Premium ER AWD vs RWD - Am I making a mistake?

[HuntingPudel]

I ordered a GT-PE and had some very small reservations about range, but coming from a Car that won’t make the 20.8 mile round trip to and from work without a charge, I was not extremely concerned. Now that the software for the car has been finalized and published range estimates have been finalized, I don’t have a care in the world about range. Go AWD.

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[BMT1071]

Since you are already good with the 5 grand for the ER battery, I would tack on the AWD. I didn't find the value in the ER battery for my usage, but didn't want to drop to the 211 mile range of SR AWD for the modest performance gain.

 

[Pushrods&Capacitors]

I’ve wanted an EV for a long time and always loved the Model S, but I’ve been in quite a number of them and hated the wind noise.

When I test drove the Mach e, holy smokes - wind and road noise are amazing even going 80 on the highway. I’ve been searching for a while and finally found a dealer with no markup and am scheduled to pick it up today.

My dilemma - it’s an AWD not RWD. Being my first EV I understandably have range anxiety. My commute is about 35 miles highway and I do drive for work, most I’ve done in a day is about 150 miles (very rare). I live in Southern California and in my current ICE I keep the AC on 2 or 3 all the time and drive about 75/80 on the freeway. My commute is also the 73 toll road, which is hilly.

I do plan on getting a level 2, 40amp breaker/32 amp charger installed so I’m pretty sure I can charge to full every night.

Am I going to miss those 30 miles between AWD and RWD? I see most people saying you’re only supposed to charge to 80% (i though MME already only had access to 80% of the battery so can’t I just charge to 100% everyday with no adverse effects?) which would cut my range from 270 to 216. With my speed, AC use and terrain on the drive, I feel I’ll only really get 140/150 out of a full 80%, but I don’t know for sure.

I just see so many posts of awesome range but you have to drive 65/70 and very minimal AC use with flatter terrain.

Also, I feel AWD is nice for resale value, but I’m wondering if people would prefer seeing a 300 mile range milestone rather than AWD at 270. This one’s hard to predict but something on my mind. Does it make a difference for equivalent Teslas?

What are your thoughts? Am I overthinking this? I have had second thoughts all night and this morning and the anxiety is killing me. I’ve just never owned an EV and it’s hard to really calculate how it’ll be in real world. I’d definitely love the power of AWD, as that’s what I test drove too, but know I don’t really NEED AWD for my location. Though showing off the power to friends in rides will be nice, but obviously not important.

Thanks so much!

We don’t have our 4X yet but as the others are saying, with your stated driving parameters, go for the awd. Many users seem to be able to exceed the 270 EPA rating since Ford was obviously conservative. Plus, Edmunds got 303 miles from their 4X in their EV range test and 344 from the CA Route 1. I bet the real world range numbers people are seeing helped spur Ford to re-rate the GT/GT PE from 250/235 to 270/260. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Select and Premiums see re-ratings of 5-10% higher in the future.

 

[thait84]

Just curious what dealer you are purchasing from. If you don't take it, can I have it? lol

 

[Neil4Real]

I think buying AWD is a necessity (and just did). Once you have a hybrid / PHEV / EV, you learn ways to improve range. Some are crazy things for most people, others are commonsense, like slow gradual stops or coasting to a light from a distance back, etc.

I'll be doing more learning, but I think that conceptually charging to 100% on a slow overnight charger is not really an issue - it's charging over 80 - 85% with a fast, DC charger.

By coasting to a stop, how is this possible with one pedal driving? Or is that what you mean by coast?

 

[Neil4Real]

Personally, I would go for the AWD even if I didn't live where we get a lot of snow on occasion, which we do. The AWD has better performance, will feel tighter on the road, and at what you stated your use would be, I don't think you'll have any issue with range at all. Many people here in nicer climates say that they're consistently getting 300 miles plus with the 270 mile rated models, so I'd say go for it!

Yeah, I've seen many of those as well, but they all say they drive very, uh, much at the speed limit hahaha (which I obviously should do... ) and they also don't use AC or "sparingly" is always in there lol.

 

[Neil4Real]

Just curious what dealer you are purchasing from. If you don't take it, can I have it? lol

Haha sorry, I think I'm taking it. Although, Theodore Robins Ford in Costa Mesa had one LAST NIGHT, like late, that just became available, with no markup (the guy was confused when I asked what their markup was, he's like we're the only dealer that doesn't do that). Only lame thing with them, they ad lo-jack to all their cars and its $1k. Which is why I'm going with this other dealer. If you call ASAP you might still have a chance. Infiniti Blue, black interior, premium 4X.

 

[Orangefirefish]

My opinion is that range doesn’t matter that much unless you have a very, very long commute/high daily mileage, or you take one way trips that are right around that 240-250 mile mark. Any round trip commute under that makes no difference since you can charge it overnight, and a road trip longer that would be frequent shorter stops vs less frequent longer stops, so just get the drive version that meets your winter driving needs. Plus we are only talking RWD vs AWD here and no SR vs ER.

 

[Sam2084]

By coasting to a stop, how is this possible with one pedal driving? Or is that what you mean by coast?

You can’t coast with OPD unfortunately so it’s not the most efficient way to drive.

 

[mr_raider]

Your climate is fairly temperate so you won't see loss of range in winter. So the lost range from AWD is not a big deal.

 

[Neil4Real]

You can’t coast with OPD unfortunately so it’s not the most efficient way to drive.

But I thought OPD allows regen, so wouldn't it kind of even out? If I want to do OPD for city but when going downhill I want to coast, is there anything I can do to quickly switch it?

 

[BMT1071]

But I thought OPD allows regen, so wouldn't it kind of even out? If I want to do OPD for city but when going downhill I want to coast, is there anything I can do to quickly switch it?

Blended braking allows regen also. OPD is just a different way of driving. Standard 2 pedal driving is just as efficient if done properly.

 

[Sam2084]

But I thought OPD allows regen, so wouldn't it kind of even out? If I want to do OPD for city but when going downhill I want to coast, is there anything I can do to quickly switch it?

No. The MME uses blended braking and as far as I know there is no way to turn it off. This means you get regen when you hit the brake pedal and only get friction braking when putting the pedal to the floor or at the end of a stop. If you want to coast, you can turn OPD off using the screen. You may be able to drive in L all the time and hit the button to turn it off when you want to coast as well.

 

[Sam2084]

Blended braking allows regen also. OPD is just a different way of driving. Standard 2 pedal driving is just as efficient if done properly.

It’s more efficient because you can coast.

 

[JRT]

RWD rocks! Serious I went RWD because I have a Ram 1500 4x4 for bad weather If I didn't I would have done the ER AWD for sure. That said my RWD is a hoot and I like the feel of a RWD car which is sort or fun when you are driving the most advance future of cars when I think about it. Oh and RWD lets me walk it out around turns, ya know just for educational purpose...

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