Battery Range has dropped

[Sam Hehn]

Up until late September I was getting over 500 km on a charge. It suddenly dropped to 400 km or less.is anyone else having an issue

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[generaltso]

Yes, everyone is. It’s winter.

 

[timbop]

Start here: https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...ulate-how-far-your-mach-e-can-really-go.6104/

And a recent few:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/max-charge-range-has-been-changing.12502/
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/did-ford-install-the-wrong-battery.12513/
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/charge-100-but-range-195.12363/

 

[Sam Hehn]

Yes, everyone is. It’s winter.

Yes, everyone is. It’s winter.

No!,,, this drop happened when weather was still 70 plus degrees. Now that the weather has dropped to 30 plus, I have lost another 75 KM

 

[timbop]

No!,,, this drop happened when weather was still 70 plus degrees. Now that the weather has dropped to 30 plus, I have lost another 75 KM

If you're only going by the estimated range displayed on the instrument panel, it is meaningless.

read this: https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...ulate-how-far-your-mach-e-can-really-go.6104/

and then this: https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...ery-range-and-getting-worse.12032/post-296005

 

[generaltso]

No!

You asked if anyone else was seeing this drop. The answer is yes, everyone is. I can tell by the onslaught of new threads posted every day about it.

 

[mkhuffman]

No!,,, this drop happened when weather was still 70 plus degrees. Now that the weather has dropped to 30 plus, I have lost another 75 KM

Please read all the links @timbop posted and you will understand what @generaltso is talking about. The car is predicting range, and even if it is 70 degrees outside right now, the car is looking at many factors including future temperatures and past temperatures. Please read those links.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Up until late September I was getting over 500 km on a charge. It suddenly dropped to 400 km or less.is anyone else having an issue

Hello, it looks like you are new and might be complaining about your cold-weather range decrease without having referenced the numerous threads on this subject. Due to high volume of questions, this is a pre-written response to help alleviate your concerns. Remember to use the search function before creating a new thread, as forum members are fatigued with new users asking this same question over and over again almost daily.

TL;DR - Range decreases due to cold weather, the range display is a highly pessimistic guess not to be taken literally, and you might update your software if you want to see a higher number.

First, understand that some range loss in cold weather is normal due to the laws of physics. Chemical reactions in the battery are more sluggish, the air is more dense to push through causing more drag, and your heater takes more electricity to run than A/C. The colder it is, the less your range will be because of these factors.

Second, know that the range you see on your display is just a guess. It can be off 40% or more from reality on some software versions. Do not take the number literally or you will be upset, nothing is wrong with your car, it is not the true range. Unlike other brands like Tesla, Ford has made the reading extremely conservative and sensitive to cold temperatures on purpose, so that you don’t strand yourself in cold weather. Expect a sharp decrease in the reading below about 50ºF/10ºC that is greater than reality.

Third, be aware that software updates have been released that increase the accuracy of the range display in cold weather significantly. If you haven’t had software updates done at your dealer yet, you should consider doing so because you are missing out on a lot of improvements (CSP 21P22 released Nov 22, 2021). After the update, you may see up to 30% more range displayed even though your actual range is unchanged.

You can calculate your actual range yourself by simply noting the battery percentage before and after a trip greater than 20 miles. For example, if a 25 mile trip took 12% battery, 25/.12 = 208 mile range at full charge. Another method is to multiply your mi/kWh efficiency by your battery capacity, either 88 kWh for extended range or 68 kWh for standard range. For example, if you are getting 2.6 mi/kWh in an extended range, 2.6*88 = 229 miles of range. Please note that in cold weather, the actual capacity of the pack will temporarily decrease some, so 80/62 kWh may be a better capacity figure to use for an estimate in cold weather. Full capacity will return next summer with warmer temps.

The amount of actual range loss may vary due to many factors, but to provide a generic reference, a loss of 35% at 20ºF/-7ºC would be typical in average driving. This would equate to a range of approximately 176 mi / 137 mi for extended/standard packs. The percentage range drop compared to summer is also inversely proportional to the speed you drive due to the heater’s percentage of total energy use. If you drive in a city you may see a 40% drop in range, vs. a 25% drop driving on the interstate.

In summary, remember the range display is always a pessimistic guess, and your actual range will be greater than indicated. Remember to get those dealer updates done to increase your satisfaction. Parking in a garage, plugging in, and using departure times will help keep the battery warm and increase your actual range. Enjoy driving your electric car after gaining an understanding of normal cold weather range loss and the pessimistic guessing of the range display, affectionally called the GOM (Guess-O-Meter).

