Where's my range Ford?

[RacinDave]

I'd be shocked if 70mph with the windows open provides you better efficiency. Drag forces increase exponentially as speed increases. Which means the difference between 70 and 60 is significantly greater than the difference between 60 and 50. EVs are designed to be as slippery as possible. They developed a whole new way to open doors for the Mach-E just to cut down on the drag caused by door handles. Open windows are going to be WAY more drag than door handles.
For ICE cars I've heard that the tipping point is 40 mph. Below that Windows open is more efficient than AC. Above that AC will use less gas. I haven't seen any such test done for EVs but I'd guess the tipping point wouldn't be much different.

Mythbusters covered this one. It's ICE and everything but
" studies have shown that having your windows down conserves more fuel than running the AC. Even the Discovery Channel's MythBusters have tackled the debate. Their experiment revealed that, in their conditions, keeping the windows rolled down was also the more fuel-efficient choice. "

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[Triggerhappy007]

Every range test I've done over the years is the exact same. although I am going to do a 55 mph run this weekend just to compare and contrast with 70 mph. I may start doing 55mph runs also with all the EVs I test it'll be an interesting data point

I drove my Mach-E from Madisonville to Dallas. Here are pics of my screens. I averaged 3.1 miles per kWh when driving 70-75 mph in 85-90F with AC on, tires at 40 psi cold. I drove 137 miles on 59% of battery. If I drove to 0%, it would have gone about 230 miles. Pretty darn good when EPA combined range is 247 miles. So I have the opposite results from you, better than expected range at 70-75 mph.

 

[mjs020294]

The drag coefficient vs AC is not really a binary debate. There are lots of factors involved like outside temperatures, outside humidity, compressor size/draw etc.

My hybrid water tank's compressor exhausts more than enough cold air to keep a car icy cold, and it only draws 0.35kw. Running the AC on a MME is probably barely measurable in terms of kWh or range.

 

[jonkMACHE]

I only got 66 and 191 mi not 247

I don't know what to tell you. I have a X-Range eAWD (rated at 270 mi). In cold weather I get around 200 miles, in 60-70 weather I get around 290 miles. This is real-world driving by the way - not a controlled range test. I do a lot of city driving, and I don't average 70mph. Sometimes it's stop and go traffic, sometimes I punch it to 70mph, and sometimes it's a cool 40mph. I think the 270mi estimate is pretty fair.

60-70F is really the sweet spot (also because you really don't need A/C at those temps either). And I think if you lowered your speed a bit to 65mph you'd do a little better.

 

[Rfehl62]

I see as high as 247 in my GTPE, but the highest temps we have seen so far is just 55 degrees.

I have been experimenting and have been able to get it up to 238 but I had to stay off the highway for a week and never exceed 55MPH. Also must be in whisper the entire time. Drove it like normal for one day and then charged it up to 100%...went from 238 to 201.....took an entire week of careful driving to get it up to 238 only for one day of normal driving to bring it down. I am in Houston so temps in the mid-low 70s.

 

[Crazypostman]

I drove my Mach-E from Madisonville to Dallas. Here are pics of my screens. I averaged 3.1 miles per kWh when driving 70-75 mph in 85-90F with AC on, tires at 40 psi cold. I drove 137 miles on 59% of battery. If I drove to 0%, it would have gone about 230 miles. Pretty darn good when EPA combined range is 247 miles. So I have the opposite results from you, better than expected range at 70-75 mph. It's in the '70s and '80s here right now.

Your gom range is better than mine at 75% then mine is at 88% ? my efficiency just sucks. I can't get over 2.7 going 70.

 

[Triggerhappy007]

Your gom range is better than mine at 75% then mine is at 88% ? my efficiency just sucks. I can't get over 2.7 going 70.

Could be a lot of reasons. Test again going the opposite direction if possible, note the wind by looking at flags, maybe get an alignment inspection?

 

[Crazypostman]

Could be a lot of reasons. Test again going the opposite direction if possible, note the wind by looking at flags, maybe get an alignment inspection?

I tested it on a 40 mile loop the other day, so I went both directions twice and then about a third of the way again before I ran out. So elevation should be canceled out. I haven't thought about alignment that's a good suggestion I mean the car doesn't pull but I suppose it could still be out a little? I'll just keep experimenting and tinkering and see if I can figure this out.

 

[MacherAWD]

I tested it on a 40 mile loop the other day, so I went both directions twice and then about a third of the way again before I ran out. So elevation should be canceled out. I haven't thought about alignment that's a good suggestion I mean the car doesn't pull but I suppose it could still be out a little? I'll just keep experimenting and tinkering and see if I can figure this out.

See my post about around town. If you put in Whisper mode, and drive normally for a week around town I bet you can get to 350 miles (but where is the fun in that)

 

[JCHLi]

Did you check the frunk? Some of the dealers forget to install the extra range that ships loose. Usually you'll find it tucked away in the frunk.

 

[Crazypostman]

Did you check the frunk? Some of the dealers forget to install the extra range that ships loose. Usually you'll find it tucked away in the frunk.

I'll have to look in there! I already tried to unplug that stupid backup beeper but that throws a code. That's really dumb! So now I'm going to have to find another way to defeat that while I'm under the hood I'll look for those miles ?

 

[EELinneman]

Did you check the frunk? Some of the dealers forget to install the extra range that ships loose. Usually you'll find it tucked away in the frunk.

It reminds me of the time that Chevy went nuts and the Trans Am was shipped with headers in a box in the back. Installing these gave it more HP than the Corvette which was the unforgivable sin. I'm thinking 1973 or so.

 

[alroy]

I’m not going to wade through 10 pages, but I did read the original post, and the first few replies by some knowledgeable folks around here. I didn’t see anything unreasonable about the OP wanting to better understand what factors are impacting the predicted and real-world range of his car. Certainly nothing that would warrant banning the question or characterizing it as stupid.

Why not create a megathread or FAQ then? I read the first few pages like yourself and yes I saw some insightful stuff but majority of these threads always come down to the driving habits and climate they're in.

Then again I see I'm alone on that thinking so I'll actually shut up.

 

[HuntingPudel]

It reminds me of the time that Chevy went nuts and the Trans Am was shipped with headers in a box in the back. Installing these gave it more HP than the Corvette which was the unforgivable sin. I'm thinking 1973 or so.

The Trans Am never had headers shipped with it from the factory. It came along too late for the shennanigans of the ‘60s. Pontiac did include “split-flow” exhaust manifolds with the Ram Air II, Ram Air IV, 400 Ram Air (generally known as Ram Air III), round-port 455-HO, some D-port 455-HO, and the SD455 engines. Ch@vy was pretty much pissed at Pontiac for any of those engines. ???

 

[Triggerhappy007]

My last few commutes. I set my cruise at 75 mph, some traffic, avg mph around 60 mph.

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