Range anxiety question

[KennyPratt42]

While I'm anxiously waiting for my Mach-E, which will be my first EV (have had a hybrid in the past), have a question for the experts to alleviate the small amount of range anxiety I have.

If due to outside temperature, wind, software error of some type, arriving at a non-functioning public charger, etc. I end up in a situation where I have some charge left but its clear expected range won't get me home or to a charger what should a person do. Is the only good option to find a place you wouldn't mind being for awhile to park and call a tow truck or are there any other options?

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[zhackwyatt]

While I'm anxiously waiting for my Mach-E, which will be my first EV (have had a hybrid in the past), have a question for the experts to alleviate the small amount of range anxiety I have.

If due to outside temperature, wind, software error of some type, arriving at a non-functioning public charger, etc. I end up in a situation where I have some charge left but its clear expected range won't get me home or to a charger what should a person do. Is the only good option to find a place you wouldn't mind being for awhile to park and call a tow truck or are there any other options?

Often times there are RV parks around. They have a NEMA 14-50 socket that you can plug your car into.

Check out plugshare and enable CCS/SAE, J-1772, and Nema 14-50. Those are the plugs in the order you want to prioritize for speed.

 

[SnBGC]

If it is safe to do so, drive at a drastically reduced speed and your range might increase enough to reach the next charge point or at least get you to a safe place where you can wait for a flat bed tow truck. If I remember correctly, the Ford roadside service covers running out of battery charge.

Seriously doubt you will ever be in that situation though. You will figure out pretty quick what the range boundaries are for your car and driving habits.

 

[JoeDimwit]

Pray for Curently to expand to your area.

 

[AKgrampy]

While I'm anxiously waiting for my Mach-E, which will be my first EV (have had a hybrid in the past), have a question for the experts to alleviate the small amount of range anxiety I have.

If due to outside temperature, wind, software error of some type, arriving at a non-functioning public charger, etc. I end up in a situation where I have some charge left but its clear expected range won't get me home or to a charger what should a person do. Is the only good option to find a place you wouldn't mind being for awhile to park and call a tow truck or are there any other options?

I do not have mine yet either. My approach will be to just charge to80% nightly. Then I will develop a feel for what my range really is based on my driving habits. Then if I ever want to drive longer range I will top off to 100% and also look to several charge options along the way. My problem, which is different to most, is between Fairbanks and Anchorage there is no electricity for 100 of the 350 miles. Also only a couple or chargers at the 100ish miles from Fairbanks. Some additional charging units are planned for the near future. I just think in general us newbies will figure it out and get comfortable over time. Trip planning just becomes a bit more important!

 

[RickMachE]

Ford provides 5 years of free towing. That includes putting your car on a flatbed and driving it to the nearest charging location.

 

[DevSecOps]

Don't expect to arrive to your destination on time and don't use the vehicle for "urgent" long distance trips where you'll be expected to charge mid-route.

If you have a lot of patience and are willing to deal with crappy charging infrastructure then you'll be fine. Most of us on here who travel longer distances will have a charger they plan on stopping at, and a backup charger for each stop. I had a recent trip that required not just 1 backup, but I had to go to the second backup (3rd stop).

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Just as if you run out of gas on a lonely freeway, your only safe, reliable option is to call (Ford) for a tow truck, or if you're in an area where there are slow chargers (as mentioned above), find one of those.

Back before cell phones, 24 hour gas stations, and ubiquitous credit cards, if we ran out of gas, we either walked or hitchhiked to the nearest phone or nearest station and got help in the form of a gas can or a ride or a tow.

You don't have the option to walk to the next station and pick up a spare battery, but cell phones are ubiquitous now so you (almost) always have the option to call for help.

I feel safer running out of electrons (as it were) than I did running out of gas, mostly because I have a phone with me at all times.

 

[TruWrecks]

First of all, do you have range anxiety in an ICE vehicle? Not sure where to find the next working gas pump? Is it going to have the proper grade of fuel for my engine? How many miles will 1/4 tank get me? Will the engine stop when the fuel gauge points to empty?

Okay. Now that we have established that range anxiety exists for ICE vehicles too, lets simplify the thought process.

EVs report specific battery charge (tank size in State of Charge), and range is heavily depending on driving style, conditions, battery size, and temperature. The EV battery that is rated for 270 miles can get you from 200 to 300 depending on the conditions.

Driver:
Fast Freddy, Lead Foot, Impatient Irma, whatever the name they will all use more energy in ICE and EVs to get where they are going because of physic. Driving between 55 and 70 is where the MME shines aerodynamically and no amount of tires or electronic voodoo can change this. It is how the air flows around the body of the vehicle and the drag produced at the rear of it as you go faster. Drag increases exponentially as you go faster. The only way to reduce drag by going faster, with the same body design, would be going the speed of light. Not going to happen.

