Don't trust the displayed range on indicator (GOM)! Best ways to calculate how far your Mach-E can really go

[ChasingCoral]

There have been lots of new threads popping up from first time BEV drivers who are all worried or worked up because their Guess-O-Meter is showing much less range than they think it should.

Very simple answer: don't rely on the GOM! It doesn't know where you plan to go or the conditions it needs to calculate the actual range it can go. It will always be highly conservative. Be glad Ford gives you a conservative GOM -- it'll help keep you out of trouble.

How far can your Mach E really go? There are two good ways to find out. Neither is the GOM.

1. Trust the navigation system
Get in the car, turn on navigation, and pick a spot 200 miles away. See if it will navigate you there without charging. How much range will it have when you get there? If it can't get there without charging try shorter distances like 175 miles and 150 miles.

Now try with someplace 225 miles away, then 250, then 275, then 300. Once you have found a place near the end of your range the navigation system will tell you the range the car predicts to be able to go when it knows the distance, likely speed, altitude changes, and weather conditions of your drive. The distance of that drive plus the remaining range (you can trust it best when remaining range is low) will tell you your range.

I've found the navigation system to be very accurate and estimating my real range.

2. How far do you really go?
You can do the same thing with your normal driving. Charge up and drive it for a while. Drive until you are low on charge upon arriving home or a charging destination. How far do you go before charging and how much range does the car think is left?

Both of these will tell you your car's real range under real-world conditions.

Don't trust the GOM for anything other than a low-ball estimate. Then be glad Ford chose to do it this way. I've hopped in my Leaf trusting the GOM would get me somewhere, only to learn the GOM was based on slow around town driving and my battery won't get me where I need to go on my planned 70 mph interstate drive. I'd rather start out with a conservative GOM than a wildly optimistic one!

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[timbop]

@Administrator PLEASE make this a sticky!

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

@Administrator PLEASE make this a sticky!

the problem is that nobody looking for this info will know what "GOM" means. that's a very "forum insider" term.

"displayed range" or something would be better.

 

[fayt349]

the problem is that nobody looking for this info will know what "GOM" means. that's a very "forum insider" term.

"displayed range" or something would be better.

100% This. Change the title and then sticky it, I didn't even know what GOM was and this is my 2nd ev lol.

 

[c max]

100% This. Change the title and then sticky it, I didn't even know what GOM was and this is my 2nd ev lol.

I have always said "estimated range"....

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

If only we could add a link to a 7th grade math curriculum. ?

 

[scoopman]

I have a GTP on order so living vicariously through this forum until late summer .... has anyone compared actuals against planning from A Better Route Planner? how accurate is that at route planning? It seems Ford native nav seems pretty good on SOC / range estimates, but the UI is perhaps not as good as other options, so curious if prior planning with ABRP (which works nicely through CarPlay) has been tried by anyone yet.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

I have a GTP on order so living vicariously through this forum until late summer .... has anyone compared actuals against planning from A Better Route Planner? how accurate is that at route planning? It seems Ford native nav seems pretty good on SOC / range estimates, but the UI is perhaps not as good as other options, so curious if prior planning with ABRP (which works nicely through CarPlay) has been tried by anyone yet.

I’ve used ABRP and found it to be astoundingly accurate a couple times and pretty darn good the rest of the time.

 

[trutolife27]

I have taken 4 trips that have taken me from Louisville to Memphis, Louisville to Huntsville Alabama, Louisville to Knoxville Tennessee, and Louisville to Atlanta. My mache is the AWD EXT range A.K.A. 270 estimate.

The first EA charging stop is always right outside of Nashville. Between 190 to 195 miles. Four different temps between 45 to 70 degrees. Lowest I arrived with was 14% battery left and the most were 23% left. Driving between 70 to 85 mph.

If I charge to 80% I have noticed I'm getting between 165 miles to 200 with 10% to 12% left.
I Did make it from the Nashville EA charger to Cordova Tennessee EA charger right outside of Memphis with 4% battery left. 198 miles at 80% charge.

Simply put, lead foot subtracts 10% of your range. Weather under 45 degrees subtracts 10%. Traffic can happen anyday found out the hard way from Louisville to Cinncianti. Always carry 10% more battery than it says you need.

Follows these simple rules and do as coral said. Get out there. Travel, be adventures. Learn what your range is so when you do have a long trip coming up. Your not biting your fingernails and listening to the wife saying I told you so.

 

[HuntingPudel]

My GT-PE will be my first fully electric vehicle, but I kinda knew what the GOM was since my Fusion's GOM is worse than what I'm hearing about the MME's GOM.

 

[JamieGeek]

the problem is that nobody looking for this info will know what "GOM" means. that's a very "forum insider" term.

"displayed range" or something would be better.

Actually GOM is quite common on just about any EV forum.

Of course, however, if you already know the term then you already know about the inaccuracies of the display and thus don't need this topic.

 

[CivilJeep]

I understand the reasons for range estimate variance, but you can hardly fault those of us who are new to EV's for having a focus on it. The language of EV's outside this forum is RANGE. The comparisons between manufactures benchmark range, the optional equipment for the car you buy increases the range, the charger you use is marketed in range per hour, and the gauges on the cluster display total range.

Like it or not, people are going to rely on that range gauge.

 

[Scarpia]

I've written a couple of posts like this (basically ignore the GOM, because it's semi-useless), but hopefully this will reach a wide audience.
Definitely worthy of sticky status.

 

[BMT1071]

I understand the reasons for range estimate variance, but you can hardly fault those of us who are new to EV's for having a focus on it. The language of EV's outside this forum is RANGE. The comparisons between manufactures benchmark range, the optional equipment for the car you buy increases the range, the charger you use is marketed in range per hour, and the gauges on the cluster display total range.

Like it or not, people are going to rely on that range gauge.

I see your point, but the Estimated Range deserves about as much credence as the Instant Economy on an ICE vehicle. BTW I get 99+ mpg on my Malibu quite frequently. ??

 

[sockmeister]

Most of us veterans know this already, but: Another common method worth mentioning, to calculate your range, is to drive for a while, and then take a peek at the mi/kWh on the "This Trip" screen.
Multiply the "mi/kWh" by the usable capacity of your battery, which is, for the extended range, 88 kWh, or for the standard range, 68 kWh. This will be your total range from 0-100% under that driving condition.

Example:
3.1 mi/kWh listed.
Extended range battery = 88 kWh.
3.1 x 88 = 272.8 miles total range.

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