Unlock battery capacity for more range this year?

[Mathington]

Last Christmas Ford gifted us all some extra range by unlocking battery capacity for better winter range, do you think they will do a similar thing this year as well? I certainly wouldn't mind an extra 2-3 usable kWh.

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[ocr_salty]

Still waiting for last years.

 

[dtbaker61]

Last Christmas Ford gifted us all some extra range by unlocking battery capacity for better winter range, do you think they will do a similar thing this year as well? I certainly wouldn't mind an extra 2-3 usable kWh.

the deeper you dig into battery capacity, the higher the risk of permanent damage and permanent range reduction over time.... extending range by 2-3 more kWhr would carry more and more risk as a battery pack ages and the individual cell capacity difference start showing up. If you pull one cell down to 0% while under load, you lose that cell forever.

Be careful what you ask for... I don't think you'd like the long term effect.

 

[generaltso]

Last Christmas Ford gifted us all some extra range by unlocking battery capacity for better winter range, do you think they will do a similar thing this year as well?

No.

 

[mkhuffman]

No.

I agree. 91 available of 99 total capacity is pretty high already.

 

[superdave80]

I'm not sure why people would want to risk damage to their very expensive battery pack so that they can go an extra 6-9 miles on a charge. I hope Ford does NOT open up more of the battery pack capacity.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Changing the buffer sizes would make me have to alter my charging strategies to keep within the 20%-80% of real capacity window. I hope they don’t. ??

 

[timbop]

No. As mentioned, the buffer exists for a reason: to protect the battery. Li-ion batteries begin to degrade if you drain them too low or charge them too full.

 

[Keeperofthe7keys]

Last Christmas Ford gifted us all some extra range by unlocking battery capacity for better winter range, do you think they will do a similar thing this year as well? I certainly wouldn't mind an extra 2-3 usable kWh.

It wasn't for more winter range, it was because Ford was very overly protective of the battery on launch and after the cars were out for awhile decided that was the case and decreased the buffer to allow us more utilization of it. Their buffer is still on the larger side compared to other automakers, but Ford is a very conservative company when it comes to the battery pack's longevity. They will not be unlocking anymore of it.

 

[tannerk89]

You can unlock more range by buying an Extended Range model!

 

[RickMachE]

As they gather more data on driving patterns, charging patterns, use of battery patterns, I don't think you can say "they won't". They might not, they might.

A big indicator that they won't give us more is that 2023s are selling with the same capacity. 2022s weren't, so it was a foregone conclusion that we'd get it on 21s.

But, ... keep in mind that they intend to hold on to SOME battery capacity, because they want to ensure that at 8 years / 100,000 miles they don't need to buy new batteries - we have to have 70% or more of the original capacity (88kWh on 2021s, 91kWh on 2022s - ERs, and 68 / 70 on SRs).

Also keep in mind that Darren Palmer said back in 2021 that they're going to look at individual usage in determining things. So, if you're the aggressive driver who charges to 100% and DC charges daily, and Mary is the calm driver that charges to 90% and rarely DC charges, it's possible that at some point, Mary can charge faster than you, and Mary has more battery capacity than you.

Also keep in mind that the "next" battery evolution is coming. Once that's in sight, I can't imagine Ford spending much time tweaking past models from a battery / charging standpoint.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I never got the boost to 91 in my First Edition.

 

[mkhuffman]

I never got the boost to 91 in my First Edition.

Do you still have your FE and is it up to date in FDRS?

Do you have the improved charging curve? I am pretty sure the increase in capacity was included with the improved charging curve. I got it when I updated my car at the beginning of February so it has been out there for quite some time. After that update I had the improved charging curve as well as the extra capacity.

 

[RickMachE]

Do you still have your FE and is it up to date in FDRS?

Do you have the improved charging curve? I am pretty sure the increase in capacity was included with the improved charging curve. I got it when I updated my car at the beginning of February so it has been out there for quite some time. After that update I had the improved charging curve as well as the extra capacity.

Wow, I'm impressed. Either @mkhuffman didn't read my post, or the tranquilizers are working. No "it's outrageous that they might give someone more capacity" or "that's not their decision to make".

? ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

[hbirring01]

Which ota gave the extra usable capacity?

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