Reduced Mileage versus Battery Percentage - help?

[grange]

I have not been able to find a thread so i am hoping someone can help with this question. I have 2023 Lariet with extended battery. 3000 miles (just took possession in early Aug). Full Charge my estimated travel is 340 miles. And up until this weekend it has been tracking pretty consistent. This weekend I took off on a 150 mile trip (weather was 40 degrees F and a mild head wind). I usually end this frequent trip with 150 miles left and about 45% remaining. This time - withing 15 minutes the mileage forecast lost about 75 miles - I ended the trip with 60 Miles left. ON the way home today, Full Charge 320 miles forecasted. in the first 5 miles I lost about 80 miles in the dashboard. It appears the percentage is accurate but the forecasted miles have been reduced by 25%. Is there a CTRL+ALT+DEL function to reset the dashboard computer? What is driving the forecasted miles to be reduced by 25-30%?
Thanks,

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[MillieChliette]

People freak out when they see 100% isn't the epa estimate so ford changed how the GOM works so it always shows epa or close to it at 100%.

Now people freak out when it adjusts down to a more realistic number after driving a bit. This is what happened to you. It's cold. You mentioned a headwind. The number it adjusted down to is probably your real range given the conditions.

The GOM not being what people expect it to be is the #1 thread creator on all the lightning and mach e forums. I'm so excited about how many more we're going to see in the coming weeks as it continues to get colder...

 

[Maquis]

Sounds about right for 40F and a headwind. It will get even lower as it gets colder.
There’s a reason we cal it the Guess-O-Meter (GOM). There is a place in settings to reset EV driving history, but in your case it will probably make the problem worse. I just ignore the GOM and use the SoC like I would a gas gauge. If your efficiency is 2.0 MPK, it equates to 260 miles. Go from there.

 

[TaxmanHog]

How much heat were you using, did you pre-condition the cabin temp?

 

[Maquis]

What exactly is your concern? The fact that your truck is loosing range (normal in colder weather) or the fact that the GOM is wildly inaccurate in some cases (also normal)?

 

[ddbrooke]

Yea, this freaked us all out early in ownership. What I've learned is to not use the GOM as a primary source of information. Instead, look at your miles/kW and your battery percentage. They will give you most accurate way to determine how many miles you will be able to travel.
If you have an ER battery, it has a 131 kWh capacity. Multiply 131 by % remaining then by the displayed Mile/Kwh. That will give you the most precise milage remaining. Sometimes it is in agreement with the GOM, sometimes not.
If you do this frequently, you'll be able to do the math in your head. If not, here is a chart I created a while ago that shows total range and 10% residual range for three senecios; charged to 100% which you would do at home before a road trip; 80% which you would do at a DC fast charger; and 90% which is Ford's recommended for home charging.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Not sure how far the GOM goes back in integrating mileage data, but I've noticed the GOM range rises with only local driving (<50 mph) and goes down with Interstate driving as expected from increased wind resistance at high speeds. With mainly city driving, I can get GOM ranges of 340 to 350 miles (ER Lariat), whereas with mainly Interstate driving and a bit of city thrown in, the GOM usually estimates my range at ~300 miles (but if I take the "derivative," the mi/kWh, it usually seems my range at 70 mph with little headwind is ~260 miles, i.e., derivative x 131 kWh capacity). This has been mainly at 80 to 100 deg F temps in the last few months. I always go gentle on the accelerator as I'm being monitored by the State Farm Drive Safe & Save app for an insurance discount, but I'm sure day-to-day variations in how you hit the accelerator are going to mess up your GOM range, too, and cause it to bounce around along with the usual culprits of temperature and topography.

 

[grange]

What exactly is your concern? The fact that your truck is loosing range (normal in colder weather) or the fact that the GOM is wildly inaccurate in some cases (also normal)?

Yes to both. 40 degrees is not cold. More than anything frustrated with myself for getting duped into this truck without fully understanding its (lack) of capabilities. oh well - buyer beware. 100% on me. thanks.

 

[Maquis]

Yes to both. 40 degrees is not cold. More than anything frustrated with myself for getting duped into this truck without fully understanding its (lack) of capabilities. oh well - buyer beware. 100% on me. thanks.

40 isn’t cold, but it’s colder than 80. None of the EV manufacturers mention the extent of cold weather range loss. Just some fine print about “actual range will vary depending on…” I knew cold weather would have an effect, but I was also a bit surprised at the extent. Fortunately, it doesn’t cause me a lot of issues based on my use case. Keep your truck plugged in as much as possible in the winter, use preconditioning when you need to maximize range (for a trip, for example) and use seat & steering wheel heat as much as possible.

Unless your daily commute pushes your winter range, you should be fine with the truck (or any EV).

 

[Grease Lightning]

Yes to both. 40 degrees is not cold. More than anything frustrated with myself for getting duped into this truck without fully understanding its (lack) of capabilities. oh well - buyer beware. 100% on me. thanks.

