Mountain Driving

[Beerbronco]

Thanks for the write up.
I have made two trips up the hill this year. The first was a couple weeks ago from Arvada (outside Denver) top Leadville. I didn't really pay attention conservative driving since the weather was sunny and dry so I noticed as expected less keh efficiency and while the preplanning said I could make the round trip with out adding a charge I went conservative and stopped in Frisco on the way home and added about 21%. This allowed plenty of spare room to get up through the tunnels and down the other side.
Yesterday I made the drive from Arvada to Alamosa and back. The weather was much different and colder so I ended up stopping 3 times to charge. I was definitely driving under the speed limit after the sun went down and driving through light snow with wet roads over red hill road and kenosha pass. The car was great it was the driver that was nervous. Overall trip according to the trip meter was a bout 3.1 Kwh/mile.

My favorite part of driving in the mountains besides the views is going down the passes and watching %charge/range going up or staying the same for miles.

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[drjimtaylor]

Yes this tracks with my experiences in Winter and with high elevation climbing.

I found that using the "ends" of the Ford Navigation bottom bar greatly helps - either of the bottom bar's ends are touch-settable to display various parameters, and one of them is "elevation" which adjusts dynamically as the car moves. I use this to alert me in the mountains when I am climbing rapidly, and to sometimes adjust my speed accordingly.

Many times, the central display's blue range ring, coupled with "elevation" and "distance to" settings chosen at both ends of the bottom bar, ended up to be very reliable and allowed me to reach my charging point without added anxiety.

I spend half my time at my cabin on Donner Summit above Truckee exactly 177 miles from my house in Mill Valley (just across the GGB from SF). So, I'll be facing both cold and snow this winter (my first with my CR1 E-AWD). Can you explain more clearly what the nav mods you describe are (perhaps with pics)? Thanks!

 

[drjimtaylor]

I now live in Colorado Springs so your narrative is helpful. Even living in Illinois I found both cold and wind reduced range significantly. Two items:
First, the MME trip information includes something called 'outside temperature' for which I've not found a coherent description, but I think it is a measurement of energy used to maintain the battery at an optimal temperature. I have found that if the battery is preconditioned, i.e. warmed/cooled to an optimum operating temperature the vehicle range increases substantially, even in cold weather. Have you tried preconditioning your MME to determine if this helps increase range?
Second and partially related, have you noticed whether energy regeneration traveling downhill is better if the MME battery is at an optimum operating temperature? The difference may not be significant enough to reach the next town with a charging station

I've heard about preconditioning, but am still unclear on how to do it. I have seen that you can schedule charging and preconditioning based on departure time. But I don't usually know when I'm leaving for a trip.

Could someone provide some detailed instructions on how to do this? Thanks!

 

[Fremont Kid]

You can set preconditioning from the Ford Pass App (FPA) or from the vehicle charging options. I'll provide a quick reference but recommend you either find instructions directly from Ford or search this site. Many forums on this topic.

The day(s), time and general temperature are set. Note that the battery is also prepared, i.e. warmed or cooled so it can function optimally. You don't need to know the exact departure time, although that helps. I have found the cabin and battery will remain conditioned for 10-15 minutes - maybe longer, again depending on weather season. Great advantage is conditioning the vehicle using energy from an external power source rather than the vehicle battery, saving batter power for increased travel range. Oh, be sure to allow at least 20 minutes for the preconditioning.

In the vehicle select Settings, then Departure Times, then select the appropriate options. Basically same on the FPA except that Departure Times has its own square button on the Vehicle screen. General temperature depends on seasonal weather, as Cool, Medium, Warm. Select day of the week or multiple days if you know a schedule and want it to repeat on those days. Fairly straight forward. Just be sure to select 'save' at each option and 'Add Departure Time' when finished to make the departure time effective.

Many of us have experienced issues with these settings changing or not remaining effective. I attribute this to how Ford has architected the software to synch with a central server. I have not experienced this since moving to CO. Hopefully, Ford heard our complaints and has resolved this issue. Still, preconditioning is quite worth the benefits.

 

[drjimtaylor]

You can set preconditioning from the Ford Pass App (FPA) or from the vehicle charging options. I'll provide a quick reference but recommend you either find instructions directly from Ford or search this site. Many forums on this topic.

The day(s), time and general temperature are set. Note that the battery is also prepared, i.e. warmed or cooled so it can function optimally. You don't need to know the exact departure time, although that helps. I have found the cabin and battery will remain conditioned for 10-15 minutes - maybe longer, again depending on weather season. Great advantage is conditioning the vehicle using energy from an external power source rather than the vehicle battery, saving batter power for increased travel range. Oh, be sure to allow at least 20 minutes for the preconditioning.

In the vehicle select Settings, then Departure Times, then select the appropriate options. Basically same on the FPA except that Departure Times has its own square button on the Vehicle screen. General temperature depends on seasonal weather, as Cool, Medium, Warm. Select day of the week or multiple days if you know a schedule and want it to repeat on those days. Fairly straight forward. Just be sure to select 'save' at each option and 'Add Departure Time' when finished to make the departure time effective.

Many of us have experienced issues with these settings changing or not remaining effective. I attribute this to how Ford has architected the software to synch with a central server. I have not experienced this since moving to CO. Hopefully, Ford heard our complaints and has resolved this issue. Still, preconditioning is quite worth the benefits.

Thanks for the detailed response!

 

[21st Century Pony]

I spend half my time at my cabin on Donner Summit above Truckee exactly 177 miles from my house in Mill Valley (just across the GGB from SF). So, I'll be facing both cold and snow this winter (my first with my CR1 E-AWD). Can you explain more clearly what the nav mods you describe are (perhaps with pics)? Thanks!

I will when I return from Europe in a week.

We drove thru Truckee last August. Lovely place.

 

[Jeremy stones 121]

Any other photos from that trip ?

192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1​

 

[Kdriceman]

No I think I posted everything I took. But, as someone who has driven from Durango to Grand Junction and back many times I will confirm that it is one of the most stunning drives you will take anywhere (primarily Hwy 550 between Durango and Ouray). Check conditions before you go. Especially winter conditions. Red Mtn Pass gets closed often in winter.

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