New Lightning, EXTREMELY low range.

[CSall]

It was fairly windy for the first half of the drive, mostly from the West while I was heading South.

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[hturnerfamily]

I think WIND is a big, big factor in your overall miles/per kwh average over long travel, ESPECIALLY at 'high' speeds... yes, a Model 3 is not going to have the same wind concerns as a big TRUCK, with a flat front... slow down. SPEED is the answer. You can drive slower, and charge less. You can drive faster, and charge more often.

 

[Grease Lightning]

So, for a Ford, 50 degrees is cold? That’s incredible. Other EVs don’t see that sort of degradation until you’re below freezing. And, as I. My post, it got better mileage when it was in the 30s. Same speed. Same climate setting (actually with the climate control off when it did one of the worst legs). So, the “cold” explanation doesn’t hold up. An almost 40% reduction in range, unloaded, just because it’s in the upper 40s to low 50s is pretty sad. And, there are many posts/videos. Of folks out there getting 200 miles in these things at 70 mph. Yes, it’s as aerodynamic as a brick. But, it also has a huge battery compared to my previous EVs. So, I guess it’s useful as long as you never take it out of town.

Was your other EV a big azz truck? Was it a traditional vehicle design or more of a purpose designed EV?

I ask because it is not a Ford thing, it is a physics thing…

 

[luebri]

It was fairly windy for the first half of the drive, mostly from the West while I was heading South.

Im familiar with that stretch of road. It's South-South West and wide open plains so the wind can howl. That certainly was hurting you as well.

 

[TheBigBezo]

I would also check your trip information on the main screen. It should break out battery use by driving, air conditioning, and environmentals. If it's exterior temps, it means you need to precondition the truck, if it's cabin air, then you either accept it or don't run as much heat, and if it's all just driving, well then all you can really do is slow down.

 

[The Weatherman]

So, for a Ford, 50 degrees is cold? That’s incredible. Other EVs don’t see that sort of degradation until you’re below freezing. And, as I. My post, it got better mileage when it was in the 30s. Same speed. Same climate setting (actually with the climate control off when it did one of the worst legs). So, the “cold” explanation doesn’t hold up. An almost 40% reduction in range, unloaded, just because it’s in the upper 40s to low 50s is pretty sad. And, there are many posts/videos. Of folks out there getting 200 miles in these things at 70 mph. Yes, it’s as aerodynamic as a brick. But, it also has a huge battery compared to my previous EVs. So, I guess it’s useful as long as you never take it out of town.

Wonder what the elevation changes were and in which direction?

 

[luebri]

Wonder what the elevation changes were and in which direction?

That stretch of road (mainly Illinois) is about the flattest terrain in the entire country

 

[Amps]

is there some sort of class action suit coming for claims of vastly exaggerated range in these things?

The range claims are not exaggerated, they are the derived from standardized EPA testing protocols that manufacturers must use. My opinion is that they are insufficient, outdated, and misleading. But, my opinion is not current law. Your quarrel is with the EPA testing methods, which provide range numbers to be used as benchmarks for comparing vehicles.

 

[johnnyonetime]

Today I traveled from Gainesville, FL to Biloxi, MS. Three legs all interstate highway at 65 mph.
Gainesville to Tallahassee upper 40’s
Lights and heat. 2.0 mi/kWh
Tallahassee to Pensacola mid 50’s
Daylight with no heat. 2.2 mi/kWh
Pensacola to Biloxi upper 60’s to low 70’s 2.4mi/kWh
65mph seems to optimize range for me. Today ambient air temperature, daylight vs dark and cabin conditioning impacted range up to 20%
Still love the truck! 2022 Lariat ER 22k mi
Charged at EA for free as a result of the app crashing, still hit and miss though. Hopefully they fix it soon.

