Real Range: 208 Mile Trip In Winter - Over 1,500 Foot Mountain Range

[heisnuts]

The Quick Facts:

2021 Premium AWD 88kwh battery
208 mile round trip over 1,500 foot mountain range
45F outside temps - auto climate on at 69F for most of the trip
Raining the whole trip with some ponding water on the roads
20-25 mph headwinds for a lot of the trip
Left fully charged at 100% - showing 210 mile range
Returned at 21% with 42 mile range showing

The Story:

The wife and I love going to the Oregon Coast for lunch, walking and a drive down the coast (from Seaside to Tillamook) before heading back to Portland. I know from experience the trip is just over 200 miles and includes going up and over 2 different coast ranges that include a 1,500 foot incline/decline on both. So when I saw the forecast today for steady rain and temps in the mid 40's, I figured it would be a great time to see if I could do a complete round trip in these unfavorable conditions without having to stop for charging.

I started the day out with a 100% charge that showed a range of 210 miles. I did remote start the car in the garage before leaving so the interior was up to temp before unplugging the charger. A Better Route Planer showed that the trip I wanted to take was possible without charging and that I should return home with 39% charge remaining. I did have a 2 different DC fast charger locations in mind if needed, but that turned out to be unnecessary. However, instead of the 39% charge ABRP estimated, I ended up returning home with a 21% charge and 41 mile range showing.

Since the main goal of this was to see real world range in not ideal conditions I had the climate system set to full auto at 69F for most of the trip. I also did not go slower than the speed limit (55 MPH), and most of the time was around 60 MPH. I was a little lighter footed on acceleration than I usually am, but that is because most of the time I am towards the heavy foot on acceleration, which really cuts into range. Going down the coast from Seaside to Tillamook (about 50 miles), speeds ranged from 55 mph down to 35 - 45 mph when going through a lot of the little towns along the Coast Highway.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with the performance of the car on the trip. It was very comfortable inside, the auto wipers worked flawlessly, it felt very solid even with water on the road in a lot of places and both headwinds and crosswinds coming at the car for most of the trip. I figure if we had taken our ICE SUV it would have run about $55 in fuel while it cost me about $6 in electricity for the MME charging at home.

I figured with all of the threads here asking about real world range, this would provide a good example of what 100% charge gets you in Winter, raining and windy conditions all at once.

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[Murse-In-Airy]

Excellent share. Actually surprised you did that well with the headwinds. Im going to credit reasonable speeds with your success. Good on ya.

 

[Cm12]

That’s awesome! I’ve been bummed that I don’t feel confident in my ability to get from Beaverton to Cannon Beach and back - there are no (reliable) public chargers on the route. I assume you took 26 out to Seaside? I tried that In mid-50’s last year in an AWD SR and, although I can’t remember exactly how much battery I had left, it wasn’t stellar (~142 miles round trip). I was worried that colder, more difficult conditions might be too much. If you also took 26 (on the way out) then our routes and driving style for the trip were similar and that would give me a little extra confidence trying it in winter.

 

[heisnuts]

That’s awesome! I’ve been bummed that I don’t feel confident in my ability to get from Beaverton to Cannon Beach and back - there are no (reliable) public chargers on the route. I assume you took 26 out to Seaside? I tried that In mid-50’s last year in an AWD SR and, although I can’t remember exactly how much battery I had left, it wasn’t stellar (~142 miles round trip). I was worried that colder, more difficult conditions might be too much. If you also took 26 (on the way out) then our routes and driving style for the trip were similar and that would give me a little extra confidence trying it in winter.

I did use Hwy 26 out and Hwy 6 back from Tillamook. However, for a more scenic route I use a lot of back roads that end up putting me on Hwy 47 North to Hwy 26.

One of my charging options would have been the EA chargers at the Walmart in Cornelius (just east of Hwy 47 & Pacific Ave). Another charging option would have been where we ate lunch in Seaside. Ruby’s Roadside Grill has a free ChargePoint charger that we could have used while enjoying the really good food they have there. It is only a level 2 charger, but it is free and for the hour or so you would be there eating I would imagine you would see at least 20 miles added to the battery.

 

[Blue highway]

Thanks for posting. I haven’t made that drive in cold weather but am encouraged… it’s one of my favorite drives in warmer weather. I noted that there are fast chargers in Astoria as a lifeline if the SOC looks dicey.

I’ve noticed the GOM is noticeably more optimistic in the 50s than it was in the 40s. I am so ready for spring….

