ElectrifyCLT

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I've finally put 500 miles on my new Mach E and the most recent 200 miles were a round trip from Charlotte up into the NC Mountains for Christmas. To track efficiency and get a sense of the car, I broke the trip into three segments that are fairly distinct in their profiles.

Segment 1: Charlotte I-85 to NC 321 in Hickory, NC

This segment is all highway. Posted speed limits of 55-65MPH. Bluecruise worked for all of this segment. There were a few points where the car asked for an intervention, but otherwise we kept Bluecruise set to 77MPH and let it do its thing. Net elevation gain in this segment is only 200ft.

Approximate segment distance: 58 miles

Segment 2: NC 321 in Hickory, NC to Lenior, NC

This segment is a more in-town thoroughfare. It's 4 lanes, speed limit 45MPH, with traffic lights. Average speed when moving through the area is in the low 50s. Net elevation gain in this segment is only 200ft.

Approximate segment distance: 18 miles

Segment 3: NC 321 in Lenior, NC to destination in between Boone, NC and Blowing Rock, NC

This segment is the most interesting. In the final 25 miles to our destination there is nearly 3000ft of net elevation gain. We were curious to see how badly it did going up and how great it would do coming down. Speed limits in this leg are anywhere from 25MPH - 45MPH.

Approximate segment distance: 25 miles

Methodology for data logging:
All data was measured off SOC deltas with an 88kWh battery pack. For example, the energy used for a segment would be calculated as (SOC1 - SOC2)*88. Mileage was calculated by taking the difference in the odometer readout. Those two values drive the majority of the numbers reported below.

Car setup/cargo/weather:
Ambient tire PSI was a touch above spec at 41. On the road it was reading 45-46PSI. Car was kept in Engage mode (one pedal drive disabled*), Bluecruise used when available, and no efforts to hypermile. On board were our dog (45lbs), my wife, and I (weight not disclosed for either human because I'm happily married and intend to keep it that way). Trunk and Frunk were both full of baggage and presents (though nothing overly heavy of note). Weather in North Carolina was unseasonably warm for this time of year, driving took place with temperatures in the 60s and some wind (mostly impactful on the way up as opposed to coming back).

Drive up the mountain data, comments, and performance:

Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back Screen Shot 2021-12-27 at 5.56.33 PM


Segment 1 heading up to the in-laws was our first experience with Bluecruise. In general, we were impressed with its performance. It definitely likes to hug the right side of the lane more than I normally would, but at the same time my wife in the passenger seat wasn't overly concerned with the cars position in the lane. After reading all the hemming and hawing on the forum about the suspension and it's compliance (or lack thereof), I was nervous about how it would feel on highways that are rutted/have expansion joints.

I'm happy to report that the suspension is absolutely a non-issue for us. Is it stiff, yes. Is it uncomfortable, no. I owned a GTI previously and find the Mach E far more compliant than that car. My wife commented on how smooth it was, and the pup in back showed no signs of nausea (he never has, but some folks here made it sound like riding a wooden roller coaster).

Segment 2 was my first experience in stop and go traffic without 1PD. It took a minute to get used to but found the brakes easy to modulate right until the car came to a stop. No matter what it seemed like I got a lurch as the speedometer ticked over to zero.

Segment 3, known as "the climb" was eye opening in many ways. Firstly, it was really the first time the car felt heavy. Maybe it was that I was trying to not simply crush my remaining battery by flooring it, but the car felt slow. It never felt like it wasn't getting up the hills, but it didn't seem eager to either. In my GTI we'd just drop a gear and fly up the hill. In the Mach-E, it felt more deliberate.

Also eye opening was how quickly the SOC shed its digits. A mountainous area may be the only place where the GOM is too optimistic. Mileage shed dramatically and it makes sense in that my GOM seems to estimate about 2.5mi/kWh and going up the mountain we only achieved 1.6mi/kWh! :oops:

Overall performance on the way up was 2.28mi/kWh. Obviously not great and just a theoretical range of 200 miles on a full charge. I reset "trip 1" before leaving and compared my math to what the car reported. The car reported 2.5mi/kWh, roughly 9% ambitious.

