Disappointed with overnight charge

[Ruthie B]

I've always charged at home and mostly to 90% with the refreshed range displaying 248-262 miles. This morning only showed 209 miles at 90%. Overnight temperatures are slowly dropping here in NC but it was only 46 degrees last night. Hope this isn't the new norm for me.

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[hypersnake]

Hope this isn't the new norm for me.

The good news is that your guess-o-meter should go back to where it was in about 4-6 months!

 

[tbrumleve]

Yes, your Mach E will lose about 30% in winter vs summer. This is a regular topic each fall / winter.

https://www.macheforum.com/winter-and-cold-weather-ev-range-loss-comparison-including-mach-e/

 

[RickMachE]

LMFAO.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...nd-tricks-to-get-the-most-from-your-ev.32537/

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...cus-on-range-mysteriously-disappearing.22688/

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/why-is-my-range-growing-will-my-battery-explode.17141/

 

[Mach-Lee]

Ope, it's that time of year!

Range goes down when it gets cold folks. Nothing is wrong. Cold is defined as less than about 60ºF.

I go down from about 250 miles to 125 miles every winter (50% range loss), and back up again every summer.

 

[Vulnox]

Also, as it seems this needs to be said, ICE vehicles also suffer "range loss" in the winter. The combination of winter mix fuel, thinner air, and generally higher RPMs for engine heating/remote starting leads to a drop in fuel mileage. On my ICE F-150s I typically saw a 2-3 MPG drop in the winter.

Also your "range" meter can't see the future. If you actually drove your MME to "dead" it may go further than is showing on the screen. It just makes an estimation based on known factors, but how you actually drive, if the weather warms on your trip, and more, all could lead to more (or less) actual range.

The moral of the story being, it's generally best to just ignore that number. It doesn't indicate your car or battery is malfunctioning. It's just an estimate that has ZERO impact on the actual capability of the vehicle. If you actually leave on a trip and need the most range, you should set a departure time and have the car plugged in so it can heat the battery using your home's power. This will have a large positive impact on the range for the trip as on the coldest days heating the battery is one of the biggest causes of range loss.

 

[ex2bot]

When I go anywhere around home, I rarely drive more than 75 mi/day. Last winter (coldest here in years) I had to fast charge a grand total of *once* after picking someone up at the airport over an hour away. Would have been iffy getting home.

Seems to me that someone charging at home would have to drive 150 miles/day or more to be even mildly inconvenienced by cold weather range loss.

(‘23 AWD ext battery, no heat pump)

 

[YeOldeTraveller]

My summer full battery range works out to around 240 miles based on where and how I drive.

My winter full battery range is around 200 miles.

I live in SE Michigan.

My normal commute is 50 miles, so daily range is mostly irrelevant. I charge to 70% when at home.

 

[ex2bot]

I live south of Lansing, so our efficiencies are probably quite similar. The Detroit area might have a heat island effect idk. My winter range is also about 200 miles, *but* last December when it was way below zero, the range dropped to about 160 or 180 miles.

 

[YeOldeTraveller]

The longest sustained trip I did was in 10F weather, so not as bad as it could be. Locally, I just don't pay that much attention. Biggest difference daily is 30% usage vs 20% usage, and if I don't get near 20% left at the end of the day, it is just not notable.

 

[ex2bot]

The longest sustained trip I did was in 10F weather, so not as bad as it could be. Locally, I just don't pay that much attention. Biggest difference daily is 30% usage vs 20% usage, and if I don't get near 20% left at the end of the day, it is just not notable.

I meant to type “way below freezing.” This December, temps in the single digits and teens. I was driving around trying to figure out how efficient it was. Got down to about 1.7 mi / KWH. That would be about 150 or 160 miles. But that’s only at well below freezing.

My own estimates from my car:
Around freezing - about 2.2 mi/kwh (200 mi)
40-50 F - about 2.6 (240 miles)
Above 50 - 2.8 to 3.3 or higher (250-300+)*

* I’m retired and have too much time on my hands.

 

[Deleted member 4241]

Keep mind that ICE vehicles use "waste" heat from combustion to run the car heater. Your Mach-e uses valuable battery power to give you heat. If you are using auto temperature control, you may be burning a lot of kilowatt hours without ever thinking about it. Turn off the heater and use the built-in seat warmers and steering wheel heaters to increase your range.