 

[Deborah]

Thanks for your post. You give my confidence to drive from N CA to Portland area to visit family! (Picking up my Premium Ext AWD this week!)

 

[shadowsjc]

Thanks for the post. But every time I see posts like this, it brings up two huge points that are lost on many urban dwellers who are considering an MME:

1. Preconditioning is important for vehicle range. For those of us in large urban areas (NYC/Boston/DC), living in an apartment complex without 24/7 access to a home charger means learning to live without preconditioning the battery, which greatly reduces range in winter

2. I appreciate that weather is variable everywhere, but mid 40s is by no means a drag on the battery. Here in the NYC area I've noticed significant reduction in efficiency during the colder months (temps in the 20s-30s).

When taking into account the lack of preconditioning + cold northeast winters, I regularly achieve 1.8 -2.0 M/kwh in the winter, which implies a winter range of about 176 miles under typical conditions. This is for a premium extended range AWD.

The solution I've seen presented is "move somewhere with a home charger" , or "don't buy an EV unless you have a home charger", but that would exclude the tens of millions who live in apartment dwellings up and down the northeast corridor.

 

[heisnuts]

Thanks for your post. You give my confidence to drive from N CA to Portland area to visit family! (Picking up my Premium Ext AWD this week!)

Fortunately there are several EA stations along I-5 that will make this trip very possible. Once you are up in Portland you will find even more EA stations as well. You will want to have a membership to EA during the time you will be on your trip since it will pay for itself after the 2nd charge session at EA.

 

[heisnuts]

Thanks for the post. But every time I see posts like this, it brings up two huge points that are lost on many urban dwellers who are considering an MME:

1. Preconditioning is important for vehicle range. For those of us in large urban areas (NYC/Boston/DC), living in an apartment complex without 24/7 access to a home charger means learning to live without preconditioning the battery, which greatly reduces range in winter

2. I appreciate that weather is variable everywhere, but mid 40s is by no means a drag on the battery. Here in the NYC area I've noticed significant reduction in efficiency during the colder months (temps in the 20s-30s).

When taking into account the lack of preconditioning + cold northeast winters, I regularly achieve 1.8 -2.0 M/kwh in the winter, which implies a winter range of about 176 miles under typical conditions. This is for a premium extended range AWD.

The solution I've seen presented is "move somewhere with a home charger" , or "don't buy an EV unless you have a home charger", but that would exclude the tens of millions who live in apartment dwellings up and down the northeast corridor.

You bring up great points for a lot people. I do see several EA stations in your area, but with your population I do not know how busy they get during the day. I would think it is areas like this the government would want to focus on when spending the money just approved to help build the charging infrastructure.

I would also think businesses in the area might want to have level 2 chargers to attract EV customers to their locations. Maybe a system set up where they can issue a code for so much time at the charger when purchasing something at their place of business. In ZEV states, I could even see incentives from the state being given to businesses to install the chargers.

 

[NoEVforme]

I have just purchased a Mach-E standard range RWD for my business but not for me personally. The previous owner had it six weeks and complained of very poor range.

He intended to use the vehicle on school runs and long distance instead of his 911 or Ranger.

The car was registered in mid January and he never got more than 170/180 miles on a full charge, so he told me.

When I collected the vehicle it was on 100% charge and around 10*c. I then drove it 150 miles on the motorway at 75mph where possible. Driving very carefully with acceleration and braking. I had 24% battery at the end. Indicating a range of 200 miles.

I really want to like electric vehicles but when a £45000 base mid size SUV won't even do 200 miles under normal motorway driving then the answer is still petrol or petrol hybrid for those who do long journeys and value time, not to mention range stress or charger availability.

I like the Mach-e but electric cars are still massively compromised on range and charging.

 

[Cm12]

Thanks for the post. But every time I see posts like this, it brings up two huge points that are lost on many urban dwellers who are considering an MME:

1. Preconditioning is important for vehicle range. For those of us in large urban areas (NYC/Boston/DC), living in an apartment complex without 24/7 access to a home charger means learning to live without preconditioning the battery, which greatly reduces range in winter

2. I appreciate that weather is variable everywhere, but mid 40s is by no means a drag on the battery. Here in the NYC area I've noticed significant reduction in efficiency during the colder months (temps in the 20s-30s).

When taking into account the lack of preconditioning + cold northeast winters, I regularly achieve 1.8 -2.0 M/kwh in the winter, which implies a winter range of about 176 miles under typical conditions. This is for a premium extended range AWD.

