Reported Range after full charge

[johnf[]]

Hi All,

I'm the new owner of a 2013 FFE. I just picked up over the weekend.

When leaving the dealership, they said it was fully charged. The reported range was 55mi. I thought curious, but maybe I'm not looking at it correctly.

So, when I got home, I plugged it in overnight. In the morning, still reported 55mi. I drove into work, and when returning I watched as the range counted down +1, -1..., about 1 mi from home I received the alert telling me to safe pull over I'm out of juice.

I was able to pull into the garage and plug it in. about 19 hrs later, it's up to full charge. The reported range this time is 67mi. That's better, but still seems low.

From everything I've read, the range should be 76mi.

What is everyone else seeing reported for range after fully charging?

Thanks,

-j

 

[johnf[]]

I should add I'm in California with temps in the high 40s in the mornings to low 70s in the afternoon.

-j

 

[campfamily]

How many miles are on your car? If a lot, could have an impact on the battery capacity, they degrade as miles go up.

Also, the range remaining display is lovingly referred to as the "Guess-o-Meter" on this forum. Basically, it updates the range left based on your driving style, environment, and use of ancillary equipment, particularly the heater. So, if you drive like it's a BMW, at high speeds, going up hill, on a cold day, with the heater on full blast, your range (both indicated and real world) will be low. If you're driving like Grandma, at 45 mph, downhill, on a nice warm day, no A/C, you'll see just the opposite.

There are a bunch of threads on this forum that provide great information on how to drill deeper into the display in your car to better see what it's really doing, what is consuming power, how much power you are using per mile, etc. Recommend you surf around a bit to find those, and then just experiment. I also live in balmy Southern California, and my round trip commute is about 55 miles. I regularly arrive home with 20+ miles remaining. However, if it's chilly (for us) outside, or if I have a second passenger, or if I just happen to be driving a bit more aggressively than normal, I can see that number drop as low as single digits.

Oh, and welcome to the forum. A ton of great information here, as well as some very knowledgeable people that know an incredible amount about our cars.

Keith

 

[johnf[]]

Hey Keith,

Great reply. When I experienced the actual 55mi range and was on the verge of running out of juice, I was driving fairly conservative.

My commute is 25 mi each way on back roads and in-city, with a trip to the gym at lunch (3mi each way). So a 76mi range was fine, 55mi range and having to pucker everyday going home, won't work. I did sign up for a ChargePoint account as a safety net because there are charging stations very close by to where I work.

I'll give it another longer range try to see if anything improves. I'll also stop by the dealership who sold me the car under the pretense of an 80mi range. I want to alert them there could be an issue based on my 55mi first experience.

Other than that, I like my first impression.

26,000 mi.

Thanks,
-j

 

[TomEV]

"]Hey Keith,

Great reply. When I experienced the actual 55mi range and was on the verge of running out of juice, I was driving fairly conservative.

My commute is 25 mi each way on back roads and in-city, with a trip to the gym at lunch (3mi each way). So a 76mi range was fine, 55mi range and having to pucker everyday going home, won't work. I did sign up for a ChargePoint account as a safety net because there are charging stations very close by to where I work.

I'll give it another longer range try to see if anything improves. I'll also stop by the dealership who sold me the car under the pretense of an 80mi range. I want to alert them there could be an issue based on my 55mi first experience.

Other than that, I like my first impression.

26,000 mi.

Thanks,
-j

Your range for a 2013 FFE at 26K should be higher I would think. That seems low at 55. I wonder if someone on this site could post their range for a given miles driven. How fast does it lose max charge over time. In real values, not what the company predicts.

Mine is new so I can't really report much. 500 miles total so far. I am charging off a 120V plug outlet at work today and it just fully charged at 99 miles.

 

[NightHawk]

The guess-o-meter value will change with the average driving style.
If you drive more uphill vs downhill over time it will go down or up, also lower in winter vs summer.
If you drive a slower average speed over time it will go up, or down if you average faster speeds.
The early readings will change based on your personal driving style, so give it time.

 

[kalel14]

I believe if you reset the Lifetime Totals to zero, it will stop using the previous driver's history in the GOM calculations and only use your driving history. I bought mine used and deleting that history seemed to make a difference. With a repetitive commute each day, you should get a pretty accurate read.

 

[v_traveller]

I wonder if someone on this site could post their range for a given miles driven. How fast does it lose max charge over time. In real values, not what the company predicts

I turned my 2013 in when it had just under 36K miles on it. To the very end, it indicated 100-115 miles after a full charge at work (1200ft net elevation loss over 38 miles) and 55-65 miles after a full charge at home (after the 1200 ft elevation gain). So it averaged about 85 miles per charge.

johnf - is the heater, butt warmers, and A/C off during your drive? If so, might want to do a commute without any of that stuff running and see what the GOM tells you.