 

[Ventorum94]

You were getting 1.6mi/kWh. The full 100% of your 98kWh battery pack would give maximum range of 156mi, driving at 1.6mi/kWh. The lower efficiency is most likely due to 1) high speed, 2) headwind, 3) colder battery temp, or a combination. If you look under “Trip Energy” in Features, you’ll also be able to see how much of your consumption is due to cabin heating (it’s usually not as much as a lot of people seem to think it is); it probably doesn’t hurt your efficiency enough that you’d want to turn it off (but learning to love those heated seats is a plus!).
It’s a practical idea to monitor your efficiency (mi/kWh) while driving, and you’ll never wonder why your range dropped. You can reset Trip1 or Trip2 as often as you wish, to obtain the current mi/kWh. To improve your efficiency, you can always slow down 5-10mph and recheck mi/kWh, or fall in line with some larger profile vehicles to lessen the wind and speed effects (doesn’t work when you’re the only vehicle on the road, of course).

 

[Jaspernuts]

26,000 miles so far on my pro. Wind, wind, wind is the killer. Went pheasant hunting today. 48 degrees. 1.6 into the 24 mph wind on my 50 mile journey there and 2.4 on my way home!

 

[Snakebitten]

I think WIND is a big, big factor in your overall miles/per kwh average over long travel, ESPECIALLY at 'high' speeds... yes, a Model 3 is not going to have the same wind concerns as a big TRUCK, with a flat front... slow down. SPEED is the answer. You can drive slower, and charge less. You can drive faster, and charge more often.

I don't have a Lightning, but even in a much slippier EV, which I normally get 4.1-4.3 miles/kwh, if I am at 70-75 it drops ~25%.
If it's wind in my face, it takes a sizable hit as well.
I can imagine with a brick that's getting 2.X m/kwh in ideal conditions, dropping to 1.6 would be normal at 70-75mph. Add 15-20mph wind and you are near 100mph with a sheet of plywood trying to punch a hole.

That's really not much battery in those conditions.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

Yep, second one today and if it's like last winter we'll see one everyday. My suggestion is to make new members read a FAQ with this info before posting.

Ford should give new buyers an EV FAQ sheet before they buy it.

 

[ryun]

Looking at my 2023 XLT SR's range right now and I'm at 106 mi at 58% SoC. Extrapolated out is ~180 miles at 100%. Outdoor temps have been in the 30s-low 40s lately and I don't have my truck plugged in all the time, and when I do it's on level 1. So I'm not getting the benefits of preconditioning (with a departure time) or warming the battery. I rarely drive over 50 mph and it's never for very long. I leave my truck outside all the time.

So with that in mind I think your numbers look normal, OP. I've seen absolute garbage efficiency wherever I start my trips too. Sometimes sub 1 mi/kwh while the cabin and battery heat up. Lately my trip meter says only 50% of the power goes to the route.

If you want to improve your efficiency make sure you park in an enclosed space if you can and always have your level 2 charger plugged in. If you have a regular schedule set departure times on the truck or in the app. Ford has said that preconditioning helps even if you wait hours after preconditioning cycle is completed.

I hope you can make the truck work for you OP.

 

[hturnerfamily]

I don't have a Lightning, but even in a much slippier EV, which I normally get 4.1-4.3 miles/kwh, if I am at 70-75 it drops ~25%.
If it's wind in my face, it takes a sizable hit as well.
I can imagine with a brick that's getting 2.X m/kwh in ideal conditions, dropping to 1.6 would be normal at 70-75mph. Add 15-20mph wind and you are near 100mph with a sheet of plywood trying to punch a hole.

That's really not much battery in those conditions.

when you TOW a 3,000lb typical camper for over 1/2 of your total 37,000+ miles, you get to 'understand' how to calculate RANGE, versus even what the truck's software calculations might lead you to believe. While I wish there was a more accurate 'range' indication, there's really little way for Ford or any software to 'guess' at what a 140 to 240 mile trip is going to ACTUALLY wind up being, from a miles per/kwh basis.... it has no way of 'knowing' what the headwinds or sidewinds are going to be, or the terrain, or your CONSTANT speed, or even if you are going to be running the HEAT or A/C the WHOLE trip, etc...

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