Pushed charge too close on road trip

[CD4TNF]

Good experience. No matter the outcome. At least now you know you can run the battery down that low while towing.

Good time to repost this.

What Happens When Your Ford F-150 Lightning EV Battery Runs Out of Range?

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2023-ford-f-150-lightning-xlt-yearlong-review-update-8/

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[davehu]

I had a similar trip recently although I was not pulling a trailor. Mine had to do with not paying enough attention to the effects of the cold. I made the last 19 miles to a Tesla SC driving 50mph on a 70mph divided highway. .... on a 30 degree day with the heat, seats, steering wheel turned off! made it with the GOM showing 11 miles range.

 

[hturnerfamily]

I quite often do the same, almost cutting it too short, but, alas, I always make it...

conservation becomes a 'thing' during that last 10%, especially when the GOM(GuessOMeter) is telling you that your range 'might' not make it...


SLOWING is generally, no, ALWAYS, the solution...


but, I also always revel in the fact that, well, there's a regular household outlet, almost anywhere, if you really need one...

 

[evowner]

Just use the public charger. It is not as scary as it seems.

 

[b.go]

Rarely take the Lightning on longer trips. Went on a 175-ish interstate mile trip (round trip) and underestimated effect of pulling a trailer. Small, aluminum 4x8 trailer, but it decreased mileage noticably. Florida, nice day in the 80s.

Starting home with 900lbs or so on the trailer, it seemed that all would be OK. I know chargers are plentiful, but I've only done home charging and didn't really want to go through the hassle of public charging. As the miles ticked by, the "miles available" kept trending downward toward the "miles to destination" (home), meeting at 25 miles.

I then began throwing cargo overboard. Turned off AC and fan, even turned off the radio. Reduced speed to around 55-60 (insanely slow on I-95 in south Florida). It worked! A gap started--slowly--opening up with battery miles remaining inching above miles to destination.

Knew there was a charger just off interstate about 3 miles from my house, but I'm feeling lucky (and sweaty).

Finally home, with 5 miles remaining!

How accurate is the mileage calculator? I really have no idea since I didn't run out of juice. However, my sense is that it was very close. I could actually watch the calculations move slightly in my favor in 1/10th of a mile increments when I turned off AC, lowered speed, etc.

I was a little surprised at how much of a difference it made when I turned off AC and lowered speed. I think lowering speed resulted in the most improvement.

It was a good thing my wife wasn't with me. She would NOT have appreciated my experiment.

The Lightning is my first EV, and I've for many years driven ICE F150s. Honestly, it's the best vehicle I've ever owned even with range restrictions. It would have been simple to plan for charging that didn't leave me white knuckled. I was just stubborn and curious.

Looks like a successful Cosmo Kramer study.

 

[On the Road with Ralph]

Call me when you’ve pulled up to the charger but decided to back up to align better in the parking spot…and then ran out of charge 5 feet from the charger cable.

Been there (Flagstaff EA station, just before midnight). But I let the truck sit for a minute or two, pressed start, and it let me pull up to the charger. Just a matter of the battery voltage stablizing.

A couple thoughts from a road warrior with 11 EV journeys of more than 1500 miles, and some countless number of more than 250 miles:

Get the apps and set up accounts for the major charging networks - basically, EA, Tesla, ChargePoint, maybe EVgo and any regional system that is popular in your area (like Francis Energy in the midwest, or FPL in Florida). You don't want to be doing this while standing next to the charger in the rain. If you travel a lot, like me, memberships in EA and Tesla pay for themselves. Alternatively, you can turn on the Plug-n-Charge for your Lightning, but I hate paying the higher prices (and it adds up on long road trips).

Learn to do the SOC math. It is easy in my SR Pro - 1%=1 kWh. With all my traveling, I've developed a set of m/kWh numbers that work reliably for me based on speed, terrain, wind speed/direction, and temperature. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't. For example, I'll get 2.0-2.1 m/kWh on level ground at 68-70 mph with no headwind on a temperate day. I do the math in my head (or ask Siri through CarPlay to do it), and usually factor an 8-10% reserve to determine my max range.

