Mach-E real world cold weather range

CP-Mach-E

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So I've been driving my Mach E for a few days, and I'm surprised at how much the cold weather is affecting the range.

It's been pretty cold here for the past week. It is currently -11 C outside (12 F). I've driven the Mach-E from our town into the city a couple of times, about 31 Km (19 miles) each way.

My Mach-E (which is a standard range RWD) is currently sitting in our garage with an 89% charge, and it is giving me a range estimate of 168 Km (104 miles). In theory that translates to 188 Km (117 miles) or range at 100%.

That's nowhere close to the 355 Km (230 miles) range quoted in the specifications.

I certainly expected the range to be affected by the cold weather. I know that heating the interior (I keep it set at 20 degrees C) takes a significant amount of power, and that the battery is less efficient when it is cold. Still, I did not expect to lose that much range.

I'm not hugely concerned if this is normal EV behavior. I read some articles last night that lead me to believe that it is. The range that I'm getting, even with this cold weather, is plenty for my daily commuting (or will be when I start commuting again). I just want to be sure that there is nothing wrong with my battery. I don't think that I'll truly have peace of mind until the warm weather gets here and I start seeing range estimates closer to the promised values.
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JamieGeek

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Yeah you could see as much as 1/2 the range in cold weather depending on how you have things setup.

My 238 mile ranged Bolt now only reads about 130 miles on a full charge right now due to cold and GM's neutering of it because of the fire recall (the neutering forces a charge to 90%). Granted it only goes locally during the pandemic and with the cold & snow I'm preconditioning it for a good 15 minutes (not plugged in) before every 3 mile trip so I would expect such short range out of it.
 

Dan G

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That sounds normal to me. A few things to ask, are you warming up the car to 20C while it's plugged in? It takes a lot of energy to warm up a car and a lot less to keep it warm. The other question is after your 30km drive, are you parking and letting your car cool down? Not that you can avoid doing that. But again if you let it get cold soaked again, it takes energy to warm it back up.

To help your range, I would say let the car run while it's plugged in. Warm it up nice and toasty. Say, 24 or 25 degrees. Or warmer if you like. Then you'll use even less energy while driving and it might just leak warmth into the battery from the cabin.
 
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CP-Mach-E

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That sounds normal to me. A few things to ask, are you warming up the car to 20C while it's plugged in? It takes a lot of energy to warm up a car and a lot less to keep it warm. The other question is after your 30km drive, are you parking and letting your car cool down? Not that you can avoid doing that. But again if you let it get cold soaked again, it takes energy to warm it back up.

To help your range, I would say let the car run while it's plugged in. Warm it up nice and toasty. Say, 24 or 25 degrees. Or warmer if you like. Then you'll use even less energy while driving and it might just leak warmth into the battery from the cabin.
Yes, I do warm it up while plugged in at home. Yes it did cool down while in town since we went in to go shopping. Not much I can do about that like you said. That's a good idea about warming it up extra toasty before I leave though.
 

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You can relax. I doubt anything is wrong with your battery. The range estimates are just estimates and they are more sensitive than what you are used to. For example, if you start a Prius at the temperatures you are describing and drive it for a short distance you probably will get 8 MPG. Use that as your baseline to project forward, which is kinda what is happening with your MME, and you'd get a very short range. Cold weather is just not a friend of any vehicle and short trips in cold weather are the worst.

Going up mountains will give you the same pause BTW. You get it back coming down but it can get into your head as you watch the battery gauge drop precipitously on the way up. LOL

If this isn't the case, and there really is an issue with the battery, you have plenty of time to get it fixed or replaced or whatever is needed.

Hopefully you'll get a warm up soon and you'll be able to put your mind at ease.
 


GoGoGadgetMachE

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yeah my Fusion Energi will have its GOM drop from 18-19 miles on a normal non-Winter day to as low as 9 miles if it's cold and I don't precondition the car. Batteries gotta battery. Don't get hung up on it.
 

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So I've been driving my Mach E for a few days, and I'm surprised at how much the cold weather is affecting the range.

It's been pretty cold here for the past week. It is currently -11 C outside (12 F). I've driven the Mach-E from our town into the city a couple of times, about 31 Km (19 miles) each way.

