Standard vs Extended Range Battery (Premium SR/ER vs CR1)

[d^2x/dt^2]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and experiences, I appreciate them. Car buying is not a fully rational exercise and the current market and technology changes make it all the more challenging. I actually enjoy the planning aspect of most trips and there are definitely some interesting new variables with EVs. In general, EVs make me think more about the efficient use of energy and I think that is a good thing.

@generaltso have you taken your SR on any longer trips where DCFC was needed? Once I saw ABRP wanted input on # of passengers and weight of luggage, I started thinking about all that extra weight I'd be hauling around with the ER battery most of the year.

@MachGT were you able to order with CR1 wheels or did you need to purchase them and replace the GT wheels? You are correct that most of my driving for fun is in warmer weather and I can't imagine the cold air hit is so bad it would interfere with my 20 mile commute.

One interesting use case for the larger battery is if you may want to take advantage of vehicle-to-load at some point. In my case, our EVs (MME and EV6) could very well be pressed into duty keeping our fridge and critical systems up in the aftermath of a major storm.

This is another question of high interest and the EV6 has an actual V2L solution out of the box unlike the MME. I'm hoping FoMoCo will eventually allow the MME to work like the Lightning but so far it is only hope from what I have read. This might be the subject of another thread at some point unless I find an existing one.

I've thought about PHEV for this or perhaps a next vehicle but I haven't found one that thrills me like the Mach E. I have 2 other ICE vehicles at this point but ideally would go all electric once Lightnings can be ordered at something near MSRP. Given the same dilemma with a Lightning battery I lean towards the ER for the MME as I think an ER Lightning will set me back more and I'd be more likely to take long trips in an MME.

I am interested in hearing any feedback on ride quality of the CR1 compared to the Premium models. Especially those that have owned or driven both.

Thank you.

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[generaltso]

@generaltso have you taken your SR on any longer trips where DCFC was needed? Once I saw ABRP wanted input on # of passengers and weight of luggage, I started thinking about all that extra weight I'd be hauling around with the ER battery most of the year.

I have not. We take my wife’s RAV4 Prime on road trips, which was always the plan. Knowing that certainly contributed to the decision of going with the SR battery in the MME.

 

[MellowJohnny]

My #1 reason for the SR pack was financial - in Canada the ER battery was $8k more (it’s now $13k extra) and I would have lost my $5k Gov’t rebate. For $13,000 I‘m more than happy to put up with a few extra charging sessions. Right now it’s more than fine For daily driving, and on small day trips I DCFC for piece of mind before returning home.

The one thing I do worry about is long-term deg - if (when?) the pack is down to 80% of 70 kWh usable (56 kWh) in a few years and I’m charging to 90% of the new capacity, that gets me to about 50 kWh usable? What’s that going to give me in winter range? Maybe that scenario never plays out…Time will tell.

So for me the only nice to have would be that extra capacity vs SR in the very long term, assuming you’ll still have the car.

 

[dbsb3233]

Depends a lot on the distance and routes for those road trips.

If you expect long drive days (500+ miles) through a lot of countryside where DCFC tends to be sparse, the ER battery is really appreciated. Remember that 230 (SR) miles is not really 230 miles, practically. At interstate speeds, with cool temps, possible wind, elevation changes, and leaving a safety buffer, that's more like a 120 mile practical drive leg. (Although that does depend on your risk tolerance for how much safety buffer.)

I have the AWD ER (270 mile EPA). As an example, we left Reno last week on I-80 east. No wind, flat elevation, but cold (low 20Fs). Left the hotel at 100%, arrived in Winnemucca 158 miles later at just 11%. At 80F temps that would have been 25-30%. Point being, there's a much wider variance in mileage in an EV than there is in an ICE. And combined with often sparse DCFC, you can easily find yourself kicking yourself for not popping for the ER.

But, $5000 is a LOT of extra money for it. So if your road trips are rare and not very far (or on good coverage DCFC routes), it's probably not worth it. Or if you don't mind just renting an ICE car for those instead. Although that's hard to do when you've paid so much for an MME and get used to the comfort, quiet, and features.

 

[dbsb3233]

Once I saw ABRP wanted input on # of passengers and weight of luggage, I started thinking about all that extra weight I'd be hauling around with the ER battery most of the year.

That doesn't really bother me. Locally I charge at home on cheap residential rates, so an extra 10% mileage hit is pretty negligible.

 

[JRT]

Ohio cold weather Temps, reg range battery and AWD will be shockingly low range. I'd get max range if I lived up north.

 

[generaltso]

I'd get max range if I lived up north.

I think that statement is very generalized. It depends more on your driving habits and distances than just living up north.

 

[MachGT]

@d^2x/dt^2

I bought the CR1 Wheels off of FB marketplace with less than 2k miles on them and sold my GT wheels/tires for the same price.

Hyundai's V2L is nothing but a 12v to 20amp onboard inverter that you could easily mount under the hood in the mach-e. Someday we should be able to unlock legitimate V2G using the ford pro power charger.

I noted zero difference in ride between the SR and the GT. No noticeable change in ride quality when I went to CR1 Wheels either even though they're 2in diameter smaller.

The suspension on the CR1, SR, and Prem should be the same.

 

[alexgorod]

@generaltso have you taken your SR on any longer trips where DCFC was needed? Once I saw ABRP wanted input on # of passengers and weight of luggage, I started thinking about all that extra weight I'd be hauling around with the ER battery most of the year.

The question is not for me, but I've agreed with @generaltso thoughts once, so I think it belongs

I've taken one trip from Detroit area to Michigan's west coast, so about 400 miles round trip. Used DCFC three times and L2 in a city parking lot once. Didn't have any problem, enjoyed the trip and the car, and didn't have to watch my speed after I realized that ABRP is very pessimistic in its estimates. If I had an extended range battery, I would have to do the same number of stops for charging.