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

Hello, it looks like you are new and might be complaining about your cold-weather range decrease

 

[Lelandjn]

I've had my extended range AWD since May and it has pretty consistently shown a range between 250-265 miles at 100% until recently when it dropped to around 205 - 220 miles. I received the same long winded explanation above from my local dealer for why my range has suddenly dropped. I'm in Oklahoma and we've had above normal temperatures all fall including this weekend which reached 80 - Sorry, but I'm not buying that the winter weather is the cause for the so called guess-o-meter to be that far off, something else is wrong. I have a deposit in for a Lightning but am really doubtful of their latest range estimates based on my experience with a much smaller vehicle than an F150, certainly if towing or hauling.

 

[timbop]

I've had my extended range AWD since May and it has pretty consistently shown a range between 250-265 miles at 100% until recently when it dropped to around 205 - 220 miles. I received the same long winded explanation above from my local dealer for why my range has suddenly dropped. I'm in Oklahoma and we've had above normal temperatures all fall including this weekend which reached 80 - Sorry, but I'm not buying that the winter weather is the cause for the so called guess-o-meter to be that far off, something else is wrong. I have a deposit in for a Lightning but am really doubtful of their latest range estimates based on my experience with a much smaller vehicle than an F150, certainly if towing or hauling.

Have you tracked your actual mi/kwh that you're getting, either from the tripometer or figuring it out for yourself what the mi/kwh is that you're ACTUALLY getting and multiplying by battery size? Or, at least tracking the distance driven and dividing by percentage of battery used? Doing either will tell you the actual range that you're achieving.

Once you do that then we'll talk about "why"

 

[mkhuffman]

I've had my extended range AWD since May and it has pretty consistently shown a range between 250-265 miles at 100% until recently when it dropped to around 205 - 220 miles. I received the same long winded explanation above from my local dealer for why my range has suddenly dropped. I'm in Oklahoma and we've had above normal temperatures all fall including this weekend which reached 80 - Sorry, but I'm not buying that the winter weather is the cause for the so called guess-o-meter to be that far off, something else is wrong. I have a deposit in for a Lightning but am really doubtful of their latest range estimates based on my experience with a much smaller vehicle than an F150, certainly if towing or hauling.

I know you stated you don't believe the lower GOM estimate is due to temperature or weather, but it is. Since I picked my car up the second week of November, my GOM has been way off, predicting range that is much lower than what I am actually getting. Why? Defect? No. Fall/Winter. That IS the cause, whether you believe it or not.

Read this and all the comments before/after, and maybe it will help:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/posts/297977/

 

[Scooby24]

Have you tracked your actual mi/kwh that you're getting, either from the tripometer or figuring it out for yourself what the mi/kwh is that you're ACTUALLY getting and multiplying by battery size? Or, at least tracking the distance driven and dividing by percentage of battery used? Doing either will tell you the actual range that you're achieving.

Once you do that then we'll talk about "why"

Exactly this. If your efficiency is lower and roughly matches the GOM when multiplied by 88, it's not a matter of battery degradation and is in fact a drop in efficiency.

Based on what I saw on the tear down of the battery pack, there's no insulation between the coolant plates and the bottom of the pack housing. I am not sure what Ford targets for battery temp but 45C produces maximum power (as I understand it) and ideal operating range is 15-35C. If it's cooler than that and you're just highway cruising, the entire bottom plate of the battery pack may be radiating some heat so even with the shutters closed, the batteries may be getting cold and either losing power/capacity, or running the heater more often to keep them at ideal temp.

I'm betting these issues are the sort of things Ford is addressing when they say they are making improvements to cold weather range. My guess is there's an ideal combination of HV Heat and target temps that would produce a better result than what we're seeing right now.

 

[EELinneman]

I've had my extended range AWD since May and it has pretty consistently shown a range between 250-265 miles at 100% until recently when it dropped to around 205 - 220 miles. I received the same long winded explanation above from my local dealer for why my range has suddenly dropped. I'm in Oklahoma and we've had above normal temperatures all fall including this weekend which reached 80 - Sorry, but I'm not buying that the winter weather is the cause for the so called guess-o-meter to be that far off, something else is wrong. I have a deposit in for a Lightning but am really doubtful of their latest range estimates based on my experience with a much smaller vehicle than an F150, certainly if towing or hauling.

There is an old Irish saying that goes something like this: If everybody tells you that you are drunk, then it's time to sit down. Everybody here is telling you that it's a combination of the cold and the lack of accuracy of the GOM, yet you say they are all wrong.....

 

[RickMachE]

I've had my extended range AWD since May and it has pretty consistently shown a range between 250-265 miles at 100% until recently when it dropped to around 205 - 220 miles. I received the same long winded explanation above from my local dealer for why my range has suddenly dropped. I'm in Oklahoma and we've had above normal temperatures all fall including this weekend which reached 80 - Sorry, but I'm not buying that the winter weather is the cause for the so called guess-o-meter to be that far off, something else is wrong. I have a deposit in for a Lightning but am really doubtful of their latest range estimates based on my experience with a much smaller vehicle than an F150, certainly if towing or hauling.

You shouldn't buy the Lightning.

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