Battery range less than official figures

[vinny2487]

No, never a Tesla. Can't stand him. Just a new EV owner who apparently misunderstood how the battery operated. I chose the car because it had an extended range battery and assumed 314 meant that or at least in the neighborhood.and not 45 miles under. But, appreciate the education about how this actually works.

How many miles do you have on the car? When I first got my car the GOM was wildly pessimistic. The more I drove, the more accurate it became. Also is your car parked in the garage or outside? I also live in South OC and my car has been parked outside when the nights recently are in the mid 40's. I've seen 20-25 mile drops on the GOM compared to parking inside.

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[Kamuelaflyer]

Thanks for that explanation. Much appreciated. Still doesn't make sense to me as I live in Southern California and the temperature is 60-70 every day and I don't drive at excessive speeds. Not sure what other factors impact my mileage but I understand what you're saying.

Welcome to the forums.

I live in upcountry Hawaii on the side of Mauna Kea. It’s very different here than at the resorts. Weather and temperature wise, think Monterey or Santa Barbara California. My range meter usually reads 216 miles in the summer and about 198 during the winter when fully charged. I have a AWD Premium with the extended range battery. The GOM is conservative and factors a lot of things in (in my case it’s the climb up the hills to home). Cooler weather makes a big difference, even in your temperate climate. Be thankful you’re not north of the border.

You’ll get used to the GOM. Try tracking your miles/kWh on the trip card and do some mental math now and then to see how far you’re really going.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I have a California Route 66 with an extended range battery. It's supposed to get 314 miles on a charge but it charges to 271 and the home charger is set to to 100%. Anyone have a similar issue?

Read this:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...ulate-how-far-your-mach-e-can-really-go.6104/
Then this
https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...lanation-how-to-calculate-actual-range.13749/

 

[Kabish]

My GOM was incredibly accurate, one of the few.. I was getting about 328-334ish miles on a 100% charge (actual miles not GOM). Once the "cold" came it would drop down around 260 miles. Now that we moved and I'm at 2500 feet my GOM is all over the place. Its not remotely accurate anymore due to the elevation and having to drive down/up the mountain.

 

[Shayne]

Unfortunately true EPA range is tested on a dyno and even the “highway test” involves never going over 60 MPH and an average of 48 MPH. So if you want true EPA range, you’re going to have to drive like an EPA test.

(Actually not that bad because Ford down-rated their range. So you’re pretty safe up to 60 MPH, but the ideal battery temp is 80°. So even at 60° you’ll see less range than ideal)

60-65 mph for EPA? And then some do not use 0.7 scaling factors which makes the whole math useless for comparing by EPA. You need to start with the tests and run them with 0.7 scaling to compare.

No, never a Tesla. Can't stand him. Just a new EV owner who apparently misunderstood how the battery operated. I chose the car because it had an extended range battery and assumed 314 meant that or at least in the neighborhood.and not 45 miles under. But, appreciate the education about how this actually works.

The range indicator adjusts trying to give you the best guess of how far you will go if using the entire % charge you have. I have not noticed it too much but appears OK. I watch and know % used (consumption) for different conditions and for commuting I could care less what the range says. Ya I have enough % left to make it there and back (like a gas gauge I need a 1/4 tank). A good percentage of my travel (commuting) range is not a problem only for trips/travel in the cold it comes into play (I mean cold subzero F's and northern DCFC distances).

Some say the GOM is conservative but it can be unconservative. It learns from your commutes which tend to be slower and then you change it up with driving it highway for hours. What it told you when you left thinking it was another commute may have been unconservative for your highway travel. Watch your consumption mi/KWh helps.

May be drive it for a while if you do not long distance travel 5 days of the week you should be ok with the range and L2 home charging for the majority of your needs. If you are putting 400 miles a day on it may be not?

Research how EPA range testing is done. If you can drive like the test, and in warm temperatures, you can meet or exceed EPA range. Some people actually do exceed EPA range, driving like grandma in the summer. I floor it every chance I get and the speed limit is a guideline, not a rule to me. So my GOM does not match the EPA rating.

How do you drive?

Second yellow card now for coloring outside the lines.

Best in the new year to all!

 

[timbop]

No, never a Tesla. Can't stand him. Just a new EV owner who apparently misunderstood how the battery operated. I chose the car because it had an extended range battery and assumed 314 meant that or at least in the neighborhood.and not 45 miles under. But, appreciate the education about how this actually works.