 

[johnf[]]

Thanks for the replies. I'm working on the learning curve with this car.

I did another test. With my 67mi reported range after the charge, I drove about 3mi in town to run a couple of errands. I dropped 3 miles, but I also lost another 5 miles in range. So the 3 mile trip in town cost me 8 miles. At this point, I would have to say the battery needs to be replaced. With a lead-acid battery, I would say it has a bad cell. With lithium, I'll have to do a little research on the construction and failure modes.

It was a Certified Pre-Owned Ford. That is supposed to mean something. I scheduled a service appointment for this afternoon. I'll also talk with the sales manager while I'm there.

I appreciate all,

-j

 

[jmueller065]

"]I did another test. With my 67mi reported range after the charge, I drove about 3mi in town to run a couple of errands. I dropped 3 miles, but I also lost another 5 miles in range. So the 3 mile trip in town cost me 8 miles. At this point, I would have to say the battery needs to be replaced. With a lead-acid battery, I would say it has a bad cell. With lithium, I'll have to do a little research on the construction and failure modes.

Nope, nothing wrong with your battery; you're just putting too much stock in the Guess-O-Meter.

It will NEVER EVER show an accurate miles to empty value....let me repeat that: it will never ever show an accurate miles to empty value.

You'd be better off using the enhanced trip meter and record the Wh used for your trips. You'll most likely find that for the same trips your Wh used will be within a few % of each other for common routes.

 

[johnf[]]

When driving the first time after being fully charged, I got the warning to pull off the road safely because the battery was depleted. The displayed battery gauge went from 100% to 0% (pull of the road) in 55miles of back roads and in town driving for my commute. Is that gauge not accurate?

I'm learning.

Thanks,
-j

 

[jmueller065]

"]When driving the first time after being fully charged, I got the warning to pull off the road safely because the battery was depleted. The displayed battery gauge went from 100% to 0% (pull of the road) in 55miles of back roads and in town driving for my commute. Is that gauge not accurate?

I'm learning.

Well that would indicate a different issue; and yes the 0% - 100% gauge (~10% - 90% actual) is more accurate than the GOM.

 

[johnf[]]

I have an appointment this afternoon with the service manager at Morgan Hill Ford Store.

I'll report back.

Thanks all,

-j

 

[coulomb_carl]

"]When driving the first time after being fully charged, I got the warning to pull off the road safely because the battery was depleted. The displayed battery gauge went from 100% to 0% (pull of the road) in 55miles of back roads and in town driving for my commute. Is that gauge not accurate?

I'm learning.

Thanks,
-j

If you use the heater, range can be significantly reduced. Driving in strong headwinds, rain, etc. will all reduce range. What do you typically see for Wh/mi ?

 

[johnf[]]

Hey Carl,

I just picked up the car last Saturday and was only able to commute once, so I'm not sure what typical Wh/mi is just yet. On my commute I was driving with no heat but headlights on, on the way in to work but not on the return. Light rain, no wind in the AM.

I'm learning I really need to think differently when driving an EV.

Thanks,
-j

 

[jmueller065]

Here is some reading:
https://spareelectrons.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/butterflies-really-what-your-dashboard-can-tell-you/

 

[johnf[]]

I like the article.

"All of this information provided to the driver is basically a way to ease range anxiety. To that end it is nice to have but once you’ve driven the car for a while it doesn’t really matter. Just like any other car, really, you get to know what it can and can’t do and tailor your driving patterns to what the car is capable of."

I'll get there soon enough. Right now the pucker factor is too high until I get the battery thing straightened out.

Thanks,
-j

 

[campfamily]

Have you checked your tire pressure? Dealers, tire shops, etc. have a propensity to set this too low. I run my tires at 42psi. Certainly won't raise your range from 55 to 75, but definitely will have a positive impact.

Additional thought, since you bought your FFE used, does it have the original tires? Could be that the dealer replaced the tires with something stickier, but less efficient? Kind of grasping now, but I think worth checking.

Keith

 

[johnf[]]

I'm not sure about the age of the tires, they look to be used, but in good shape, and I'll check the pressure. I want to use all the electrons as efficiently as possible.

I took my car into the dealership and talked with the Service Director. He had the Foreman check it out. Three software updates were installed and they cleared all the previous owners history.

It now charges with a reported range of 70mi. But, I know that doesn't really mean anything. I don't have my ChargePoint RFID tag yet, so I didn't drive it into work; need a safety net. I'll check it out in town over the weekend.

Thanks,
-j

 

[campfamily]

"]I'm not sure about the age of the tires, they look to be used, but in good shape, and I'll check the pressure.

When you check the pressure, check the brand and model of the tires as well and let us know. I can't remember the exact model, but I know the OEM tires are Michelins.