[lymanwarnock]

I'm hearing a lot of people claiming that there are only getting 240 or 260 miles to a charge on an extended range battery lariat or XLT.
When is Ford going to get real with the range expectations for these batteries?
If they're good for 250 miles then come out and say they're good for 250 miles or install a better battery.

 

[Pa Lightning]

I have no need to mash the skinny pedal or drive 80 mph on the highway. Most of my driving is rural roads so my range actually exceeds expectations and range estimates.

 

[Voltz]

Using the EPA range test numbers is required by law for energy use comparison to other vehicles. The beef should be with the EPA test cycle.

They're good for 320 miles if you drive them at 2.44 mi/kWh energy consumption. I regularly see that kind of efficiency around town. Yesterday, it was 3.3. Traffic sucked. I can flog the hell out of it and still eke out 2.0, which is ~260 mile range. I don't understand the obsession with range. If you're regularly driving over 240-260 miles without returning home or to a charging location, there's probably a better truck to buy.

 

[Leaf-clarity]

Like the previous poster said, you need to average 2.45 miles per kWh to get the epa estimate.

Most days I average 2.5, but I do live in socal with average winter mornings starting at 50 degrees. Also I drive through medium traffic so highway speeds don’t really exceed 60 miles per hour.

hopefully your average will increase during the summer months or adjust your driving style. Just like ICE vehicles most cars don’t get their estimates. My ice is advertised as 27 combined but I’m lucky to get 20 combined.

 

[Kawartha Lightning]

I still think there should be seasonal ratings (at least in the great white north) for winter vs warm weather driving. The difference is extraordinary vs the comparatively modest impact on ICE mileage in cold weather. It is one of the biggest complaints among first time EV buyers (was an eye opener for me but used to it now). Esp with the government pushing hard on EVs there should be disclosure. As it stands, extremely misleading

 

[Leaf-clarity]

I still think there should be seasonal ratings (at least in the great white north) for winter vs warm weather driving. The difference is extraordinary vs the comparatively modest impact on ICE mileage in cold weather. It is one of the biggest complaints among first time EV buyers (was an eye opener for me but used to it now). Esp with the government pushing hard on EVs there should be disclosure. As it stands, extremely misleading

Yes, it should be on the sticker. Expect 40% decrease in range in temps below 20 degrees F. Note ICE vehicles experience about 20% but can be refilled in 5 minutes instead of overnight (level 2 home charging).

 

[Kawartha Lightning]

I’ve never owned an ICE vehicle that lost 20% of its efficiency in cold weather. I wish the Lightning only lost 20%. More like 30% and at least 25%. Of course it depends on your climate ( I’m in Canada) and driving behaviour (definitely drive the lightning more gingerly, and I am more mindful of using the HVAC)

 

[jefrank]

I’ve never owned an ICE vehicle that lost 20% of its efficiency in cold weather. I wish the Lightning only lost 20%. More like 30% and at least 25%. Of course it depends on your climate ( I’m in Canada) and driving behaviour (definitely drive the lightning more gingerly, and I am more mindful of using the HVAC)

My 2005 Chevy Silverado 2WD definitely lost at least 20% in the winter, but it wasn't overnighted in a garage so there was usually a fair amount of idling while I was cleaning off snow or ice

 

[HellBoy]

This is something the EPA needs to change for electric vehicles…lots of new EV owners don’t have a hot clue what they are getting into because they just read the big numbers in the stickers, I see these kind of posts in all EV forums…Tesla, Hyundai, Rivian…everywhere.

the EPA needs to implement the following changes to dumb it down to new owners:

Ranges for:
above 100F
Ideal temperature (the only test done today)
Below 32
Below 0
Below 20

 

[Jarratt]

I'm hearing a lot of people claiming that there are only getting 240 or 260 miles to a charge on an extended range battery lariat or XLT.
When is Ford going to get real with the range expectations for these batteries?
If they're good for 250 miles then come out and say they're good for 250 miles or install a better battery.

I have a contrary view. I find Ford's battery management software far better than Tesla's in projecting range. More importantly, the software seems to manage the battery very efficiently.

It's been cold here, below freezing most of the time I've been driving the past week. I expect cruddy consumption in these conditions, but have been pleasantly surprised. My 40 mi roundtrip experience today is an example. I live in a rural location and, in addition to elevation changes, I mix dirt roads with the Interstate when I go to town. The Lightening consumed 22 mi of charge to get 16mi into town today (400' elev gain). On the way back it consumed 12 mi!

The last 7 mi to our place are downhill (the last 3 on dirt). I can't drive that distance without gaining range -- even with a fairly heavy foot.

I'm digging this puppy more and more. In heavy snot (to the axle mud) it's happy as a clam.

