Electric Focus range and budget

[Rob]

Hi. I have about 1400 miles on my Electric Focus, and as a result of careful driving and braking, and due to warmer weather, I have been able to have the budget show 112 miles after a full charge. According to Ford, the car's max range in 90 miles. Has anyone had a budget higher than 112 miles ?

Thanks,

Rob

 

[Fluke]

Yes, the Guess-O-Meter (GOM - I like WindPowered's term) gets pretty optimistic when the temperature is warm. I regularly see 110+ predicted in the summer. I'll be really impressed and you should post it if you can make it that far - without getting stranded. :mrgreen:

 

[jeffand]

My personal best miles driven on single charge is 104 miles, with 9 remaining. This was done by driving at speeds of 35 to 45 MPH. I'm confident that is possible to go further. Max range under ideal conditions could exceed 125 miles. Max range speed maybe around 35 mph.

 

[jmueller065]

For the EV Stretcher ranking (longest distance on a single charge) in my region--which includes Dearborn--there is a vehicle that has gone 217 miles. Given its nickname (303Y889) I'm sure it is/was a Ford test car. (They probably put it on a dyno and set the cruise at 15 mph LOL.)

 

[Fluke]

My personal best miles driven on single charge is 104 miles, with 9 remaining. This was done by driving at speeds of 35 to 45 MPH. I'm confident that is possible to go further. Max range under ideal conditions could exceed 125 miles. Max range speed maybe around 35 mph.

That's a great run.

 

[WindPowered]

Yes, the Guess-O-Meter (GOM - I like WindPowered's term) gets pretty optimistic when the temperature is warm.

Thanks, but I can hardly take credit for it. It's been used over on the Leaf forum for quite some time, and I just re-used what I thought was a *very* appropriate term.

I have noticed that my GOM is still reading very high after the sync update (3.5.1), much higher than it used to under the old version (3.1) over the same route. Today I saw 100 for the first time ever. I'm still theorizing as to the cause.

Is anyone seeing actual range increases before/after the update? (i.e. actual total miles traveled, not just what the GOM is showing).


WP

 

[philly_ev]

I have a question, which has probably been answered many times on here but I couldn't seem to find it. When I drive the FFE (last night I drove 12 miles), and when I finished my miles to empty showed only 2 less (I started my 12 mile journey with 60 miles remaining, when I got home I was down to 58). It showed that I had a status of +9. I guess I don't understand how that is possible. I drove for 20 minutes, and there is no way I regen'd 9 miles. So my question is how does it really work - did I regen 9 miles?

 

[danholl]

When you power on the car looks at your past driving history and the temperature and predicts your budget mileage. Once you start driving if your current driving mode is different than the past it updates the prediction based on actual current data.

 

[WattsUp]

I have a question, which has probably been answered many times on here but I couldn't seem to find it. When I drive the FFE (last night I drove 12 miles), and when I finished my miles to empty showed only 2 less (I started my 12 mile journey with 60 miles remaining, when I got home I was down to 58). It showed that I had a status of +9. I guess I don't understand how that is possible. I drove for 20 minutes, and there is no way I regen'd 9 miles. So my question is how does it really work - did I regen 9 miles?

No, you have a small misconception about what the status number means.

A positive "status" (or "surplus", when the navi is engaged) does not indicate regeneration. That is, "+9" does not simply mean that you regenerated 9 miles worth of energy. Rather, the status indicates the difference in predicted range between what the car originally budgeted when you turned it on and what the car is currently predicting... which is constantly revised as you drive along. Basically, at any given moment, the status is based on the remaining charge compared against the current average energy usage.

Although regen affects the status somewhat, since it increases the remaining charge, the status is mainly affected by how you drive. If you drive very slowly, turn off the A/C, etc. (all of which will consume less overall energy per mile driven) the computer will start to realize that you can go further (on the remaining charge) than it thought, you'll start to see the status increase, and potentially "go positive". If you drive very fast, or uphill, turn on the A/C, etc. (all of which will consume more energy), you'll start to see the status decrease, and potentially "go negative".

Lastly, note that changes in driving style can affect the status drastically, and especially depending on how you previously drove, which affects the initial budget. For example, if you drive very conservatively for many trips in a row and then suddenly take a long drive uphill, the status will quickly go "very" negative. Likewise for positive changes. So, a status number like "+9" is not very unusual at the end of a fairly conservative drive that may have followed some not-so-conservative drives.

 

[philly_ev]

Thank you for the great responses. This makes much more sense now.

