My 2021 Mach-E received 91 kWh upgrade (useable at 100% SoC)

[benk016]

I am unsure of exactly which update unlocked it, but after applying all updates in FDRS, my car now has 91kwh useable at 100% SoC.

I did reach out to a contact at Ford and got permission to share that yes the car does in fact have 91kwh useable now. However, the extra 3kwh has been added as a buffer below 0 on the GOM so that you can still drive a short distance after 0.

I thought I'd start a discussion on this as it seems to be a weird way to add in the extra capacity. It feels like the people that made this decision were trying to make it more like an ICE vehicle where you still have some range after you hit empty. However, I don't think EV drivers are normally driving their cars past 0 miles and would much rather have this capacity in the normal useable range.

 

[Logal727]

I am unsure of exactly which update unlocked it, but after applying all updates in FDRS, my car now has 91kwh useable at 100% SoC.

I did reach out to a contact at Ford and got permission to share that yes the car does in fact have 91kwh useable now. However, the extra 3kwh has been added as a buffer below 0 on the GOM so that you can still drive a short distance after 0.

I thought I'd start a discussion on this as it seems to be a weird way to add in the extra capacity. It feels like the people that made this decision were trying to make it more like an ICE vehicle where you still have some range after you hit empty. However, I don't think EV drivers are normally driving their cars past 0 miles and would much rather have this capacity in the normal useable range.

I think @ZuleMME noticed this after OTA BC updates in our thread

 

[KlueBat]

What app is this? I've seen it used in a lot of EV reviews, but I'm not sure I've ever seen/heard the name mentioned.

Thanks in advance!

 

[benk016]

What app is this? I've seen it used in a lot of EV reviews, but I'm not sure I've ever seen/heard the name mentioned.

Thanks in advance!

Car Scanner

 

[RickMachE]

App is Car Scanner.

Good to see "official" confirmation that we have 91kw on the 2021s now.

 

[benk016]

App is Car Scanner.

Good to see "official" confirmation that we have 91kw on the 2021s now.

Just not sure I like how they added it. It's basically added in a way that it will almost never get used.

 

[KlueBat]

Car Scanner

Is it an Android app? I don't see it in the Apple App Store.

 

[generaltso]

Just not sure I like how they added it. It's basically added in a way that it will almost never get used.

Yeah, it's unfortunate that it's just a safety buffer that will almost never get used. But I guess the safety buffer must be used in the EPA range ratings though since the 2022 ratings are higher. Of course, that will just give people more of a reason to complain that their GOM doesn't always reflect the EPA rating.

 

[kltye]

I thought I'd start a discussion on this as it seems to be a weird way to add in the extra capacity. It feels like the people that made this decision were trying to make it more like an ICE vehicle where you still have some range after you hit empty. However, I don't think EV drivers are normally driving their cars past 0 miles and would much rather have this capacity in the normal useable range.

So, unlocking the additional 3kWh would always involve reducing either the top and/or the bottom buffer. It looks like they shrunk the bottom buffer. How is this not in the "normal useable range"? It sounds like they've just made the GOM purposefully not take into account the additional 3kWh when "running on fumes"?

 

[benk016]

Is it an Android app? I don't see it in the Apple App Store.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/car-scanner-elm-obd2/id1259933623

 

[benk016]

So, unlocking the additional 3kWh would always involve reducing either the top and/or the bottom buffer. It looks like they shrunk the bottom buffer. How is this not in the "normal useable range"? It sounds like they've just made the GOM purposefully not take into account the additional 3kWh when "running on fumes"?

They just exposed some of the bottom buffer to be useable past 0. I don't consider driving past 0 part of the usable range.

 

[kltye]

They just exposed some of the bottom buffer to be useable past 0. I don't consider driving past 0 part of the usable range.

Sounds like a GOM issue then, isn't it? If they were to have the GOM say you have 10 miles of range by the time you get to that additional 3kWh (just using an average of over 3 mi/kWh), would we be having this discussion?

 

[flapjake314]

sorry i have two questions in reading this.

1. can someone articulate the mechanism by which we access the 3 additional kwh. is it that 100% means 88, so when you hit 0% they let you keep driving the additional 3 khw?

2. which update are you currently on? i know you might not know when this 3 kwh was unlocked and someone said it might be the BC one (which is 2.8.2)

 

[benk016]

Sounds like a GOM issue then, isn't it? If they were to have the GOM say you have 10 miles of range by the time you get to that additional 3kWh (just using an average of over 3 mi/kWh), would we be having this discussion?

I just don't think this is how we were expecting it to be added. And I also don't think most EV drivers ever let the car get down to 0 miles except in extreme situations. Even Kyle on out of spec tries to get to a charger at around 5% left if he's pushing it.

 

[imstriker]

Thank you for sharing your findings and interaction. I really do not see the point in adding a reserve buffer, especially after the fact. I cannot imagine anyone purposefully using it. Ford obviously has more data then us, I wonder if they see people running out often. Seems a very odd choice.

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