Here's the thing you aren't seeming to grasp: the "estimated miles" displayed is nothing more than a guess. It might be close, it might be off by 10% or 20%. It actually means NOTHING with respect to how far your car will ACTUALLY go on a charge. I've driven over 300 miles on my route 1 with 15% charge still left in the battery (summer), and I've also gone 200 miles with 10% remaining (frigid winter day). As mentioned the liquid electrolyte is affected by temperatures, so the 314 mile projected range is based on a standardized EPA test that averages out how far you can go given an approximate mix of highway and local road speeds at a specific temperature. If you drive at different speeds, different acceleration patterns, and/or different conditions you will get a different range. The exact same thing happened with your gas car as gas engines are less efficient in the cold and cold air is denser and thus offers more air resistance. The difference is that gas engines are only about 35% efficient compared to EV's which are 95% efficient - thus the change in efficiency is less noticeable. You probably just didn't pay attention because the gas gauge only showed precision to 1/4 tank AND you probably never ever compared the actual range to its displayed estimate range.

 

[BalsaDust]

Who the F is getting 314 miles on a charge?

I had 323 show up once after a 100% charge during July of last year. I have only charged to 100% a couple of times and that was a one time deal.
The GOM has a mind of its own and I tend to do some mental math on occasion based on percentage left in battery and my miles per kw, and on a good day I average 3.8mile/kw so it comes out to approx 311 miles after factoring a 10%loss for accesories and HVAC. Now mind you I have never driven to 0% and don't ever plan to. As always "Your mileage may vary"

Tony

 

[RickMachE]

Is there a way for the forum software to require new signups to check a box regarding battery/range issues before allowing the person to continue? Something along the lines of, "I understand how weather and driving conditions affect the range estimate displayed." I know it isn't foolproof (believe me, the number of times I've written error messages for users instructing them on exactly how to fix the issue but still gotten emails...), but it might help reduce the noise in the forum with these kinds of posts.

That's funny! You think that if people have to acknowledge something that's going to stop the questions? You must not have been on forums for long.

I've been on forums since around 1979, and I can tell you that if you put "I acknowledge the sky is blue" it wouldn't be more than a few days before someone asked if it was blue...

Thx. I think my post was misunderstood. I understand that weather conditions and driving style influences actual miles achieved on a charge. But if the battery has capacity of 314, shouldn't it charge to that level? I may not get 314 based on conditions and speed but it ought to fully charge.

Question - when you bought your gas vehicles, and you filled up, did you expect to get the EPA range x the number of gallons?

No, never a Tesla. Can't stand him. Just a new EV owner who apparently misunderstood how the battery operated. I chose the car because it had an extended range battery and assumed 314 meant that or at least in the neighborhood.and not 45 miles under. But, appreciate the education about how this actually works.

Also - note you shouldn't be charging to 100% for daily use, only when you need the range. Ford recommends 90%, in your manual.

Keep in mind that your range will vary depending on things other than weather. Many drive the Mach-E as it's intended to be driven, heavy on the accelerator. I drive my F-150 with a V8 that way too. I have a lifetime average of I think 17.8mpg on it, EPA says I should get 19 highway and 14 city.

 

[JLH]

Research how EPA range testing is done. If you can drive like the test, and in warm temperatures, you can meet or exceed EPA range. Some people actually do exceed EPA range, driving like grandma in the summer. I floor it every chance I get and the speed limit is a guideline, not a rule to me. So my GOM does not match the EPA rating.

How do you drive?

Not like Grandma. Don't floor it every time but don't drive slowly by any means.

 

[JLH]

My vehicle estimates slightly more range now than it does in the summer. I think it's due to not using the HVAC, and garaging my car (it's warmer in there than out in the driveway, especially overnight).

Do you park it outside, or in a garage, @JLH?

Mine's currently estimating 243 miles at 100%, which is 5% above its original factory/sticker rating. Current temps in Phoenix range from 45 to almost 70.

Garage.

 

[generaltso]

but don't drive slowly by any means.

Then you aren’t driving in the manor in which the EPA test was performed.

 

[JLH]

How many miles do you have on the car? When I first got my car the GOM was wildly pessimistic. The more I drove, the more accurate it became. Also is your car parked in the garage or outside? I also live in South OC and my car has been parked outside when the nights recently are in the mid 40's. I've seen 20-25 mile drops on the GOM compared to parking inside.

About 2500. It's parked in the garage. Dealer told me same thing- mileage would adjust as I drive more.

 

[JLH]

Welcome to the forums.

I live in upcountry Hawaii on the side of Mauna Kea. It’s very different here than at the resorts. Weather and temperature wise, think Monterey or Santa Barbara California. My range meter usually reads 216 miles in the summer and about 198 during the winter when fully charged. I have a AWD Premium with the extended range battery. The GOM is conservative and factors a lot of things in (in my case it’s the climb up the hills to home). Cooler weather makes a big difference, even in your temperate climate. Be thankful you’re not north of the border.

You’ll get used to the GOM. Try tracking your miles/kWh on the trip card and do some mental math now and then to see how far you’re really going.

Thx.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Thx.

One other thing. My actual range far exceeds the GOM range. @ChasingCoral had a couple of good links that will help understand all this.

 

[Phil-Springs]

Seems like Ford could give us a tool that takes in battery size, battery temp, outside temp, elevation change, average speed, and climate control setting to get a better estimate.

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