Anyways, here she is at our destination at about 4,000ft.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back IMG_6983


Drive home data, comments, and performance:

Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back Screen Shot 2021-12-27 at 6.30.27 PM


Wow, just wow.
Segment 3, the climb, turns into a regen party on the way home. Just 2.6kw used on 27 miles downhill. Remember that asterisk where I said 1PD was always disabled? That wasn't true for segment 3 coming home. 1PD made the descent so easy. When we bottomed out at the beginning of segment 2, I turned 1PD off for the remainder of the trip. We only lost 3% on the SOC while the GOM only lost a single mile. The overall descent in segment 3 was much less work than in my GTI, which required downshifts to engine brake as well as modulation of the brake pedal.

The rest of the trip home was anticlimactic. Got through segment 2 without issues and enabled Bluecruise for segment 1 all the way home. Overall, to get home we used just 66% of the energy we needed to get up the mountain. 3.53mi/kWh on the return leg. The trip meter reported 3.7mi/kWh, roughly 5% overly ambitious.

Summary and a quick note on charging:

Grand totals for the trip came to 203 miles traveling to and fro, 73.04kw used, for an average of 2.78mi/kWh.
Not too bad for all the elevation ups and downs. We'll definitely be taking these types of trips with the Mach E, hands down.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back IMG_6973


My inlaws did not have a 240v outlet accessible, so took a charge at a 62.5kw Chargepoint DCFC location maintained by Blue Ridge Energy. The good news is that it worked flawlessly. The bad news is that it's the only DCFC charger (and only a single stall installed) in all of Boone/Blowing Rock. As EVs gain prevalence (and they are, quickly!), these NC grants to install DCFC locations will have been a nice gesture, but not meaningful infrastructure for the masses.

I was charged $5.00/hr, 43.76kWh delivered for a total of $4.33. SOC went from 35% to 81%, or 40.48kWh for an overall efficiency of 92.5%.

Overall a very pleasant trip with the Mach E, and given this result we're thinking that the Mach E will get the nod for our upcoming New Year's trip from Charlotte to Cincinnati, OH.

Thoughts? Questions? Am I totally wrong? Let's chat!
 
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Progress

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Thank you for compiling and sharing all that information about your trip. I hope to receive my Mach-e by the end of February, so I enjoy reading about other people's experiences with their new car.
 

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Yes thanks for the information. As a fellow resident of NC it is nice to know I will get he Mi/kW back down hill when MY MME comes in.
 

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Nice write up and nice pictures. Thanks. ?
 

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It seems I have made a mistake with getting the RWD to get maximum range. I didn't realize the MME has the ability to turn off the front motor for cruising efficiency, so on the highway it near enough makes no difference between the RWD and AWD.

We took the MME on a 1200-mile roadtrip from here to W. Va, and we cruised at around 75 mph on average, for a trip efficiency of ~2.5 miles per kWh. It was of course colder and wetter in parts of the trip, but really seems to mirror the report here. Sigh.
 


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Great write up! Love that run to Boone/Blowing Rock and then Blue Ridge over to Grandfather Mountain. Thanks for the comparison to the GTI. It relieves the worry about the suspension after all the posts about the bounce. This will definitely be one of our first trips once ours gets here in February.
 

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Great write up. I will adjust my spring road trip accordingly when climbing uphill in NM and AZ on the way to our 2nd home in Peoria AZ.

Will be sure to share performance info for each 1800+ mile trip planned across 3 days.
 
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ElectrifyCLT

ElectrifyCLT

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Great write up! Love that run to Boone/Blowing Rock and then Blue Ridge over to Grandfather Mountain. Thanks for the comparison to the GTI. It relieves the worry about the suspension after all the posts about the bounce. This will definitely be one of our first trips once ours gets here in February.
Just make sure you plot out routes and ensure enough buffer for charging!

Loved my GTI and considered it compliant. But it crashed overlarge expansion joints and potholes.
 

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Nice write-up. Very informative.

Just to clarify in case anyone is thinking about making the trip up to our beautiful mountains - Segment 2 (Hickory to Lenoir on 321), the speed limit is 55 mph and everyone does closer to 65 (although there are traffic lights and depending on the time, it can be congested and hold both lanes to 55).