If you have good nerves and quick reflexes (or adaptive cruise control), drafting a semi-trailer truck that is going a consistent speed on the interstate really does help range, especially if you are facing a headwind.

Air conditioning (cooling) is NOT a big draw on the battery, but heat (on pre-2024 models) is. I think the most recent models with a heat pump do better. In cold weather, I set the cabin for 64° and turn up the seat heater - FAR, FAR more efficient than trying to keep the cabin toasty.

Speed is a killer. The coefficient of aero drag doubles between 60 and 80 mph, and your EV efficiency drops accordingly. Want to extend your range? Slow down.

Finally, adjust your driving style. I used to drive straight through on 1000+ mile trips, only stopping for gas and a snack. Now older, I find that range is more about my bladder capacity than battery capacity. So, I've learned to appreciate a break every couple hours to charge, use the restroom, get a snack, chat with a fellow EV driver at the chargers. Sometimes, it needs to be about the journey, not the destination.

 

[Discwizard70]

Been there (Flagstaff EA station, just before midnight). But I let the truck sit for a minute or two, pressed start, and it let me pull up to the charger. Just a matter of the battery voltage stablizing.

A couple thoughts from a road warrior with 11 EV journeys of more than 1500 miles, and some countless number of more than 250 miles:

Get the apps and set up accounts for the major charging networks - basically, EA, Tesla, ChargePoint, maybe EVgo and any regional system that is popular in your area (like Francis Energy in the midwest, or FPL in Florida). You don't want to be doing this while standing next to the charger in the rain. If you travel a lot, like me, memberships in EA and Tesla pay for themselves. Alternatively, you can turn on the Plug-n-Charge for your Lightning, but I hate paying the higher prices (and it adds up on long road trips).

Learn to do the SOC math. It is easy in my SR Pro - 1%=1 kWh. With all my traveling, I've developed a set of m/kWh numbers that work reliably for me based on speed, terrain, wind speed/direction, and temperature. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't. For example, I'll get 2.0-2.1 m/kWh on level ground at 68-70 mph with no headwind on a temperate day. I do the math in my head (or ask Siri through CarPlay to do it), and usually factor an 8-10% reserve to determine my max range.

If you have good nerves and quick reflexes (or adaptive cruise control), drafting a semi-trailer truck that is going a consistent speed on the interstate really does help range, especially if you are facing a headwind.

Air conditioning (cooling) is NOT a big draw on the battery, but heat (on pre-2024 models) is. I think the most recent models with a heat pump do better. In cold weather, I set the cabin for 64° and turn up the seat heater - FAR, FAR more efficient than trying to keep the cabin toasty.

Speed is a killer. The coefficient of aero drag doubles between 60 and 80 mph, and your EV efficiency drops accordingly. Want to extend your range? Slow down.

Finally, adjust your driving style. I used to drive straight through on 1000+ mile trips, only stopping for gas and a snack. Now older, I find that range is more about my bladder capacity than battery capacity. So, I've learned to appreciate a break every couple hours to charge, use the restroom, get a snack, chat with a fellow EV driver at the chargers. Sometimes, it needs to be about the journey, not the destination.

EXCELLENT point of view on travel, thank you for this!

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Been there (Flagstaff EA station, just before midnight). But I let the truck sit for a minute or two, pressed start, and it let me pull up to the charger. Just a matter of the battery voltage stablizing.

A couple thoughts from a road warrior with 11 EV journeys of more than 1500 miles, and some countless number of more than 250 miles:

Get the apps and set up accounts for the major charging networks - basically, EA, Tesla, ChargePoint, maybe EVgo and any regional system that is popular in your area (like Francis Energy in the midwest, or FPL in Florida). You don't want to be doing this while standing next to the charger in the rain. If you travel a lot, like me, memberships in EA and Tesla pay for themselves. Alternatively, you can turn on the Plug-n-Charge for your Lightning, but I hate paying the higher prices (and it adds up on long road trips).

