that's the SR, V is the ER.

8th digit is a V. When I charge to 100% it tells me the range is something like 280 until I start actually driving. After about 30 minutes it gives me much more realistic estimate. I'm worried about longer trips with it being so far off. It's going to tell me to charge somewhere I cant reach and I'll end up stranded.

 

[TomB985]

I live in rural Minnesota, and I’m seeing numbers similar to the OP. It’s normal for the truck, which is the result of colder weather and higher speeds.

I’ve spent a lot of time monitoring mine with an OBD reader, and the coolant heater draws a LOT of power. It peaks as high as 12 kW, and stays between 2-4 kW to keep the cabin warm in 30º weather. Depending on how fast and far you’re driving, that can be over 10% of your overall consumption. Which is huge. In comparison, my Model Y would pull less than half that with its heat pump. I’d expect 2024 trucks with the heat pump to have a significant benefit in the cold weather.

Cold, dense air also plays a big part in it. You can’t get around the physics of pushing more air out of the way at a given speed, and that’s magnified when you’re going into a headwind. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the truck, but it really sucks if it won’t work for you like this.

 

[Replika]

You're doing nothing wrong.

Instead of offering a realistic glimpse into expected range, the EPA numbers are best-case scenario. The test itself favors low speed (well under 60 mph) in a favorable temperature. Manufacturers are also free to advertise a lower, more realistic range, but few actually do. The protocol needs an overhaul.

My gas car is a V8 with 24 mpg EPA highway. We see ~27-28 mpg on round trips at 75 mph. If you want to capture an accurate picture of the consumption/emissions the city range is there as well. A few EV companies advertise city/highway range, but not many. This leaves the buyer extrapolate a highway range number from the highway MPGe. How many here among the enthusiasts even know how to do that calculation?

Basically, the EV industry would rather over-promise and under-deliver at this point in time. Maybe it's a good strategy for adoption, but inaccurate range is the first thing new EV owners complain about.

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