Horrible mileage GT

[timbop]

Not sure what to say spent $63,000 on a car that is not even close in range. Don’t understand how Ford can advertise 270 I can’t even get 170. I know it’s cold out. Car sits in a heated garage at night what else can a guy do?

I

ignore the guess-o-meter.

1. Because the car doesn't know how far, how fast, in what conditions, etc it cannot be exact unless you actually put in a route right then - and even that is an approximation based on modeling. Thus the GOM is intentionally conservative as a "worst case" scenario to prevent people from getting stranded because the GOM said they can go farther than they actually can. It tends to be more conservative for this very reason; Ford has been underpromising and overdelivering on the Mach E. While that confounds newbies, doing a little research results in recognizing the issue and not being alarmed by it. By contrast Tesla overestimates their range on their GOM in all conditions; see plenty of actual "real world" driving tests by insideevs, alexonautos, edmunds, etc.
2. ICE engines are only 30% to 40% efficient, with the majority of energy being lost as heat. In winter that is an advantage because the heat that would otherwise be wasted is used to heat the cabin. BEV's are by contrast 95% efficient with minimal energy lost as heat. In the winter the car has to use extra energy to heat the cabin. That is why they tell you to use the seat and steering wheel heaters instead of heating the cabin if you can, because there is a lot less to heat up. The chemistry of Li-ion batteries is to blame as well: the liquid electrolyte loses viscosity (and thus potency) as temps drop well below freezing. At 30 to 40 degrees F it is minimal, but once you get down to around zero or below it becomes an issue. The 2 factors (no waste heat and chemistry) combine for some loss (10% to 20%) in range once it gets down to freezing or below. Therefore in really cold (-30 degree) temps like in Alaska the car's actual range does drop by 40% to 50%. In more reasonable climates (20 degree temps) effective range drops by 20% to 30%.
3. EVERY BEV experiences this issue right now; it is not unique to Ford. That is one of the reasons they are all investing so heavily in solid state batteries: "dry" batteries do not experience the issue with the electrolyte in cold weather.

 

[mkhuffman]

Yeah I pretty much only run the seat warmers on level 2 and the heated steering wheel I only use the e heat when my legs get really cold or something. I feel like ford should have gave us a heat pump as an option but as far as driving the car is pretty good its just the software side is disappointing and some other things that I've learned in my about 9 months of owning the car.

Well, I got 3.2 mi/kWh on a 2 hour drive at an average of 75 mph a few weeks ago, which was much, much higher than the stupid range estimate on the display (otherwise known as the GOM).

You know your driving conditions and habits better than the car does, and you can do better than the car thinks you will do. It is a fact. Of course you can do worse also, which I have done when driving like a lunatic.

 

[RickMachE]

Move south.

Hey, stole my line!

 

[ArticEV]

Range will likely be much better on a road trip when you stringing DC charging stops together. Repeated fast charging warms everything up and makes the car more efficient. Around town cold EV range is universally horrible.

When winter road tripping my EV from up here in MN try to start the day with a good charge and drive a while before DC fast charging, and it will change much faster and more consistent range between subsequent stops.

Also cold air is much denser so speed & wind matter even more - if tight to the next charger, pull a safe distance behind a semi and range will improve a lot!

 

[Silver Surfer]

To add a positive the car drives great in snowy conditions speaking on the awd version. We had snow in the DMV area and I didn't have a problem with sliding or goin up hill traction was good.

 

[Timelessblur]

What is your car reporting in terms of miles per kWh.
I have noticed my GOM here in Austin Juno all over the place depending on the day lately. Right now it is lower because tomorrow it is supposed to drop down to freezing then drop into the 20’s. It will shot up when it sees the next day is going to be in the 80’s. Yes Texas weather is messed up.
That alll being said my mKW has been more or less hovering between 2.7 to 3.3. Cold days it is lower but doing the math and matching it to expect drop in percentage shows I will be getting roughly 50 mile miles of range than the 200 it is showing right now for 90% charge.

