Range Super Low? Lariat ER at 1.7kwh

[Revahamilt]

I’ve got the Lariat ER and I was so disappointed at first in mileage - Kansas City with temps in the 30’s - driving around town. When I turned off the HVAC it began getting exactly what my range indicator said - was remarkable. With heat on I was getting 30-40% less. It was shocking. Preheat then use tye seat f taking a trip. But around town I’m not worried and just use the heat. Love the drive, quiet, and solid feel of the truck. Far better than my wife’s Tesla, but Tesla has better software in my opinion. Hoping Ford catches up. Had my Lightning a month. Still waiting for the upgrade so my phone as key will work.

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[Charley]

Ok. Phoning some friends here.

I have had my Lariat ER for 2 months and 2300 miles. I live in California where the temp has been 35 to 70 degrees out. I have the all terrain tire swap instead of all season. For about 400 of the miles I have had a lightweight paragon tonneau cover. I am not carryobg

I have been AVERAGING 1.7kwh per mile. When driving long distances down the 101 at 70 or 80mph I have been getting 1.4 to 1.5. I have tried pre heating and even turning the HVAC off. What is odd is that sometimes I will do highway driving 40 miles and get 2.0 kWh. Off highway I get a great 2.8+.

1.5 doesn’t even get me 200 miles of range at full charge (not including battery degradation over time).

anyone else seeing such horrible range? Any advice?

I have had 2 different Tesla X and have never seen this wide variation.

I had poor range until I changed my driving habits. Slowed way down, can’t get in a hurry driving these large vehicles. Also fast acceleration will eat the power.

 

[ivan256]

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

I suppose it all depends what one is trying to prove, 50% range reduction get more clicks than 25% ;-)


EPA range of 320 down to a realistic real life range in cold climates of 180-200 is a 40% decrease
Going from same to same i.e. 70mph highway driving in warm v.s. cold climate and you'll probably see closer to a 20-25% decrease.

Attributing the entirety of that drop to the temperature rather than the massive increase in average speed vs. the EPA average isn't really fair.

At 100% charge, preheated/preconditioned, and cabin at 65 plus seat heaters on 1, we are lucky to get 180-190 miles. And that is with cruise set at 70-72 depending on traffic.

I've got 3200 miles of 200 mile trips with temps below 35 degrees (down to 0) under my belt in my 2022 Lariat ER with AT tires.

The only times I haven't made it home on a single charge are when I exceeded 80MPH for a significant portion of the drive. If I precondition, and I can keep it to 75 I make it 200 miles with range to spare. Even at 0 degrees.

You can even stop for a while and lose some range to the battery cooling off and still make 200 miles. But don't try that at 0 degrees!

If you're struggling to make it 180 miles, either you're not preconditioning, something is wrong with your truck, you're carrying a LOT of weight, or you're going faster than you say you are. You should be getting at least 20% more range than that.

 

[Biobob]

I can confidently say that if nothing else, it ain’t gonna be a $40k truck.

I believe that you may have a problem or you may be calculating your mileage wrong.
I have a 2022 lariat ER and I live in California.
I use my GPS because I don’t think that the truck is calculating very well.
I have found a few low mileage trips but my last two were very similar.
I’m getting 308 miles on a full charge and I’m left with a 20 percent charge left at the end.
I was getting lower mileage but I think that the truck finally has reached its break in point.
Try a different method in your calculations and keep your foot out of it and I think you
might be surprised.
I was!
Good luck
Biobob
Chico, California

 

[bigtundra]

While I don’t know of anyone doing the test in a Lightning, C&D did it in the Rivian and at 75mph the AT’s resulted in a nearly 30% range reduction. And that was at proper tire inflation (it could get significantly worse if tires are under inflated), and ~consistent air temps. The C&D test also doesn’t account for the possibility that certain ATs can perform differently / even worse at higher speeds.

That C&Ds test was done at 75mph is telling. Since drag increases by velocity squared, the difference un drag between 60 and 75mph is something like 50% higher, which means the engine power required to overcome that increase in drag is significantly higher (if it takes 20hp to push the car through the air at 50mph, it will take eight times that – 160hp – to overcome drag at 100mph). If air density (due to colder weather) also increases, grab your ankles.

And while rolling resistance is more like a constant for a given tire at given inflation at a given vehicle weight, at higher speeds rolling resistance does increase due to essentially the tire itself changing certain materials qualities and forces at higher speeds - as such these increases of rolling resistance with speed can be materially different between different tire models due to their different construction/materials:

In all, imagine a different C&D comparison:

Vehicle #1: street tires, perfectly inflated, traveling at 65mph, in 80 degree temperatures.