General question - I have to take a 76 mile trip this weekend. Assuming conservative driving and no AC, do you all think I will be able to make the trip? I really want to do the trip in the FFE, but nervous I will fall just short. And, if its a hot day and I need the air (especially if its pouring rain outside), I'm nervous I definitely won't make it. Have any of you had similar experiences?

 

[WattsUp]

I have to take a 76 mile trip this weekend. Assuming conservative driving and no AC, do you all think I will be able to make the trip? ... Have any of you had similar experiences?

Well, of course I can't guarantee anything for you, but... I made a similar trip (65 miles) over flat terrain at freeway speeds (about 50% at 65 mph and 50% at 55 mph), with A/C set to 72 most of the way (in 80 degree ambient temps) and arrived with 15 miles remaining. I've done the same trip twice and the FFE performance both times was almost identical.

So, given that your trip is about 10 miles further, it might be a close call, but it seems reasonable. Personally, I would attempt it given my experiences so far, but would probably limit myself to 55 mph just be sure I can make it. But again, I'm assuming flat terrain. If the elevation gain between your point A and point B is significantly positive (that is, heading uphill, even if only gradually over the entire trip) that could tip the balance so that you won't make it.

Alternatively, are there any public Level 2 charging stations along your route? Even just stopping for an hour or so should give you some extra padding, if needed.

 

[HBGuy]

I drove from Carlsbad, CA (north San Diego Co.) to Huntington Beach yesterday, which is 63 miles door-to-door. The AC was on, and I average 65 MPH on the 5 FWY. I made it home with 14 miles indicated as remaining. There were only a few opportunities for re-gen, and most of the trip is perfectly flat. Temperature was a comfortable 71 F most of the trip, my petite wife was with me and the car had a lot of "stuff" in it from a weekend trip to Coronado.

I've had my FFE for ~ 6 weeks and have ~ 750 miles on it. Thus far, no "SSN" messages, and the realized mileage has generally exceeded Ford's estimate of 76 miles/charge. I couldn't be happier with this car.


2013 Ford Focus Electric, Ice Storm
Clipper Creek 20-amp charger

 

[philly_ev]

Well, it's been decided. We are going to attempt the trip in the FFE. About 45 miles into the trip there is a Blink charging station which is free at a public library. We are going to see how the FFE is at that time, if the remainder of our trip is more miles that the FFE is estimating in miles remaining, then we will stop at Blink (probably for 30 minutes - that should give us the extra juice we need).

 

[jmueller065]

Make sure you use the nav system and let it know you'll be charging at the destination. With that setup as you drive the vehicle will clearly indicate if you can make it or not.

 

[philly_ev]

Yes I will definitely do that. I'm pretty excited. This trip usually costs us $50 in gas - this will be a fraction of that in electricity.

 

[HBGuy]

"Range anxiety" will dissipate as you become more accustomed to your FFE and it, to your driving style. I use an iPhone and have found that the "PlugShare" app is extremely helpful in locating Level 2 charging stations, and whether or not they're available. I was able to use this last week while I was in San Diego and it was very accurate in terms of letting me know when a particular charging station near where I was staying was available.

Another suggestion is to apply for a "Blink" or "Charge Point" access card. Blink stations are located in many municipal parking lots in Southern California and are available 24/7, which helps a lot. And, you'd be well served to know whether there are Ford dealers near where you'll be travelling, as those that sell the FFE and Energi vehicles in CA have Level 2 chargers and generally allow you to recharge for free.

 

[WattsUp]

Well, it's been decided. We are going to attempt the trip in the FFE. About 45 miles into the trip there is a Blink charging station which is free at a public library. We are going to see how the FFE is at that time, if the remainder of our trip is more miles that the FFE is estimating in miles remaining, then we will stop at Blink (probably for 30 minutes - that should give us the extra juice we need).

Sounds good. Let us know hot it goes!

Even though the Blink station is free, be sure to check if you still need a Blink account or not... just so things will go smoothly should you need to use it at the last minute.

I use ChargePoint and, even with their free stations, you still need an access card (or at least an account you can phone in with). I'm not sure if Blink is like ChargePoint in this regard.

 

[philly_ev]

Yes. I have a family member that was coincidentally near this Blink Charge station and it says at the station to scan the QR code on it and I believe it will give you a guest pass. I will take a look on their website just to be sure.

 

[philly_ev]

Alright, we made it. About 35 miles into the trip we stopped at the Blink charging station (this one is free), and we charged for about 20 minutes. It put about 10 miles back into the car. We made it to our destination and the GOM showed +17. My wife says I was driving slow the first 35 miles, and the last 40 miles I was cruising pretty well (70-75 mph for about 30 minutes).

 

[henryfocus]

In the EV Stretcher leaderboard, any idea how people are topping 300 miles?