 

[GadgetTech]

Two Many words: winter SUCKS BATTERY, FUN WITH AWD DOUNUT BEV

FTFY Iowa Edition

 

[Cabel]

Sell it and buy an ICE Mustang GT? Next time do better research on EV performance in cold weather prior to plunking down sixty grand?
Seriously though, people have to realize EVs are not ICE cars. Owning an EV is in many ways like owning a small aircraft - you need to do a lot of "pre-flight" planning and realize that environmental conditions (winds and temperature), routes, altitude (elevation changes) and speed are all going to effect performance significantly.

 

[Rabidsquirrel22]

Yeah I pretty much only run the seat warmers on level 2 and the heated steering wheel I only use the e heat when my legs get really cold or something. I feel like ford should have gave us a heat pump as an option but as far as driving the car is pretty good its just the software side is disappointing and some other things that I've learned in my about 9 months of owning the car.

A heat pump isn’t some magic solution for the brutally cold middle of winter. If there’s no heat in the battery or motors to pump back into the cabin, the car will still use a resistive heater to keep you warm. It’s biggest benefit is in fall and mild winter temps.

And people really need to stop freaking out about these GOM estimates. It’s basically impossible to only get 1.3 mi/kWh in this car unless you’re racing up a mountain, so OP’s range estimate isn’t even close to accurate for a long distance driving scenario where range actually matters.

 

[jamelski]

Not sure what to say spent $63,000 on a car that is not even close in range. Don’t understand how Ford can advertise 270 I can’t even get 170. I know it’s cold out. Car sits in a heated garage at night what else can a guy do?

I

Some one floors it every where they go lol

 

[breeves002]

Post written by @Mach-Lee

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).

 

[EELinneman]

Relax! Global Warming is your friend. In 100 years or so, it will be so toasty that this won't be a problem. At least that is what I've been told!

 

[chrisGT]

It is not just the cold. Highway range is very bad. I recently did 2 long highway trips starting preconditioned at 100% and both times I got only 220-230 miles of actual range. Climate control used 9% in one trip, which is about 20 miles. So the problem is not climate control, even if it gets optimized (heat pump?) and say it contributes only 5% that would only improve range by 10 miles.
Screenshot below is 100%->7% almost all highway driving but the first 10 miles were downhill from a mountain, which improved range a bit. When I drove the reverse it used 3% more.

I used to own a Taycan 4s which js about the same weight and horsepower and it would easily get 3.3 miles/kw and it had at least 270 miles of actual range at the same conditions with a slightly smaller battery. The heat pump was a factor but the big difference was the two speed transmission in the rear axle that helped the motor rotate at lower speeds during highway driving. City consumption was about the same as the GT.

 

[Cabel]

Huh? Your model has a MAXIMUM EPA range ESTIMATE of 270 miles. If you got 230 miles of actual range, and used 32.4 miles worth for climate, accessories, external temp (9%+1%+2% =12%, 12% of 270 =32.4 miles), that's 262.4 miles. That's hardly "terrible", that's more like right on the estimate.

 

[chrisGT]

Huh? Your model has a MAXIMUM EPA range ESTIMATE of 270 miles. If you got 230 miles of actual range, and used 32.4 miles worth for climate, accessories, external temp (9%+1%+2% =12%, 12% of 270 =32.4 miles), that's 262.4 miles. That's hardly "terrible", that's more like right on the estimate.

It is 12% of 230 (actual), not 270.
Also I am not sure why accessories are discounted in your logic since they are necessary to run the car.

If I had climate control completely off the car would have gone an extra 20miles. Also I mentioned the first 10 miles was going downhill and after those 10 miles I was still at 100%. So actual range was more like 220 than 230. And if I turn off climate and freeze to death it might go 240 miles but no more.

For my standards 240 miles with climate off is bad range for a car with 88kwh usable battery. My friend was driving his Tesla Model Y with 75kwh usable battery along the same trip and got more miles even with more people in his car. The Taycan 4s with 84kWh usable battery would go 270-280 miles in the same conditions.
I would still buy the GT instead of these cars for other reasons but let's not pretend that the GT's efficiency (miles/kwh) is on par with the competition. It's not.

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