Vehicle #2: ATs, 5% under-inflated, traveling at 75mph, in 50 degree air temps,

If merely changing the tires in the C&D test caused a nearly 30% range hit, what’s the guess in this second experiment that the range hit exceeds 50%? And what if OPs tires have a worse high speed rolling resistance profile than the AT in the C&D test?

But none of this is special to BEVs, and is true of any vehicle - the source of energy is agnostic to the energy requirements needed to overcome the basic physics. All these effects are true of our ICE trucks as well, we just paid at the pump and ignored it since we never had to worry about range/refueling opportunities.

Accordingly, if you need the range because of a lack of infrastructure for recharging, then the same rules applied as ever in ICE vehicles: slow down, keep tires properly inflated, and choose tires with low rolling resistance.

The (U.S.) national 55mph speed limit wasn’t chosen for safety (though it did have safety effects), it was put in place during the 1970’s energy crisis to reduce fuel consumption.

Great information. Anecdotally with my 2016 F150 when I put new tires on it, I put on the Goodyear Duratrac and I saw my mileage drop from 21-22mpg to 16-17mpg. Now the AT on the Lightning don't look anywhere near as aggressive as the Duratracs, but I don't see how you would call something AT vs AW without some noticeable difference, which we're seeing here as loss of efficiency.

 

[cvalue13]

For those discussing the range hit in cold weather long distance driving:

I’m here again only regurgitating what I’ve picked up here and there (which I may have misunderstood at times), but:

In a BEV sedan with hood aero, the cold temps hit the battery function as well as some increases drag from the dense, cold air.

In a BEV truck shaped like a breadbox, there’s the same hit to battery function as well as a significantly greater hit due to drag. Here’s where I really get outside my bailiwick, but apparently drag is predominately determined by the frontal face/area of the vehicle. So, the increase in effects of drag on an F150 between 65 and 75 mph are going to be significantly greater than the increase in drag on a sedan.

This is presumably why Tesla has been putting so much purported effort into the aero of the CT - and not unrelated to the CT’s wedge-like form factor.

Then there’s the heater!

Speaking of Tesla vs the Lightning: the Monroe tear down of the Lightning made big noise of the inefficiencies in design around the heating systems. Long chases, poor routing, etc. At 75mph in 30° temps, that’s a lot of heating energy getting waisted. Surely one of the drawbacks of Ford hurriedly stuffing BEV guts into an ICE platform.

I feel for those in the north who need the vehicle for regular long-distance driving, with any BEV.

I’m hoping that on Tesla’s March 1 investors day one of the discussions is around their plans to make live a non-Tesla subscription to their charging network. I won’t really need it, but it’ll do a world of good for BEVs generally.

 

[Ventorum94]

Teslas are not just smaller, aerodynamic, and with lower rolling-resistance tires. Tesla’s thermal management and power regeneration are best-in-class. If Tesla made a light truck (and someday they will), it would be a 2-3mi/kWh marvel. The Tesla Semi has 1.7mi/kWh efficiency, for crying out loud- more than some Lightning owners are realizing on their much smaller trucks.

 

[VTbuckeye]

Teslas are not just smaller, aerodynamic, and with lower rolling-resistance tires. Tesla’s thermal management and power regeneration are best-in-class. If Tesla made a light truck (and someday they will), it would be a 2-3mi/kWh marvel. The Tesla Semi has 1.7mi/kWh efficiency, for crying out loud- more than some Lightning owners are realizing on their much smaller trucks.

Your units are crossed on the Tesla semi. It is 1.7kWh/mile. This is equal to 0.588 miles per kWh. Still incredibly efficient for something that size, but 1700 watt hours per mile versus our 420ish watt hours per mile (epa rated efficiency) or 588 watt hours per mile if comparing to the 1.7 miles per kWh that many people get on the highway.

 

[Florian Haas]

There could be several factors contributing to your low range, including driving habits, weather conditions, and terrain.

Driving at high speeds on the highway can significantly reduce your range, as the increased wind resistance requires more energy from the battery. Additionally, using the HVAC system, especially heating, can also use a lot of energy.

Cold weather can also reduce your range, as the battery is less efficient at lower temperatures. If you're doing a lot of city driving with frequent stops, that can also affect your range.

To improve your range, you may want to try driving at lower speeds and avoiding rapid acceleration and hard braking. If possible, park in a garage or covered area to keep the battery at a consistent temperature. You may also want to consider getting a range extender or carrying a portable charger with you in case you need to top up the battery during a trip. Finally, be sure to monitor your tire pressure, as low pressure can increase resistance and reduce efficiency.