Recently I planned a trip to Chicago, and ABRP recommended 3 stops and limiting the speed to 65 mph in one section, or a different route with four stops. Having an extended battery would definitely help in this scenario.

 

[21st Century Pony]

I wouldn't have bought my AWD ER Mach E had it not come with an extended battery.

Everything being a compromise in any car, the presence of both AWD and the ER, both "non-critical yet nice to have" features, pushed me into buying my MME. It was a special order car, turned down on delivery by its previous almost-owner.

I wanted the AWD. The ER battery compensates for the range decrease of the AWD.

Good Luck! Any way you choose, the Mach E is a nice car.

 

[21st Century Pony]

Additional points: our lives can and do change, sometimes despite our best-laid plans. I traded in for my MME just after starting a new well-paying gig, and as I realized my 2015 Fusion was tipping into becoming a slow-motion money pit.

I have since quit that gig after a half year because... well because life happens, and now I take more long-distance driving trips than I would have projected back in May 2022. So the ER absolutely helps on these trips by saving another hour to 2 hours of an extra DCFC charge time per trip for the day, depending on the kWh capacity of the still-infrequent DCFC charging stations in some states. The lesson being: more range = more flexibility. The ER also gives me significantly more route paths. Some much prettier, more interesting routes have DCFC charging stations in the 62 kWh range but are in small-town downtowns so I can amble around the riverbank or visit a cafe, and let me avoid crowded truck corridors like I-70.

Also, I do intend to camp with a teardrop trailer next year, and the ER will help compensate for the trailer-caused range loss.

Hope this helps.

 

[dbsb3233]

I'll add a bit more to what I said above... We do lots of road trips in our (almost 25000 miles of them now). Our comfort level with charging is on the conservative (safer) side. Meaning, whenever possible, we leave a backup DCFC in range just in case. That often means arriving at a DCFC with between 20-50% still "in the tank". Ya never know when a whole station might be down or full. And it's getting worse as more CCS EVs hit the roads.

We can do that with the ER battery, but that plan would get seriously compromised with the SR battery. To leave (for example) 70 miles in the tank to reach the next station as backup, that still allows a 120 mile drive with the ER. But that's only like 60 in the SR.

You'd also likely find yourself staying an hour to charge up to 95% instead of the typical 80% in half an hour.

Again, still probably not worth $5000 extra if rarely road tripping it long distance, but when you do, it's a big difference.

 

[DYohn]

My advice: Buy the most estimated range you can afford.

 

[d^2x/dt^2]

This isn't a question with a right or wrong answer, but the collective responses are a big help in framing my thoughts on it. One of the big unknowns is how reliable the charging networks are likely to be. I'm curious as to how often most drivers have been able to use a charge station they intended vs how often you need to go to plan B or C? Whether it be non-functional or just occupied with a questionable lead time. Yes more infrastructure is on the way, but so are a lot more EVs likely to be on the road.

The lesson being: more range = more flexibility. The ER also gives me significantly more route paths. Some much prettier, more interesting routes have DCFC charging stations in the 62 kWh range but are in small-town downtowns so I can amble around the riverbank or visit a cafe, and let me avoid crowded truck corridors like I-70.

Excellent point! While I only do week long trips once or twice a year, they are high value times where flexibility will be appreciated. Not all weeks are created equal after all.

The question is not for me, but I've agreed with @generaltso thoughts once, so I think it belongs

I've taken one trip from Detroit area to Michigan's west coast, so about 400 miles round trip. Used DCFC three times and L2 in a city parking lot once. Didn't have any problem, enjoyed the trip and the car, and didn't have to watch my speed after I realized that ABRP is very pessimistic in its estimates. If I had an extended range battery, I would have to do the same number of stops for charging.

Recently I planned a trip to Chicago, and ABRP recommended 3 stops and limiting the speed to 65 mph in one section, or a different route with four stops. Having an extended battery would definitely help in this scenario.

I appreciate the real world experience. I'm seeing a somewhat similar trend using ABRP for Cleveland to Chicago and toggling ER vs SR. The stops remain pretty much the same, but the charge time is shorter, sometimes as low as 5 minutes. Having pulled off the highway to stop to charge it is unlikely I would just stay for 5 minutes and not charge to 80% instead.

 

[dbsb3233]

This isn't a question with a right or wrong answer, but the collective responses are a big help in framing my thoughts on it. One of the big unknowns is how reliable the charging networks are likely to be. I'm curious as to how often most drivers have been able to use a charge station they intended vs how often you need to go to plan B or C? Whether it be non-functional or just occupied with a questionable lead time. Yes more infrastructure is on the way, but so are a lot more EVs likely to be on the road.

We've done probably 125 DCFCs on our numerous road trips now. Most have been good. 90% of those have been at EA. I'd estimate about 70% success rate on the 1st plug-in attempt. And maybe 90% when including just moving to another open charger at the station.

Of those other 10% that got messy, it was a variety of stuff... only getting 31kw because (presumably) the cable cooling (or sensor) failed... P&C didn't work... phone tap didn't work... other activation methods didn't work... had to call EA for a remote start or reboot...

Only a few times have I left a station without being able to get a charge at all. Once was the whole station down, a couple of others were a combo of only 1-2 chargers working and other cars already waiting for them. That's getting worse fast though as more EVs hit the roads. The difference between 2021 and 2022 has been significant on that front.

My guess is that it will get worse before it gets better. Eventually more DCFC will be coming, but not as fast as EVs are coming out. I also suspect that EA's 4-charger station model won't be expanded upon for years at most stations. Leading to full stations being a fairly common occurrence, especially because of their tendency to have 1-2 of those chargers down frequently.

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