I'm out after 6 months

[Texas Dan]

Oh come on, don’t any of you guys use A Better Route Planner (ABRP). I have no affiliation with ABRP but the app works so well, I feel I really need to stess the value of the app. Let me give you a real life example of the value of the app.

It’s about 230 miles from the EA station in Trinidad, CO to the one in Amarillo, TX and the speed limits range from 70 to 75 mph. When I charge my Lariat ER in Trinidad to about 90% SOC my GOM says I can’t make it to Amarillo but ABRP says I can with plenty of range to spare. I trust ABRP a lot more than the GOM so I start the trip with confidence that I can make it to Amarillo.

The first 100 miles is on a plateau and the flat land eats up my range. The GOM keeps telling me that I’m in big trouble but ABRP says I’m fine. After I get off the plateau and start going downhill I start picking up range on the GOM.

I usually end up with about 20% SOC when I make it to Amarillo. This is not an isolated occurrence. It seems like practically every time I head out on a travel leg the GOM says I can’t make it but ABRP says I can, this is understandable because I use ABRP to plan my trips, not the GOM.

I always use ABRP to plan my trips and I do a lot of “what if” runs to plan new, adventurous routes. I have an ABRP subscription tsp I get really time weather adjustments. When I first started using ABRP I dialed in the energy consumption of my Lightning but since then it’s been very reliable.

When I read about all these tables and rules of thumb people are using to estimate their range I think back to the times when I used to do the same but I found a better way. If you are sick of the GOM screwing up your trips, you should give ABRP a try.

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[John Becker]

How worthwhile is the free version of ABRP?

 

[Texas Dan]

The free version deals with elevation and speed limit changes real well but you have to manually input wind speed and temperature. The free version should work fine for occasional shorter trips not subject to a lot of weather changes. For a lot of longer trips through areas where the weather changes a lot you’re definitely going to want the subscription version.

One feature I really like about ABRP is that it lets you play what-if range games with maximum speed . The app will automatically adjust maximum speed to improve range if you let it. I like to travel at the speed limit and I typically don’t let the app adjust my maximum speed but it’s a nice feature to have.

Did you know the Lightning ER has a range of over 400 miles when speed is limited to 40 mph and the weather is not working against you? Going that slow is not something I would advocate unless you really had no choice. Traveling cross country at 40 mph where there is very little traffic is okay if you have the patience for it but I really would not want to travel that slow in city traffic.

ABRP also can communicate directly with your EV using a Bluetooth OBD II dongle. ABRP picks up information like SOC to help with planning. I have never actually tried the OBD II communication feature so I don’t if if ABRP retrieves information like SOH and battery temperature.

ABRP also is Apple CarPlay compatible but that’s a feature I haven’t found very useful so far. Maybe if I was using a OBD II dongle to get real time vehicle information I would find the ABRP in CarPlay a lot more useful. Check the OBD II vehicle to ABRP communications is definitely on my list of things to try.

I should mention that rain and snow storms are real range killers in an EV. ABRP and GOM are pretty much useless when you hit a storm. The best thing to do when you hit a storm and you are a long way from your next charging stop is to slow way down or stop until the storm passes.

Remember that the GOM lives in the past but ABRP lives in the future. When the GOM sees you are struggling in a storm it drops your range way down making you think you’re in real trouble when you get out of the storm. Since ABRP only looks at the future, it will tell you you’re fine out of the storm often when the GOM does not.

 

[John Becker]

Does anybody have a Lightning efficiency curve showing speed relative to MPK or energy usage?

 

[TheWoo]

...and another factor that I point out from time to time is traffic. If you are in a group of cars going 70, your consumption is about 20% lower than if you are pushing your own air going 70. Where I drive on the highway, it is wide open spaces and no traffic, and I pay dearly for it in range. The semi going the speed I want to go is my friend. Tuck in behind and increase my range 20%.

This is a big truth that makes a lot of comparisons on these forums useless. I drive I-70 across Kansas on a lot of my longer trips. Little relative traffic means I'm pushing all the air at 80mph myself.

80 mph is fast for an EV, but add in little helping traffic and it's a range-eating situation. Is what it is, and I plan for it.

This has been a good thread, condescending defensiveness from some notwithstanding. EVs are new to most, not yet for all, and some have more ability (both naturally/personality-wise, and in reality according to their life needs) to be patient than others.

 

[Artificial Intelligence]

It's really sad how little EV manufacturers and dealers educate buyers on winter performance, DCFC charging, etc... before a purchase. Yes it is up to the buyer to do the research before buying but all of that research should be available on the manufacturers website. It's not just Ford, Tesla misleads or doesn't tell the whole truth about their products up front either. Buyers shouldn't have to join car specific forums to make an informed decision on a car. Wife is purchasing a model x next week and the amount of people that join the Tesla forums unaware of missing features that are actually on the website is crazy.

to be fair, it’s not their job to educate. It’s consumers job to educate themselves. They are there to sell product that’s pretty much it.