Learn to do the SOC math. It is easy in my SR Pro - 1%=1 kWh. With all my traveling, I've developed a set of m/kWh numbers that work reliably for me based on speed, terrain, wind speed/direction, and temperature. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't. For example, I'll get 2.0-2.1 m/kWh on level ground at 68-70 mph with no headwind on a temperate day. I do the math in my head (or ask Siri through CarPlay to do it), and usually factor an 8-10% reserve to determine my max range.

If you have good nerves and quick reflexes (or adaptive cruise control), drafting a semi-trailer truck that is going a consistent speed on the interstate really does help range, especially if you are facing a headwind.

Air conditioning (cooling) is NOT a big draw on the battery, but heat (on pre-2024 models) is. I think the most recent models with a heat pump do better. In cold weather, I set the cabin for 64° and turn up the seat heater - FAR, FAR more efficient than trying to keep the cabin toasty.

Speed is a killer. The coefficient of aero drag doubles between 60 and 80 mph, and your EV efficiency drops accordingly. Want to extend your range? Slow down.

Finally, adjust your driving style. I used to drive straight through on 1000+ mile trips, only stopping for gas and a snack. Now older, I find that range is more about my bladder capacity than battery capacity. So, I've learned to appreciate a break every couple hours to charge, use the restroom, get a snack, chat with a fellow EV driver at the chargers. Sometimes, it needs to be about the journey, not the destination.

…I guess I’ve been MIA from the forums too long…

On an average week I’m doing 1200-1500mi over a 3 to 4 day span. Sometimes doing those distances regularly is what gets ya. You think you know the truck until you find out that the BMS doesn’t stay calibrated after multiple sequential DCFCs…

 

[CD4TNF]

Been there (Flagstaff EA station, just before midnight). But I let the truck sit for a minute or two, pressed start, and it let me pull up to the charger. Just a matter of the battery voltage stablizing.

A couple thoughts from a road warrior with 11 EV journeys of more than 1500 miles, and some countless number of more than 250 miles:

Get the apps and set up accounts for the major charging networks - basically, EA, Tesla, ChargePoint, maybe EVgo and any regional system that is popular in your area (like Francis Energy in the midwest, or FPL in Florida). You don't want to be doing this while standing next to the charger in the rain. If you travel a lot, like me, memberships in EA and Tesla pay for themselves. Alternatively, you can turn on the Plug-n-Charge for your Lightning, but I hate paying the higher prices (and it adds up on long road trips).

Learn to do the SOC math. It is easy in my SR Pro - 1%=1 kWh. With all my traveling, I've developed a set of m/kWh numbers that work reliably for me based on speed, terrain, wind speed/direction, and temperature. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't. For example, I'll get 2.0-2.1 m/kWh on level ground at 68-70 mph with no headwind on a temperate day. I do the math in my head (or ask Siri through CarPlay to do it), and usually factor an 8-10% reserve to determine my max range.

If you have good nerves and quick reflexes (or adaptive cruise control), drafting a semi-trailer truck that is going a consistent speed on the interstate really does help range, especially if you are facing a headwind.

Air conditioning (cooling) is NOT a big draw on the battery, but heat (on pre-2024 models) is. I think the most recent models with a heat pump do better. In cold weather, I set the cabin for 64° and turn up the seat heater - FAR, FAR more efficient than trying to keep the cabin toasty.

Speed is a killer. The coefficient of aero drag doubles between 60 and 80 mph, and your EV efficiency drops accordingly. Want to extend your range? Slow down.

Finally, adjust your driving style. I used to drive straight through on 1000+ mile trips, only stopping for gas and a snack. Now older, I find that range is more about my bladder capacity than battery capacity. So, I've learned to appreciate a break every couple hours to charge, use the restroom, get a snack, chat with a fellow EV driver at the chargers. Sometimes, it needs to be about the journey, not the destination.

Could not have said anything better. I second this advice.

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