 

[jcarollo]

I live in Virginia and just hit 3000 miles on my Lariat ER. Total trip shows 1.8 for like of truck. Just got back from a trip to Michigan where it got as low as 8 degrees out and was averaging about 1.5 - 1.6 doing about 70. Didn’t turn on internal heat either. Had to sleep in my truck one night because Green Bay does not have any DC chargers and didn’t trust my range and none of the hotels with chargers had room for pets.
On way back averaged 1.8 but when temps hit 65 on way home was doing no better than 2.1 at 65-69. Frustrating part is when I may get 2.2 for one 150 mile leg, charge up for 45 minutes and only get 1.8 driving same exact speed in same weather.

 

[luebri]

I live in Virginia and just hit 3000 miles on my Lariat ER. Total trip shows 1.8 for like of truck. Just got back from a trip to Michigan where it got as low as 8 degrees out and was averaging about 1.5 - 1.6 doing about 70. Didn’t turn on internal heat either. Had to sleep in my truck one night because Green Bay does not have any DC chargers and didn’t trust my range and none of the hotels with chargers had room for pets.
On way back averaged 1.8 but when temps hit 65 on way home was doing no better than 2.1 at 65-69. Frustrating part is when I may get 2.2 for one 150 mile leg, charge up for 45 minutes and only get 1.8 driving same exact speed in same weather.

Your trip was to Michigan but you ended up in Green Bay from Virginia. You have the longest range ER Lightning made! Seriously though, if you ended up in Wisconsin and not near Milwaukee, Madison, or Minneapolis you have next to no shot of finding a L3 charger. My FCSP is one of the highest level chargers within 200 miles radius.

 

[LightningShow]

I don't understand how people are seeing 1.4 mi/kwh in mild weather. Even when I'm driving OVER 80 (which is a pretty normal occurrence) in relatively cold weather I still don't see 1.4mi/kwh. Maybe if I *only* drove on the highway but on any given trip there are always miles between the highway and where you're going, usually for a full trip that's primarily highway I'm at 1.6-1.8 in below freezing temps. I don't believe I've ever seen under 1.6 for a trip regardless of temperature, HVAC, usage and average speed. When I'm on the highway I drive 75-85 and my overall efficiency for the winter is still 1.8 mpk (2.1mpk since I got the truck in the summer), and that includes lots of preheating, which I always do before driving. What the heck are you guys doing!?

 

[jcarollo]

Your trip was to Michigan but you ended up in Green Bay from Virginia. You have the longest range ER Lightning made! Seriously though, if you ended up in Wisconsin and not near Milwaukee, Madison, or Minneapolis you have next to no shot of finding a L3 charger. My FCSP is one of the highest level chargers within 200 miles radius.

My place is in Upper Michigan and I took the route through Chicago and up through Green Bay to get there. I charged up in Milwaukee and there was supposed to be some fast chargers in Appleton but they were not working. Green Bay has no DC chargers so I had to charge up on a level 2 charger through the night to have enough range to a town 60 miles north of Green Bay that had a 50Kw charger. On trip home I took route over Mackinaw bridge. My place is 255 miles from bridge and I was able to make it to the bridge on a full charge but had to lower speed to 55 over last 100 miles to make it.

 

[luebri]

there was supposed to be some fast chargers in Appleton but they were not working. Green Bay has no DC chargers so I had to charge up on a level 2 charger through the night to have enough range to a town 60 miles north of Green Bay that had a 50Kw charger.

Yep the Northeast part of WI where I live is a Level 3 desert. The only Level 3 charger I have ever used is the 50kw in Appleton at the Bergstrom GM dealer and it worked good for me but now it appears to have reliability issues on Plug share. There is a brand new L3 getting installed at the new Genesis dealer off I-41 in Appleton, but it does not appear to be active yet.

If you ever are coming thru and need a few miles hit me up. My 19.2 kw FCSP is probably one of the fastest chargers in this area of the state!

 

[Akbrian]

I don't understand how people are seeing 1.4 mi/kwh in mild weather. Even when I'm driving OVER 80 (which is a pretty normal occurrence) in relatively cold weather I still don't see 1.4mi/kwh. Maybe if I *only* drove on the highway but on any given trip there are always miles between the highway and where you're going, usually for a full trip that's primarily highway I'm at 1.6-1.8 in below freezing temps. I don't believe I've ever seen under 1.6 for a trip regardless of temperature, HVAC, usage and average speed. When I'm on the highway I drive 75-85 and my overall efficiency for the winter is still 1.8 mpk (2.1mpk since I got the truck in the summer), and that includes lots of preheating, which I always do before driving. What the heck are you guys doing!?

Not mild weather here in Alaska. My lifetime average since purchase is 1.5mi/kWh. Mix of highway and city. Highest temperature I have driven in is about 55 degrees. I regularly see numbers as low as 0.7mi/kWh in heavy snow and typically see 1.1-1.3mi/kWh on the highway limiting speed to 67mph when it is -15F and colder.

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