Never trust the dashboard, EPA and Ford.

[WeedmanU]

The dashboard always shows the EPA standards, not your driving history.

What is the purpose of the EPA, helping Ford sell more EVs with good stats? Is it lying about performance or range expectations because it's a US company?

The standard EPA estimate for the Lightning is pathetic. We find that the autonomy of our Lightnings is poor in cold weather. In fact, the autonomy is really bad regardless of the temperature, it's just worse in the winter.

As you can see, over 86 units, the supposed range expected was never achieved.

I know many frustrated American owners... but you're not the worst. Ford sells in Canada (colder) with the same autonomy claim as the US. The Canadian Government can't say no to Ford and the Economic Protection Agency.

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[Tony Burgh]

Now that we’re experiencing temps in 70’s and 80’s, I’m getting 2.4 mI/kWh. Ford said 48kWh per 100 miles on window sticker.
Should I be angry?

 

[Henry Ford]

The EPA rating is dumb and should be revised. It's a combination city/highway loop but nobody cares what their city range is. If they want to keep it simple they should measure range at 75mph at a standard temperature. Better yet they should publish a simple chart factoring speed and temperature so people can have a realistic idea of what a vehicle is capable of.

 

[MillieChliette]

Autonomy? Economic Protection Agency? ...what?



Ford does the same range test as every other EV, excluding Tesla, who actually does kind of lie and inflate their numbers. The Environmental Protection Agency administers it and then Ford rounds it down a bit and posts the range numbers. Not complicated.

Would it be nice if we had city, highway, and combined like we do with MPG? Yes. It would be nice. But the fact of the matter is that in moderate temperatures while driving combined city and highway like most people do, the range estimates provided by Ford/epa are easily achieved. You appear to either drive like a madman or exclusively on the highway at 75mph.

Oh, and the GOM absolutely does adjust to driving history. It just shows a number close to the EPA estimate at 90-100% and adjusts down once you start driving. Why do they do that? Because if they didn't, you'd post an equally confusing and borderline unintelligible complaint about how it doesn't show 320 when you charge to 100%.

 

[Newton]

It would probably be more useful to make the left axis the actual number of miles/km that you observed. Graphing a percent is kind of frowned upon among statisticans.

How are you getting your observed range - are you actually charging to 100% and driving to empty? Brave soul...

What I am finding is that there are two battery percentage numbers, the dashboard number and the somewhat more accurate internal number which decreases after a charge. Unfortunately when you charge to less than 100% it uses the dashboard number for the cut off point, which means that I (SR) always have less charge than the truck says that I have. The GOM is based off of the internal number I think, although there are exceptions.

If you want to really charge to 100% you have to monitor it with an OBD-II dongle. Today with the dash showing 100% it was still taking 6kW which is impossible. Internally it was at 94.1%

 

[hturnerfamily]

I don't really care what the EPA 'says'... I own mine, drive it, love it, and just go where I want to... the EPA never rides with me.... their loss.

 

[WeedmanU]

Now that we’re experiencing temps in 70’s and 80’s, I’m getting 2.4 mI/kWh. Ford said 48kWh per 100 miles on window sticker.
Should I be angry?

The problem, whit all modules and cells variables, is the consistency. Ford know that they don't achieve this. So less then 20% of new pickup achieve the goal. For the others, even if you ask at your dealer. The answer will probably be that the problem is you. Or even we don't find any problems. Even when you lose almost 70% of the mileage that you'd supposedly have at the start

 

[WeedmanU]

I don't really care what the EPA says. I own my vehicle, drive it, love it, and just go where I want to. The EPA never rides with me, so it's their loss.

Good. I can see that this factor is not important to you. Many people use their vehicles to commute to work, not to go camping. When time is money, it's a bit strange to pay more for getting less.

 

[DesertEV]

The dashboard always shows the EPA standards, not your driving history.

What is the purpose of the EPA, helping Ford sell more EVs with good stats? Is it lying about performance or range expectations because it's a US company?

The standard EPA estimate for the Lightning is pathetic. We find that the autonomy of our Lightnings is poor in cold weather. In fact, the autonomy is really bad regardless of the temperature, it's just worse in the winter.

As you can see, over 86 units, the supposed range expected was never achieved.

I know many frustrated American owners... but you're not the worst. Ford sells in Canada (colder) with the same autonomy claim as the US. The Canadian Government can't say no to Ford and the Economic Protection Agency.

Every post you have written has been to complain. Now you have started a thread complaining about range. Why are you so angry at Ford? Just trying to understand.

 

[WeedmanU]

Autonomy? Economic Protection Agency? ...what?



Ford does the same range test as every other EV, excluding Tesla, who actually does kind of lie and inflate their numbers. The Environmental Protection Agency administers it and then Ford rounds it down a bit and posts the range numbers. Not complicated.

Would it be nice if we had city, highway, and combined like we do with MPG? Yes. It would be nice. But the fact of the matter is that in moderate temperatures while driving combined city and highway like most people do, the range estimates provided by Ford/epa are easily achieved. You appear to either drive like a madman or exclusively on the highway at 75mph.