40 is cold for a battery. My mpk has been going down a little now that we are getting that low at night on days I don’t have preconditioning set.

Then you have to remember that air density increases at colder temperatures so all trucks have a harder time cutting through the air as the temperature drops.

 

[Jim Lewis]

More than anything frustrated with myself for getting duped into this truck without fully understanding its (lack) of capabilities.

I think you need to take some responsibility, too, for not doing enough homework about the properties of EVs in general before deciding to buy one. Here's a recent Consumer Reports article that discusses the various pros and cons of EVs in road trips. Is an EV Right for Your Next Road Trip? - Consumer Reports

Here's a 2022 Motor Biscuit article on the effect of cold-weather on EV range: Do Gas-Powered Cars Lose Driving Range in Cold Weather Like EVs Do? (motorbiscuit.com).

I started reading the electronic owner's manual of my ER Lariat before placing an order from my reservation. On page 136 of the 2023 manual (v1.1), there's a rundown on things that will affect range. Untitled (fordservicecontent.com) (link designed to take you to p.136 of Ford online PDF manual)

Hopefully, you know, too, that as your vehicle ages and your battery degrades, you're going to lose range. So you'll get the double whammy in the long run if your battery drops to 70% capacity (acceptable under the 8-year/100,000 mile warranty) and your range drops to 70% in cold weather; you'll only get ~50% of the range in very cold weather with a really old EV battery (.7 x .7 = ~.5 or 50% of warm weather range with a spanking new battery). (how you charge the battery (and drive the vehicle) can greatly help maintain its capacity)

If you're a long-time experienced ICE driver, you probably already know that ICE vehicles lose range, too, depending on the weather conditions. Driving an ICE vehicle at 75 mph can reduce gas mileage by 25% compared to 50 mph. Same for heavy use of air conditioning, around a 25% reduction in gas mileage. Driving an ICE vehicle in very cold weather can reduce gas mileage as much as 15%, make your vehicle impossible to start without an electric heater, and take a toll on the 12-volt battery ,etc. So I'm not sure why you'd conclude an EV might not suffer similar range reductions under similar conditions.

 

[Jseis]

Since I drive the same route every day I can measure % against miles driven and in typical summer weather it was 31.8-32.7 miles per 10% of battery used. Now that the fall temps appear, say mornings down to high 40’s-mid 50’s from low 60’s and winds out of the Southwest, well I’m losing say a mile, so 30.9 to 31.2. headwinds really suck. 80 F and a tailwind make my day but that summer afternoon weather is long gone.

 

[Pioneer74]

Cold weather and speed kill range. Cold to you is not the same as cold to a battery.

If you're unhappy now, brace yourself for the next 4 months. It's going to get worse.

 

[Ventorum94]

I have not been able to find a thread so i am hoping someone can help with this question. I have 2023 Lariet with extended battery. 3000 miles (just took possession in early Aug). Full Charge my estimated travel is 340 miles. And up until this weekend it has been tracking pretty consistent. This weekend I took off on a 150 mile trip (weather was 40 degrees F and a mild head wind). I usually end this frequent trip with 150 miles left and about 45% remaining. This time - withing 15 minutes the mileage forecast lost about 75 miles - I ended the trip with 60 Miles left. ON the way home today, Full Charge 320 miles forecasted. in the first 5 miles I lost about 80 miles in the dashboard. It appears the percentage is accurate but the forecasted miles have been reduced by 25%. Is there a CTRL+ALT+DEL function to reset the dashboard computer? What is driving the forecasted miles to be reduced by 25-30%?
Thanks,

Here’s a suggestion: monitor SOC, not “GOM” range.
(For ER pack) Read your current SOC and multiply by 3, and there’s your remaining range; subtract 10% if you’re driving over 60mph, or add 10% if you’re driving under 60mph. Easy mental math, update range in your head as often as you like, more reliable than the truck’s GOM.
(For SR pack, read your current SOC, double the number, then subtract 10% if you’re driving over 60mph, or add 10% if you’re driving under 60mph. Easy mental math.)

 

[Adventureboy]

Yes to both. 40 degrees is not cold. More than anything frustrated with myself for getting duped into this truck without fully understanding its (lack) of capabilities. oh well - buyer beware. 100% on me. thanks.

It is actually very well known that EVs have reduced range as the temperature drops and as headwinds increase. It helps to set a departure time as this preconditions the batteries and gives you better cold weather range. It won't help with the headwinds though. Our Lightnings have a big square font end that impacts range fairly significantly as headwinds increase. Also, colder air is more dense and causes more wind resistance than the same velocity of wind in warm weather. Just plan around the reduced range in colder weather and it will work out fine. I plan on less than 200mi range on the highway in the winter to be safe (100% charge on Lariat ER).

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