Weather:
Cold weather reduces the speed that electrons can move between the plates inside the batteries. Since the MME and most current EVs use liquid based lithium batteries they are not as friendly to cold temperatures. As the batteries warm up they perform much better because the liquid in the batteries becomes more fluid and allows for better electron transfer. EV's don't produce any extra heat to use in the passenger cabin. They need to run a resistive heater or heat pump to produce heat that heat. ICE vehicles produce heat as a waste product running the engine. This is th main reason why EVs get better range in the summer and less in the winter.

Terrain:
Changes in elevations effect all vehicles. EVs have an advantage over all others. When all vehicles ascend an incline they use an increased amount of energy not matter what the fuel is. When descending down inclines regen braking will put part of that energy back in the battery of an EV, partially refiling the tank as you drive. On level surfaces mileage comes down to speed, weight, wind and temperatures.

Charging:
EV charging is a bit different than filling the tank on an ICE car. Instead of running it low and running to the gas station to put $20 into the tank, you generally park it for the night and plug it in. Not everyone can do that, but most can and should because slow charging is healthier for the long life of the battery. The supplied Ford Mobile charger can fully charge the extended battery in 16 hours from 1% to 100% on a 240 VAC RV 50A plug. It takes 3 days on 120 VAC with the mobile charger.

If you do want to travel long distances you can use charging networks like Electricfy America or Ford Blue Oval network. EA has been very reliable. I have been across Utah, Nevada and Death Valley and all of the EA chargers I found either worked by simply plugging in, or call an have the charger rebooted. Some of the older chargers need to be upgraded and will occasionally hang. I have never been stuck because of EA. EVGO is good in some places. ChargePoint limits to 50 kWh where I have use them and it is only slower if I AC charge.

Owning an EV is not a huge change is life style. It is a huge change is though process. On long trips it is a great way to reduce road fatigue because it is quieter and requires longer breaks every couple of hours of driving. With my Ext4 MME I usually drive from charger to charger on long trips, planning lunch and dinner stops near the chargers so my car can charge while I do the same. I took my 71 year young mom on a 4200 mile road trip doing this and she enjoyed it very much. When we got to the hotel at the end of each day we were not tired from traveling.

Once you let go of the "Drive until empty" conditioning EVs get so much easier and make so much more sense.

 

[BigMach-E]

I'd like to add that using the Ford onboard Nav to find the nearest chargers can really be a great boon in this area. I have never used it for this purpose before yesterday, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it can work.

 

[DYohn]

As long as you pay attention, the situation you describe is extremely unlikely. And if you live or regularly have to drive out in the boondocks where charging infrastructure does not yet exist, perhaps an EV is not yet for you.

 

[TruWrecks]

Oh, and RV parks are great places to rent a space for a few hours in an emergency for a charge. They usually have 30 or 50 A outlets. And almost always have 120 V. Not the best option but better than being stranded.

 

[WWJPD]

You will get over this range anxiety soon enough with being able to plug it in at home all the time, and lots of other places. Would I like more DC Fast Chargers??? yup, but that'll come with time. I've only DC fast charged a handful of times and never really when not on a road trip except to test.

Instead you will start focusing on every % of energy your car consumes instead of just 1/8 of a tank of gas.

 

[JohnnyForensic]

You will get over this range anxiety soon enough with being able to plug it in at home all the time, and lots of other places. Would I like more DC Fast Chargers??? yup, but that'll come with time. I've only DC fast charged a handful of times and never really when not on a road trip except to test.

Instead you will start focusing on every % of energy your car consumes instead of just 1/8 of a tank of gas.

This is the answer. I’ll assume you’ll charge at home on a 240v outlet (because that’s really the best), so you’re leaving the house every day with a full tank of electrons. That’s very much unlike the ICE model where you fill-up, drive around for 3-5 days, find a gas station, fill-up, drive around, forget to fill-up, now you’re running late and you need to find a gas station, get mad while waiting in line at the pump to pay $4.17/gallon, and now you’re even later. With the Mach-E, you’ll go to your garage, unplug, and leave with (probably) 90% (Ford’s recommended daily charging level). You’ll drive around doing your daily routine and probably come home with 60-70% left, where you’ll plug in, go inside, and have a “full tank” in a few hours.

It’s a total mental shift…driving until almost empty and refilling in an ICE vs. coming home and plugging in every night to having a full charge in the morning.

 

[Regulus7]

When I first got my ID4 last year I too had range anxiety. My first long range trip ~360 miles went fine until the last leg home. I had charged to 110 miles of range for a 70 miles remaining trip. But I was a bit lead footed and with about 30 miles to go my range computer said I had 40 miles left. This created some anxiety but then at the top of a very long hill on the interstate I got stuck behind a very slow moving construction convoy and literally went 25mph down a 2 mile stretch of hill. When I got to the bottom of the hill my range said 55 miles! So I had “gained” like 15 miles of range with the regen braking! Anyhow I made it home without a hitch. But this really showcased to me to not trust the range computer completely but to instead pay attention to my driving. When I have no particular long range driving to do I drive anyway I want. But if I were to start getting worried about range I become much more attuned to how I am driving. And with a BEV you have hidden electrons you can harvest if you drive smartly!

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