My Mach-E (which is a standard range RWD) is currently sitting in our garage with an 89% charge, and it is giving me a range estimate of 168 Km (104 miles). In theory that translates to 188 Km (117 miles) or range at 100%.

That's nowhere close to the 355 Km (230 miles) range quoted in the specifications.

I certainly expected the range to be affected by the cold weather. I know that heating the interior (I keep it set at 20 degrees C) takes a significant amount of power, and that the battery is less efficient when it is cold. Still, I did not expect to lose that much range.

I'm not hugely concerned if this is normal EV behavior. I read some articles last night that lead me to believe that it is. The range that I'm getting, even with this cold weather, is plenty for my daily commuting (or will be when I start commuting again). I just want to be sure that there is nothing wrong with my battery. I don't think that I'll truly have peace of mind until the warm weather gets here and I start seeing range estimates closer to the promised values.
Ouch! That’s wrost than my most pessimistic expectations. It will be even worst with my AWD
 

Jay_CincyOH

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So I've been driving my Mach E for a few days, and I'm surprised at how much the cold weather is affecting the range.

It's been pretty cold here for the past week. It is currently -11 C outside (12 F). I've driven the Mach-E from our town into the city a couple of times, about 31 Km (19 miles) each way.

My Mach-E (which is a standard range RWD) is currently sitting in our garage with an 89% charge, and it is giving me a range estimate of 168 Km (104 miles). In theory that translates to 188 Km (117 miles) or range at 100%.

That's nowhere close to the 355 Km (230 miles) range quoted in the specifications.

I certainly expected the range to be affected by the cold weather. I know that heating the interior (I keep it set at 20 degrees C) takes a significant amount of power, and that the battery is less efficient when it is cold. Still, I did not expect to lose that much range.

I'm not hugely concerned if this is normal EV behavior. I read some articles last night that lead me to believe that it is. The range that I'm getting, even with this cold weather, is plenty for my daily commuting (or will be when I start commuting again). I just want to be sure that there is nothing wrong with my battery. I don't think that I'll truly have peace of mind until the warm weather gets here and I start seeing range estimates closer to the promised values.
Totally Normal - my i3 loses about 20-25% of range in winter vs summer. Most lithium batteries need a range of 70-90 degrees F to operate normally. So much of your energy consumption is actually going to keeping the battery temp in this range. Using heat also uses more energy consumption. If you charge at home, Preconditioning (warming the battery while plugged in) prior to departure will help extend your range.
 

timbop

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Ouch! That’s wrost than my most pessimistic expectations. It will be even worst with my AWD
It will be a similar percentage drop with your AWD, varying some based on speed, temperature you set on the HVAC, etc.
 

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Yes totally normal at -11C. Used to own a Leaf with 70 km range in that kind of weather.
 

timbop

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And they say it doesn’t need an heat pump....
The heat pump won't help with the battery efficiency being lost. If you look at the breakdown screen @hybrid2bev posted, the environmental controls only ate something like 8% IIRC; the outside temp and driving style ate more.

I'd be curious to see that breakdown in @CP-Mach-E 's case.
 

Wildthing

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The heat pump won't help with the battery efficiency being lost. If you look at the breakdown screen @hybrid2bev posted, the environmental controls only ate something like 8% IIRC; the outside temp and driving style ate more.

I'd be curious to see that breakdown in @CP-Mach-E 's case.
It helps to reduce the heating power. In my Kona EV I’m rarely above 2 kW for heating and mostly always under 10% for climate. I had worst numbers than that while driving a Mach-E at 9 degree Celsius. I lose less than 30% in the coldest months in Canadian winter and I expected to be between 35% and 40% in the wrost condition but it seems closer to 50% drop and -9C is far than the worst condition in Quebec
 
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CP-Mach-E

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I'd be curious to see that breakdown in @CP-Mach-E 's case.
If I remember correctly, it was something like 23% Climate Use, 6% Ext. Temp., 2% Accessories. Hopefully those are not very accurate, because if you add those up, and then use them to adjust my estimated range it doesn't get me anywhere near the stated EPA range.
 
 




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