The solution I've seen presented is "move somewhere with a home charger" , or "don't buy an EV unless you have a home charger", but that would exclude the tens of millions who live in apartment dwellings up and down the northeast corridor.

Ford really should allow us to have a “precondition” button in the app. Even if you have a home charger, you have to set a departure schedule manually inside the vehicle to get it to precondition for a one-off trip. I don’t understand why we can have a remote start button but not a precondition button.

 

[shadowsjc]

You bring up great points for a lot people. I do see several EA stations in your area, but with your population I do not know how busy they get during the day. I would think it is areas like this the government would want to focus on when spending the money just approved to help build the charging infrastructure.

I would also think businesses in the area might want to have level 2 chargers to attract EV customers to their locations. Maybe a system set up where they can issue a code for so much time at the charger when purchasing something at their place of business. In ZEV states, I could even see incentives from the state being given to businesses to install the chargers.

Electrify America is fine and I'll usually go if I'm really low on battery, but it's really expensive on a $/kwh basis. And if you compare EA $/mile to gasoline, it's way way more expensive (especially in the winter when your car becomes less efficient due to low temperatures).

I guess it was just eye opening for me personally to sit and calculate spending way more than an ICE vehicle does on gas. I'm lucky that Jersey City and Hoboken have started setting up cheap L2 public charging options, which is what I've been relying on so far. But those come with their own issues/problems - suffice to say it hasn't been the smoothest EV ownership experience for me so far! Anyway sorry to derail your post.

 

[Logal727]

The Quick Facts:

2021 Premium AWD 88kwh battery
208 mile round trip over 1,500 foot mountain range
45F outside temps - auto climate on at 69F for most of the trip
Raining the whole trip with some ponding water on the roads
20-25 mph headwinds for a lot of the trip
Left fully charged at 100% - showing 210 mile range
Returned at 21% with 42 mile range showing

The Story:

The wife and I love going to the Oregon Coast for lunch, walking and a drive down the coast (from Seaside to Tillamook) before heading back to Portland. I know from experience the trip is just over 200 miles and includes going up and over 2 different coast ranges that include a 1,500 foot incline/decline on both. So when I saw the forecast today for steady rain and temps in the mid 40's, I figured it would be a great time to see if I could do a complete round trip in these unfavorable conditions without having to stop for charging.

I started the day out with a 100% charge that showed a range of 210 miles. I did remote start the car in the garage before leaving so the interior was up to temp before unplugging the charger. A Better Route Planer showed that the trip I wanted to take was possible without charging and that I should return home with 39% charge remaining. I did have a 2 different DC fast charger locations in mind if needed, but that turned out to be unnecessary. However, instead of the 39% charge ABRP estimated, I ended up returning home with a 21% charge and 41 mile range showing.

Since the main goal of this was to see real world range in not ideal conditions I had the climate system set to full auto at 69F for most of the trip. I also did not go slower than the speed limit (55 MPH), and most of the time was around 60 MPH. I was a little lighter footed on acceleration than I usually am, but that is because most of the time I am towards the heavy foot on acceleration, which really cuts into range. Going down the coast from Seaside to Tillamook (about 50 miles), speeds ranged from 55 mph down to 35 - 45 mph when going through a lot of the little towns along the Coast Highway.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with the performance of the car on the trip. It was very comfortable inside, the auto wipers worked flawlessly, it felt very solid even with water on the road in a lot of places and both headwinds and crosswinds coming at the car for most of the trip. I figure if we had taken our ICE SUV it would have run about $55 in fuel while it cost me about $6 in electricity for the MME charging at home.

I figured with all of the threads here asking about real world range, this would provide a good example of what 100% charge gets you in Winter, raining and windy conditions all at once.

All that driving got you again

 

[Cptmorgemaker]

I wish on a full charge in the winter my car would actually show more than 150 mi. I wish it could actually even get 120 mi on the battery. 45° is not even close to a winter trip. That's like a chilly day. I'm hitting forties and fifties finally. Otherwise it's been teens or zero or negatives. Now that's winter trips to show actual distance on batteries and it's awful. If if

 

[BrewPaw]

I live in South Dakota, and EA has pretty much no chargers in the Northern Central US, They are working on it, but the lack of chargers in this area makes me wonder why these states are the last on their list to get chargers installed.....2 major interstates I90 & I29 intersecting and no chargers........

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