 

[OH2AZ2OH]

The MME seems to do its range re-colculations while charging. Since you are charging overnight, the car is using the night-time temperatures to get that range - essentially a worst-case scenario. You drive during the day when it is warmer out, so your real range will be higher than what the car is currently reporting. At 46 degrees in morning, you'll notice a range impact on your morning drive, but your drive home probably will be really close to your summer usage.

Also, as it seems this needs to be said, ICE vehicles also suffer "range loss" in the winter. The combination of winter mix fuel, thinner air, and generally higher RPMs for engine heating/remote starting leads to a drop in fuel mileage.

I'm sure just a typo, but air gets denser as it gets cooler (see: hot air balloons go up). Denser air increases aerodynamic drag on all vehicles. Because of all the inefficiencies of ICE motors, the change in drag does not affect range nearly as much as in BEV. That is also why EVs tend to have weird door handles and rims since a small drop in drag can result in larger range increases. The MME "grill" certainly has a pretty large negative impact on range, but was a conscious trade-off made by Ford to distance the looks from another popular EV brand.

 

[Mach1E]

Also, as it seems this needs to be said, ICE vehicles also suffer "range loss" in the winter. The combination of winter mix fuel, thinner air, and generally higher RPMs for engine heating/remote starting leads to a drop in fuel mileage. On my ICE F-150s I typically saw a 2-3 MPG drop in the winter.

Also your "range" meter can't see the future. If you actually drove your MME to "dead" it may go further than is showing on the screen. It just makes an estimation based on known factors, but how you actually drive, if the weather warms on your trip, and more, all could lead to more (or less) actual range.

The moral of the story being, it's generally best to just ignore that number. It doesn't indicate your car or battery is malfunctioning. It's just an estimate that has ZERO impact on the actual capability of the vehicle. If you actually leave on a trip and need the most range, you should set a departure time and have the car plugged in so it can heat the battery using your home's power. This will have a large positive impact on the range for the trip as on the coldest days heating the battery is one of the biggest causes of range loss.

**not thinner air.

Cold air is denser and ICE actually make more power when it’s cold out.

It’s why people love drag racing in the cooler months. The horsepower gain is noticeable. Unless you were talking about thinner air in the summer for less drag.

But yes, all cars are less efficient in the winter:
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/fuel-economy-cold-weather#:~:text=Cold weather and winter driving conditions can,24% for short (3- to 4-mile) trips.


The difference is that in your ICE you were never worried if you could make it to the next fueling station nor worried about how long it took to refuel so nobody really noticed.

“
Cold weather and winter driving conditions can significantly reduce fuel economy. Fuel economy tests show that, in city driving, a conventional gasoline car's gas mileage is roughly 15% lower at 20°F than it would be at 77°F. It can drop as much as 24% for short (3- to 4-mile) trips.

Cold weather effects can vary by vehicle model. However, expect conventional gasoline vehicles to suffer a 10% to 20% fuel economy loss in city driving and a 15% to 33% loss on short trips.

The effect on hybrids is typically greater - with fuel economy dropping about 30% to 34% under these conditions. For hybrids, fuel economy typically decreases by 20% to 40% in city driving and 25% to 45% on short trips.

For electric vehicles (EVs), fuel economy can drop roughly 39% in mixed city and highway driving, and range can drop by 41%. About two-thirds of the extra energy consumed is used to heat the cabin. When the cabin heater is not used, EV fuel economy is 8% lower at 20°F than at 75°F. Driving range is about 12% lower.”

 

[MachhE-CT]

I live in CT. I have had mine since January and have driven about 11,000 miles. In the summer the GOM in my Premium Extended says about 285 miles on 90% and 320 miles on 100%. I normally only charge to 70% and it has been in the mid to low forties at night and the far is in an unheated garage. Overnight charge to 70% during the warmer weather says 210 to 215 . With temps in the 40’s this drops to 195 to 205. Using the heater and cold on effect on the batteries definitely takes its toll. Setting a departure time with the car still plugged in defiantly helps. But 90% charge 210 miles sounds low. I imagine there are 70 mph perhaps higher speed limits in NC . Not to much in CT so my high way speeds are 65 to 70. The MachE like most cars has a sharp drop off in range over 70 mph

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