Segment 3 (Lenoir to Blowing Rock) the speed limit is 50 mph up the mountain. Usually, keep it just under 60 mph because there is a gas station halfway up where cops sometimes sit and wait.

Obviously, when you are actually passing through Lenoir, Blowing Rock, or Boone, it has a lower speed limit (probably 45).

There are two slower charging stations in Blowing Rock - one at the parking garage behind the Blowing Rock Park and one at the Shoppes on the Parkway (outlet mall). At least an option, if you are going to eat downtown or shop, etc. But yes, they need more fast chargers.
 

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I know this is nerdy, but you got me thinking about keeping a "mileage logbook" in the Mach-e. I do that with my other vehicles, as my father used to do this on our farm trucks and with our private vehicles starting back during the energy crisis in the '70's. This got me in the habit of recording every fill-up and "maintenance event" (with costs and notes) in a little log book kept in the glove compartment, like in the attachment. It's really no different than logging flight hours when flying, and is really handy to look back and have a record of all this data.

I like your spreadsheet columns but I'd add date instead of "Phase of Trip" and I'm not sure what "Elevation Net" is really telling me since you already calculated Mi/KWh. I'd probably put that in "Notes" if needed. I'd also want to capture something about outside Temps and charge rates and chargers used. I'm thinking this could really help with trip planning and cost estimating, which is quite different from ICE vehicles. Thoughts?

logbook.JPG
 
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ElectrifyCLT

ElectrifyCLT

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Nice write-up. Very informative.

Just to clarify in case anyone is thinking about making the trip up to our beautiful mountains - Segment 2 (Hickory to Lenoir on 321), the speed limit is 55 mph and everyone does closer to 65 (although there are traffic lights and depending on the time, it can be congested and hold both lanes to 55).

Segment 3 (Lenoir to Blowing Rock) the speed limit is 50 mph up the mountain. Usually, keep it just under 60 mph because there is a gas station halfway up where cops sometimes sit and wait.

Obviously, when you are actually passing through Lenoir, Blowing Rock, or Boone, it has a lower speed limit (probably 45).

There are two slower charging stations in Blowing Rock - one at the parking garage behind the Blowing Rock Park and one at the Shoppes on the Parkway (outlet mall). At least an option, if you are going to eat downtown or shop, etc. But yes, they need more fast chargers.
Spot on with all points. My segment 2&3 breakdown included all the stop and go at the lights through Lenoir as well the back roads that's much slower getting to my in-laws house in segment 3.

Good to know about the J-1772 plugs in Blowing Rock! Long term I hope to either install a 240V outlet or use their dryer outlet at the house. Having a destination EVSE would make the area a non-issue charging wise. Without one, you have to be deliberate in your planning!
 
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ElectrifyCLT

ElectrifyCLT

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I know this is nerdy, but you got me thinking about keeping a "mileage logbook" in the Mach-e. I do that with my other vehicles, as my father used to do this on our farm trucks and with our private vehicles starting back during the energy crisis in the '70's. This got me in the habit of recording every fill-up and "maintenance event" (with costs and notes) in a little log book kept in the glove compartment, like in the attachment. It's really no different than logging flight hours when flying, and is really handy to look back and have a record of all this data.
GOOD TO SEE THERE ARE MORE OF US OUT THERE! I have a very similar log for my GTI (as well as my Saab I had prior). I logged mileage weekly every Sunday, then had a fuel log as well. My weekly tracker had the primary purpose of making sure I was under my lease mileage (was never an issue due to COVID).

Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back Screen Shot 2021-12-28 at 8.44.48 AM


My gas tracker allowed me to track each fill's performance MPG wise, as well as see trends in gas prices.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back Screen Shot 2021-12-28 at 8.46.52 AM


Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back Screen Shot 2021-12-28 at 8.47.57 AM


I like your spreadsheet columns but I'd add date instead of "Phase of Trip" and I'm not sure what "Elevation Net" is really telling me since you already calculated Mi/KWh. I'd probably put that in "Notes" if needed. I'd also want to capture something about outside Temps and charge rates and chargers used. I'm thinking this could really help with trip planning and cost estimating, which is quite different from ICE vehicles. Thoughts?
So for the intention of this trip, the goal was the measure mi/kWh performance in a variety of driving conditions (highway, moderate speed stop & go, and uphill/downhill climb). That's why I broke it into three segments that aligned to the transition points between those three driving conditions.

