Mach-E Premium AWD SR vs AWD ER -- worth spending the $6,000 to get an extended range battery?

[tannerk89]

The other factor I don’t think anyone mentioned is performance. There’s a pretty big jump from an SR to an ER AWD. For a car marketed as a mustang, 0-60 does make a difference, I think especially in the used market.

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[BigMach-E]

My basic equation was simple. Didn't/don't intend to trade in/up. I road trip short distances, two to four road trips in a year. I use the car for commuting, my longest commute of the week doesn't even come close to me needing to charge in the process. If I need something with crazy range for some reason, I will rent an ICE.
Going to have this thing paid off free and clear in less than three more years, and the monthly is manageable. SR AWD was the way to go for me.

 

[Nklem]

Winter is the real difference! ER-180 miles, SR 130-140. Even my ER at -5F zero preheat and zero warm up was 135 miles, thats under 100 with an SR. I recall someone mentioning 85 miles last winter. A friend who is a school teacher with an SR averaged 130 all winter in Maine. I averaged 175-180. Similar commutes. It’s tough for us where the closest DCFC is 120 miles away, meaning I could not get there on a super cold Day with an SR. It is why I upgraded to an ER. These are all AWD numbers. BTW the ER charges faster and to be honest allows you to be comfy in the cabin all winter, especially on road trips as you have more battery for heat.

 

[RickMachE]

Is it worth spending the $6,000 to get an extended range battery? I have a SR AWD and was told by the salesman, who I should not have listened to, that I would get 270 miles on a full charge with modest driving but I am only getting 210 - 225. But from reading other posts drivers with AWD 91Kw batteries, they are only getting 270 - 280 miles. Am I wrong in my reasoning?

You should have looked at the actual specifications of each vehicle.

Let's do some Math!

In my situation, the ER battery will eliminate ~5 to 10 charging stops away from home a year over the SR battery. I expect to keep the car ~3 years.

Sooo... the ER battery would save me 15 to 30 charging stops... at the cost of $6K... hmm $200-$400 savings per stop excluding resale difference... SR for me is the way to go.

IRL the SR battery has not stopped me from going anywhere that an extra 60 miles of range would have enabled.

On a different topic, why would anyone listen to a car salesman about anything...

Your math is ONE way of looking at it. Totally impacted by your trip driving. I like to get 3+ hours on a leg which I can get with the ER battery, and you can't get with the SR battery.

Going from 80% down to 10% is 70% usage, which is what most legs would be. 91 x .7 = 63.7 x 3 miles = 191 miles / 65 = 2.94 hours of driving (65 is close to the average if one attempts to drive 70)

On an SR battery, the math is 70 x .7 = 49 x 3 = 147 miles / 65 = 2.26 hours of driving. Not enough.

We bought the extended range so that we could try to road trip in it, despite having a hybrid SUV that we normally road trip in.

This ^^^

Winter is the real difference! ER-180 miles, SR 130-140. Even my ER at -5F zero preheat and zero warm up was 135 miles, thats under 100 with an SR. A friend who is a school teacher with an SR averaged 130 all winter in Maine. I averaged 175-180. Similar commutes. It’s tough for us where the closest DCFC is 120 miles away, meaning I could not get there on a super cold Day with an SR. It is why I upgraded to an ER. BTW these are all AWD numbers. BTW the ER charges faster and to be honest allows you to be comfy in the cabin all winter, especially on road trips as you have more battery for heat.

Winter, winter winter. Take 40% off your range, and the SR battery is useless for road trips.

 

[O’Msjestic1]

Thermal issues are a larger issue in the South. Thermal as in too much heat needing to be dissipated during charging, regents, driving. I have just received a production date for my Mach-E GT. So newish here. I have been hanging out on the Lightning forum for over a year, mine allegedly arrives next week. Anyway, the Lightning ER with Max Tow has twice the cooling capacity. Multiple coolant loops. Back to back charges in hot weather should not be an issue with the Lightning ER Max Tow. Might need some real world Mach-E drivers in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and SoCal to give their feedback on thermal issues from this summer.

 

[ADDZ71]

Let's do some Math!

In my situation, the ER battery will eliminate ~5 to 10 charging stops away from home a year over the SR battery. I expect to keep the car ~3 years.

Sooo... the ER battery would save me 15 to 30 charging stops... at the cost of $6K... hmm $200-$400 savings per stop excluding resale difference... SR for me is the way to go.

IRL the SR battery has not stopped me from going anywhere that an extra 60 miles of range would have enabled.

On a different topic, why would anyone listen to a car salesman about anything...

You have to include the increased value that an ER has over a SR when your ~3 year ownership period is complete. If that is let's say an resale value of $4500 more for the ER at year 3 then your savings $50-$100.

 

[kennethjk]

I take many trips a year that are 90 minutes to 2 hours each way. add A trip to Cape Cod and several trips To Tampa from Boca Raton in the winter and no real choice other than extended battery. Cape cod is void of fast chargers other than 1 at 50kw and Tampa is also pretty void. I travel to Naples once a month during the winter from Boca and their EA station doesn’t have a great rating.

so, to make life easier I chose larger battery. if I had to do it again I probably wouldn’t get 4 WD and would get even better range.