 

[WWISE]

I agree with the majority of the previous posts. I average 2.3/2.5 miles per Kwh depending on conditions. I have found 68mph to be the sweet spot on interstate highways...I use the Hands Free and retract the mirrors. Not something I would recommend to all but I have gotten used to it and supposedly good for a few extra miles of range. Around town better range and I use only 1 pedal drive mode. I also pre-condition most of the time prior to departure. It will be interesting to see how Ford handles this stop production/stop ship on the 2023. Mine is a 2022 Lariat ER... October delivery and so far so good.

 

[lymanwarnock]

I like the points of view, and I am new to the EV game but I am not just using the truck to commute around town. I will drive it cross-country. Sounds like I will probably only 250 miles to a 100% charge on expensive roadside chargers.

 

[KElkhorn]

I like the points of view, and I am new to the EV game but I am not just using the truck to commute around town. I will drive it cross-country. Sounds like I will probably only 250 miles to a 100% charge on expensive roadside chargers.

Depends on how fast you go.

If you are doing interstate speeds (70 plus), I don't know that I'd stretch much beyone 180-200 miles between chargers, and I'd try not to fast charge much above 80% if you can avoid it.

If its cold out (below 40F), I'd probably drop that to more like 140-160.

 

[Leaf-clarity]

I like the points of view, and I am new to the EV game but I am not just using the truck to commute around town. I will drive it cross-country. Sounds like I will probably only 250 miles to a 100% charge on expensive roadside chargers.

If you are planning to use this truck or any BEV to drive across country you might want to rethink or be prepared. The charging network isn’t quite there yet. They are sparse in parts of the country and hit or miss on reliability. In five years time that will change. I’ve seen Tesla put up stations within a few days.

if you are an early adopter you need to plan ahead and be patient. And winter does drop efficiently a lot so you need to plan for that as well.

it can be done though. chasingcoral is doing a cross country trip while towing.
Sherman's March to the Sea, and the other Sea, and...

 

[Voltz]

I like the points of view, and I am new to the EV game but I am not just using the truck to commute around town. I will drive it cross-country. Sounds like I will probably only 250 miles to a 100% charge on expensive roadside chargers.

FWIW, the EPA test cycle range rating for highway use is 283 miles for Lightnings with the ER battery. (2.16 mi/kWh) The dyno testing is done at a variety of speeds, mostly on the lower end of highway driving speeds.

I’ll happily pay high prices for on-the-road DCFC if it means more reliability and availability to lead toward a competitive future. It’s tough to make a profit when most of your customers only need you when traveling away from their home electrical ‘refinery’.

 

[JupiterLightning]

Anyone know if adding a hard tonneau improves mileage range due to less drag?

 

[EljefeLightning]

I’ve owned a Tesla Model S for almost 9 years now and have average 360wh/mi vs the 300wh/mi it’s rated at. Because of that, I’m expecting the Lightning range to be about 20% lower than rated, so giving myself ~255 miles of range on my Lariat ER.

I live in a hilly area though. My last drive down to the coast, I averaged 290wh/mi even at 75mph, so there’s always hope for those of you in flat land.

 

[heliian]

Anyone know if adding a hard tonneau improves mileage range due to less drag?

It might actually reduce range but there isn't much data available.

A lightweight soft cover is best for efficiency.

 

[HellBoy]

FWIW, the EPA test cycle range rating for highway use is 283 miles for Lightnings with the ER battery. (2.16 mi/kWh) The dyno testing is done at a variety of speeds, mostly on the lower end of highway driving speeds.

I’ll happily pay high prices for on-the-road DCFC if it means more reliability and availability to lead toward a competitive future. It’s tough to make a profit when most of your customers only need you when traveling away from their home electrical ‘refinery’.

Yeah! The EPA test is just…ridiculous. Their ‘highway’ test is more like suburbia driving and high speed testing barely reflects what a person would do…

 

[Kawartha Lightning]

I like the points of view, and I am new to the EV game but I am not just using the truck to commute around town. I will drive it cross-country. Sounds like I will probably only 250 miles to a 100% charge on expensive roadside chargers.

Those are realistic expectations based on my experience (& imo). That's about what I'm getting in cold weather climate with a 50/50 mix of highway to City driving. The real savings occur if you can use a level 2 charger at home overnight with the cheapo rates. When I'm using superchargers on road trips, there are still savings but if that's your principal use (highway & superchargers versus home charging ), I think I'd probably go hybrid, the payback and inconvenience factor would outweigh the modest savings. Plus, I can't keep it under 65 on the highway. A V8 with a 10-speed automatic and cylinder deactivation is pretty compelling on the highway