 

[Artificial Intelligence]

Has been kind of a shocker for me as well. I'm not sure how you guys with the standard range batteries do it.

to start live south of mason dixon

I’ve had no issues whatsoever. I have 20 mile rush hour commute one way. Rarely do I hit 60 mph. I’m typically getting 220 miles on a 90% charge. For city duty you don’t need more than SR.

 

[moder8tor]

Wow, I am in the same boat, I paid 99k with tax for my lariat through a horrific dealer in Prescott AZ, Luckily the front motor needed to be replaced so it was a month in the shop. I got Ford to buy it back for an extremely fair price. Picked up a new lariat ER a few weeks ago from an awesome dealer in Verde Valley for 72K with tax including gov incentive. I am now realizing the winter driving impact so I am making spreadsheets of miles driven, temperature, tire pressure, use of climate control, hills etc, to try and get a better understanding. I even bought the scanning tool to keep tabs on battery health. I will not let this thing get the best of me. BTW in my wild west town, electric is frowned upon. To keep my friends I have to tell people my main transportation is my Diesel Lariat, and my Jeep Rubicon and this is only a golf cart to me.

 

[invertedspear]

Wow, I am in the same boat, I paid 99k with tax for my lariat through a horrific dealer in Prescott AZ, Luckily the front motor needed to be replaced so it was a month in the shop. I got Ford to buy it back for an extremely fair price. Picked up a new lariat ER a few weeks ago from an awesome dealer in Verde Valley for 72K with tax including gov incentive. I am now realizing the winter driving impact so I am making spreadsheets of miles driven, temperature, tire pressure, use of climate control, hills etc, to try and get a better understanding. I even bought the scanning tool to keep tabs on battery health. I will not let this thing get the best of me. BTW in my wild west town, electric is frowned upon. To keep my friends I have to tell people my main transportation is my Diesel Lariat, and my Jeep Rubicon and this is only a golf cart to me.

Just remove the lightning badges, those Preskit yokels won't even notice the grill. I'm surprised you're seeing such a huge hit. Prescott is cold compared to Phoenix, but not really that cold compared to what a lot of people are putting up with. How much of a loss in range are you taking so far this winter?

 

[moder8tor]

my goal (requirement) is Phoenix and back or Flagstaff and back on one trip. I used to do PHX and back this last spring previous truck with 100 miles to spare. Last week I came back with only 30 miles left. (ave 39 degrees, 28 psi tire pressure,, maybe a little higher speed). I know that I need about 130 miles left when by time I reach Anthem, else I hit the Electrifiy America there.

 

[TaxmanHog]

28 psi tire pressure

That is really low!!! Your tire sticker in the door jamb calls for 42 all around if you have AS tire like mine.

 

[moder8tor]

That is really low!!! Your tire sticker in the door jamb calls for 42 all around if you have AS tire like mine.

my sticker calls for 36 psi, it came from the dealer with 28/29 psi. I wanted to gather some gather some more metrics before I get it back up.

 

[Flagpts]

my sticker calls for 36 psi, it came from the dealer with 28/29 psi. I wanted to gather some gather some more metrics before I get it back up.

I’m up in Flagstaff and just got my Lariat ER on Friday. Should have my home charger installed on Wednesday to charge up all the way. I’ll be interested in seeing how my range compares to your this winter, especially if it’s like last year. So far, not terrible.

 

[cdherman]

In 2 words. Slow down. I did not read this whole feakin' thread, but you can salvage most "close call" situations with that solution.

Of course, that can be painful for folks accustomed to pushing the speed limits.

I did many calculations through the years. The SECONDS I gained running at the edge of legal (in my area, mostly 73 in a 65) just never made sense.

Then driving an EV made me realize that driving 55 in the 55, 65 in the 65 etc. makes total sense. No more range anxiety. Much further range.

Just hang out in the right lane. Shift to middle/left as a courtesy to inbound traffic.

Lastly, remember, running up to 70 or 75 to pass or get into traffic etc is NOT what damages your EV efficiency. Braking and average speed do. So you CAN use the accelerator, and aggressively if needed, just don't brake the same way.

And if you bought an EV for cross country use or 200 plus miles a day, you are the fool for not reading enough......

 

[Jim Lewis]

my sticker calls for 36 psi, it came from the dealer with 28/29 psi. I wanted to gather some gather some more metrics before I get it back up.

Page 465 of the 2023 owner's manual:

WARNING: Under-inflation
is the most common cause of
tire failures and may result in
severe tire cracking, tread
separation or blowout, with
unexpected loss of vehicle
control and increased risk of
injury. Under-inflation increases
sidewall flexing and rolling
resistance, resulting in heat
buildup and internal damage to
the tire. It also may result in
unnecessary tire stress, irregular
wear, loss of vehicle control and
accidents. A tire can lose up to
half of its air pressure and not
appear to be flat!

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