 

[Celtic4]

I am planning on ordering a Premium AWD and other then maybe colour whether to get the extended range is my only real decision. I have a 45 minute or so commute each way most days so I am someone in the middle. I could probably get away with the regular as I would not be planning any long trips with the MME but having said that my commute is not a short one either. So still thinking about it. I guess it will come down to what the final prices for the 2023's are really and whether I think the extra 6k is worth the piece of mind.

 

[ARK]

I am planning on ordering a Premium AWD and other then maybe colour whether to get the extended range is my only real decision. I have a 45 minute or so commute each way most days so I am someone in the middle. I could probably get away with the regular as I would not be planning any long trips with the MME but having said that my commute is not a short one either. So still thinking about it. I guess it will come down to what the final prices for the 2023's are really and whether I think the extra 6k is worth the piece of mind.

Consider your commute speed. If it is above highway speeds, your range will be more severely impacted and especially in the winter, very cold weather combined with 80mph+ driving will really tank your range.

On the other hand, if it is stop and go traffic, EVs tend to have great range in that circumstance because unlike ICEs, EVs get much better mileage at low speeds and you capture much of your energy back through regen so the constant braking isn’t hurting your overall mileage nearly as much as with an ICE.

 

[Celtic4]

Consider your commute speed. If it is above highway speeds, your range will be more severely impacted and especially in the winter, very cold weather combined with 80mph+ driving will really tank your range.

On the other hand, if it is stop and go traffic, EVs tend to have great range in that circumstance because unlike ICEs, EVs get much better mileage at low speeds and you capture much of your energy back through regen so the constant braking isn’t hurting your overall mileage nearly as much as with an ICE.

Thanks for that good advice there. Most of my commute is on the highway at higher speeds so a good point to consider which favours the extended range.

 

[JohnnyForensic]

Your salesman had “270” in mind because that was the range of the release model year AWD ER range for the First Editions and the Premium AWD ER. It was the number he heard first and it seems to have stuck. To throw in on the original question though, I’m backing up a previous poster who says the extra space is liberating to have. My 270 range is almost identical to my old Acura RDX with a full-tank. It’s also additional buffer against range losses due to cold in the winter, which is also the time I’m commuting extra to teach a class during the Spring semester.

 

[Mathington]

I was debating this question when I was buying my Mach-E. I had the option of the SR AWD or an ER AWD and intitially you think that it's only $7,000 difference but there were other factors to considering.

1) Are you paying cash or financing? In my case, I was financing and Ford offered 0.9% for the SR ARD while it was 3.99% on the ER AWD.

You may think that it's only $7,000 difference between the two models but when you calculate the higher interest rate on the entire price of the car on top of the additional $7,000, it was going to be an extra $14,000 in the end to get the ER AWD. To me, it wasn't worth it for the extra 60mi of range.

If you are paying cash, this isn't a problem.

2) What is the farthest you would need to drive in the coldest weather you typically get? You will experience a 30% drop in range in the winter if it's cold, so if that will make it so you cannot get to your typical commute or destination and back without charging, but the extra 60miles of the ER would, maybe it's better to get the ER.

Personally, I have never had an issue with commuting in the winter and deeper snow with my SR AWD as I could charge the car up during the night, at home.

3) Do you do a lot of long road trips and have often do you want to stop. I usually like to take a break every 2.5 to 3 hours of driving and given the highway speeds and roads that are near me, the SR AWD is more than enough range to get me from charger to charger for summer road trips. If you driver 80+ mph constantly, and don't want to stop as often, you will most likely need the extended range.

 

[kennethjk]

I recognize your from Canada but when I ordered my ER premium awd, the interest rate was .9 %. That was Sept of last year.

not Sure when you ordered but that’s a big difference

 

[SolarAB]

I really feel more comfortable with the extra range for longer trips.

 

[Vulnox]

I think if you get the Options plan, then SR comes down to how you use the car more. But if I was financing with intent to resell, I would want the ER. I think that with the advancement in range and new vehicles coming out soon, we are going to see 400 miles being more the "norm" for ER class vehicles. That means in 3-5 years, when you go to sell your MME, having a ~300 mile range ER will be the SR equivalent in 3-5 years, and someone with an SR will be looked at in the same boat as a Chevy Bolt or lower. I think the residual impact will be fairly significant due to the battery and motor efficiency gains expected. Ford seems to agree given the resident differences between the SR and ER for the Options Plan or Leasing.

The winter range is also a factor. Right now we just have the Focus Electric, so only starting at a 130 mile range, about 100 less than an SR MME. But it's about 70 miles in the winter if you dare to use heat. While I think an SR is still plenty for daily commuting for most, it's nice to have that extra buffer. Maybe you lose power for 36 hours or something and need a couple days of commuting. That mileage drop is going to look worse and worse.

I just think for the price range of these vehicles, I don't quite get the SR. I would just get a Bolt or something for $15k less if I just wanted to commute, AND you would get more range than an SR MME! That may be more how the Bolt is a crazy good value though in the EV realm. I wish Ford would have saved the SR packs for an EcoSport like vehicle that they also sold for $30k.

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