Oh, and the GOM absolutely does adjust to driving history. It just shows a number close to the EPA estimate at 90-100% and adjusts down once you start driving. Why do they do that? Because if they didn't, you'd post an equally confusing and borderline unintelligible complaint about how it doesn't show 320 when you charge to 100%.

My supposed unintelligible complain equal probably your bad capacity to read a graphic.

Why you're so upset. I don't even talk about me. It's an independent study made whit 86 differents pickups, in 86 differents places whit 86 differents drivers.

I know that the EPA have the same test for all EV but you could probably admit that's the first EV truck tested and maybe they have a possibility that the protocol used doesn't work?

Maybe you work for Ford to be so balistique,

 

[WeedmanU]

Every post you have written has been to complain. Now you have started a thread complaining about range. Why are you so angry at Ford? Just trying to understand.

Cause you don't leave in Canada first...
The service is not even near of what you have in the US.
I M an old customer who buy around 4 pickups a year whit my company and when you ask a questions to the dealer, I have an answer only if it's not about an EV... F250 and F350 they know everything. Lightning not so much

 

[Pioneer74]

Ford know that they don't achieve this.

The Lightning will beat the EPA numbers if you drive it like the EPA cycle.

You're driving a heavy brick. You drive it fast and furious, treating every stop light like a drag race, or drive a lot of high speed highway driving, you'll never get good efficiency.

My advice is, if you truly buy around 4 new pickups a year, the Lightning should be the first vehicle you should trade in for one of them. It sounds like you'll never be happy with it.

 

[DesertEV]

Cause you don't leave in Canada first...
The service is not even near of what you have in the US.
I M an old customer who buy around 4 pickups a year whit my company and when you ask a questions to the dealer, I have an answer only if it's not about an EV... F250 and F350 they know everything. Lightning not so much

Ah, I got it. Yeah, I can see how the cold weather causes an issue for sure. Saw that the 2024 has a heat pump. Curious if that does anything to help. Preconditioning while plugged in does help, but you still lose plenty of range in cold. That is well documented. I drove the truck for the first time from the dealer about 300 miles away and it was like 30 degrees when I left. Definitely ripped the bandaid off on that drive. Still got 160 miles out of 70% of battery. Had to DC charge on the last 140 miles, but had warmed up to 60 by the time I finished so had much better range for the final stretch home. I’ve been pleased with the truck thus far. I’m 1 month and 2 weeks in. Got a hell of a deal on it.

 

[Grease Lightning]

Cause you don't leave in Canada first...

Sounds like you are having a little buyer’s remorse for not fully researching the impacts. Living in a northern state or Canada means a huge hit 1/4-1/2 of the year cause we like heat, the batteries like to be warm, physics suck in the rain, snow and cold. All of that is outside of the control of Ford. As you mentioned multiple other trucks, likely you experienced the loss of mpg in the winter months.

Then you had to factor in the fact that the EPA numbers already tell you to subtract 10% for “highway” speed. As we all know we drive faster then the tested 1970’s fuel saving federal speed limits, you have to reduce around another 10%.

Then as I mentioned above we like heat and also a/c so if you run it most of your trip, there goes another 10%.

So our 320 miles could shrink to around 225-235 total miles of range in the extreme cold or heat. Then if you are road tripping, usable is more like 75% per charge so now you are closer to 170-180 between charges.


While yes I agree the EPA score need to be updated for EVs to better address the miles/kW or watts/mile concept for city, true highway, and combined.

As others have pointed out my lifetime average is exactly at the EPA 2.4-2.5 miles per kW. So they aren’t lying, it is just not as realistic if you mainly drive on the highway.

 

[DesertEV]

Sounds like you are having a little buyer’s remorse for not fully researching the impacts. Living in a northern state or Canada means a huge hit 1/4-1/2 of the year cause we like heat, the batteries like to be warm, physics suck in the rain, snow and cold. All of that is outside of the control of Ford. As you mentioned multiple other trucks, likely you experienced the loss of mpg in the winter months.

Then you had to factor in the fact that the EPA numbers already tell you to subtract 10% for “highway” speed. As we all know we drive faster then the tested 1970’s fuel saving federal speed limits, you have to reduce around another 10%.

Then as I mentioned above we like heat and also a/c so if you run it most of your trip, there goes another 10%.

So our 320 miles could shrink to around 225-235 total miles of range in the extreme cold or heat. Then if you are road tripping, usable is more like 75% per charge so now you are closer to 170-180 between charges.


While yes I agree the EPA score need to be updated for EVs to better address the miles/kW or watts/mile concept for city, true highway, and combined.

As others have pointed out my lifetime average is exactly at the EPA 2.4-2.5 miles per kW. So they aren’t lying, it is just not as realistic if you mainly drive on the highway.

Yeah, well said. About 3 to 4 hours in to a road trip I need to rest a little anyway.

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