Charging rate

[Vincevecc]

Good morning. I am new to the forum and I am sure this has been asked and posted in the past. I purchased my Mach E on July 1, 2022. Back when I first got the car, it has the standard range battery, once charged to 100% the range posted was 226 or so miles. Then I started charging to 90% and it dropped naturally to 203 mile range. Once it got colder , not cold but around 40 degrees, at 90% my range dropped to 148 miles. I was not happy so I took it in to have checked out. The answer was for me to charge to 100% and document actual miles. Once I started charging to 100% the max range I got was 198 miles. Actual miles before next charge was less. I would re-charge in snd around the 20 to 30% range and only drive 100 or so miles. I charged last night to 100% and the range listed is 175 miles. I am not happy and feel I was mis lead. Range is supposed to be 220 miles. What can be done?

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[hybrid2bev]

Wait until May/June and your range will return. Nothing is wrong, EV's get less range as the outside temperature drops.

@RickMachE counts.

 

[generaltso]

What can be done?

The simple solution is to move south.

 

[AKgrampy]

A combination of weather, driving style and location. Better efficiency if only around town driving (me) versus highway. Colder ( me) equates to lower efficiency. Leadfoot equates to lower versus old fogey (me again.)

 

[breeves002]

You were not misled you just don't understand EVs. Hopefully you're here to be educated. Welcome. Hundreds of thread on it here. Feel free to search for "range", or similar.

Generic post by mach_lee about cold weather range loss:

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.

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. 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).

 

[Vincevecc]

You were not misled you just don't understand EVs. Hopefully you're here to be educated. Welcome. Hundreds of thread on it here. Feel free to search for "range", or similar.

Generic post by mach_lee about cold weather range loss:

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.

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. 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).

Hi and thank you for the reply. I drive daily 34 miles one way. In summer months I was using roughly 12% to 14% depending on traffic. Now that it’s colder my same drive uses 18 to 20% depending on traffic. Add that to what I am being shown for mileage on a full charge and to be sure I Can make the drive I am charging daily. I figured every other day not every day.

 

[breeves002]

Hi and thank you for the reply. I drive daily 34 miles one way. In summer months I was using roughly 12% to 14% depending on traffic. Now that it’s colder my same drive uses 18 to 20% depending on traffic. Add that to what I am being shown for mileage on a full charge and to be sure I Can make the drive I am charging daily. I figured every other day not every day.

Just plug in every day when you get home and don't even think about it Set the charge limit to 90% for battery longevity.

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