Elevation net is just the sum of the elevation gain and elevation losses in a segment (pulled from google maps bike route data). It's a net number because it gives you the total uphill and total downhill in a section that reflects rolling hills. So while segment 3 nets out to 2,746ft gain heading to my destination, it's actually 3619ft uphill with 873ft downhill. I tracked this to see how big of an impact elevation gains have on efficiency.

In my actual tracker there are addresses that were scrubbed to maintain a layer of privacy prior to sharing out the data. I also have some other data in there such as Temperature that I didn't include in the chart screenshots to simplify presentation.

I'm not sure how detailed I'm going to get in tracking charging. My issue is that I plug in frequently with free charging at work as well as my 240V socket at home. I don't think I'm disciplined enough to fill out a tracker every time I plug the car in. For now, my plan is to use the template I built for this trip to track major road trips and any charging that I pay for (primarily DCFC on road trips).

I'm torn because that'd be less complete than my past two cars, but the nature of charging is such that it requires more effort that logging fuel fills.
 

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GOOD TO SEE THERE ARE MORE OF US OUT THERE! I have a very similar log for my GTI (as well as my Saab I had prior). I logged mileage weekly every Sunday, then had a fuel log as well. My weekly tracker had the primary purpose of making sure I was under my lease mileage (was never an issue due to COVID).

Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back Screen Shot 2021-12-28 at 8.47.57 AM


My gas tracker allowed me to track each fill's performance MPG wise, as well as see trends in gas prices.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back Screen Shot 2021-12-28 at 8.47.57 AM


Ford Mustang Mach-E Mach-E GT Road Trip efficiency: Charlotte to the NC Mountains, and back Screen Shot 2021-12-28 at 8.47.57 AM




So for the intention of this trip, the goal was the measure mi/kWh performance in a variety of driving conditions (highway, moderate speed stop & go, and uphill/downhill climb). That's why I broke it into three segments that aligned to the transition points between those three driving conditions.

Elevation net is just the sum of the elevation gain and elevation losses in a segment (pulled from google maps bike route data). It's a net number because it gives you the total uphill and total downhill in a section that reflects rolling hills. So while segment 3 nets out to 2,746ft gain heading to my destination, it's actually 3619ft uphill with 873ft downhill. I tracked this to see how big of an impact elevation gains have on efficiency.

In my actual tracker there are addresses that were scrubbed to maintain a layer of privacy prior to sharing out the data. I also have some other data in there such as Temperature that I didn't include in the chart screenshots to simplify presentation.

I'm not sure how detailed I'm going to get in tracking charging. My issue is that I plug in frequently with free charging at work as well as my 240V socket at home. I don't think I'm disciplined enough to fill out a tracker every time I plug the car in. For now, my plan is to use the template I built for this trip to track major road trips and any charging that I pay for (primarily DCFC on road trips).

I'm torn because that'd be less complete than my past two cars, but the nature of charging is such that it requires more effort that logging fuel fills.
Yeah this could be a pain depending on how you use the car and charge it, although I may use a lot of data collected from my cell phone from the chargers, and I anticipate only needing to charge once or twice a week and mainly at home anyway. Trips like yours will be the exception with 95% of my driving "local".
 

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It seems I have made a mistake with getting the RWD to get maximum range. I didn't realize the MME has the ability to turn off the front motor for cruising efficiency, so on the highway it near enough makes no difference between the RWD and AWD.

We took the MME on a 1200-mile roadtrip from here to W. Va, and we cruised at around 75 mph on average, for a trip efficiency of ~2.5 miles per kWh. It was of course colder and wetter in parts of the trip, but really seems to mirror the report here. Sigh.
Huh, didn’t know this either. What are the conditions on when it turns off the front motor?
 

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Why may I ask did you drive with 1PD off for the trip to and when you got to bottom of elevation?
Sponsored

 
 




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