Horrible efficiency on recent trip.

[P-38]

I know you checked the areo elements but double check the active shutter. That has dropped my efficiency a couple times.

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[Firn]

On road trips, I’m beginning to think the added time savings of driving above 70 mph isn’t worth the potential additional charging time. It depends on the length of the trip of course. At 80 mph you’re burning energy so fast that you end up charging deeper into the slow zone of the pack. Unless you’re pulling perfect 110 kW averages the whole way, you don’t actually save time.

70 mph is the real-world sweet spot. It feels slower, but you make fewer/shorter stops and usually roll in sooner.

I am not happy about this. The state police however appreciate a 7000 lb vehicle sticking to the speed limit.

I have mapped a few dozen trips just to test efficiency, time, and speed. In the end more speed equals arriving there sooner, even up to about 90mph. Yes, you do charge more, and you do use more energy, however you still get there sooner.

Op,
Tire pressure does not make much difference at all.
Temp, baro pressure, and humidity can all affect efficiency but I agree that yours seems very low. 70mph is 1.9 for me, and even here today in 50f it was 1.8.
It could just be freak conditions. You could try asking chatgpt what the air density was for the area, see if anything stands out.

 

[PJnc284]

What’s The Optimal Speed For An EV Road Trip? We Use Our 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning XLT To Find Out

 

[sotek2345]

I have mapped a few dozen trips just to test efficiency, time, and speed. In the end more speed equals arriving there sooner, even up to about 90mph. Yes, you do charge more, and you do use more energy, however you still get there sooner.

Op,
Tire pressure does not make much difference at all.
Temp, baro pressure, and humidity can all affect efficiency but I agree that yours seems very low. 70mph is 1.9 for me, and even here today in 50f it was 1.8.
It could just be freak conditions. You could try asking chatgpt what the air density was for the area, see if anything stands out.

Yeah, it must have been something strange. On the reverse route now (well, I was, currently charging) and I am getting around 2.0.

 

[sotek2345]

I know you checked the areo elements but double check the active shutter. That has dropped my efficiency a couple times.

How did you check it. The only way I could think to would be to have someone video it while I was driving. Nothing is jamming it that I can see, but I also can't move it by hand (not sure if normal or not).

 

[PJnc284]

How did you check it. The only way I could think to would be to have someone video it while I was driving. Nothing is jamming it that I can see, but I also can't move it by hand (not sure if normal or not).

Believe there's an option for Grill Shutter Position in Car Scanner. Would need the app and a bluetooth obdii dongle

 

[RickLightning]

You stated you stopped for breakfast after about an hour, so presumably you started before dawn, or at least early in the morning. So… It was probably colder than 50 degrees F, given that you’re in upstate NY in November. That lower temperature almost certainly cost some energy to warm up the battery.

What was the humidity? Was there water on the road?

I run my tire pressure at about 48 PSI cold, and I check that with a real pressure gauge, not the TPMS, which can be off by more than 10%.

I typically get between 2.2 and 2.5 miles/kWh on the freeway at 72 mph in pleasant conditions. If there’s adverse weather, we can see drops to 2.0. The first part of the drive getting up to speed on the freeway or before the battery has warmed up can be lower, but it’s anomalous to the full drive (if the drive is >300 miles).

I’ve run the calculations on our ~50k miles of road trips and the sweet spot speed for time on the road is between about 67 and 72 mph. I still pass most truckers, which is annoying. I wish they’d stick to a 70 mph speed so I can draft behind them for even more energy savings.

The lightning must love AZ. That's better than most seem to get. Best I've seen here in SE NC on a nice day is about 2.0mi/kWh @70mph and that was with a tailwind. Usually average 1.8/1.9. At 60, I get 2.2. Do have the Hankook AT's though but have them set to 45psi due to wearing on the outer edges at the oem recommended 36.

My lifetime with 17,000 miles, mostly highway around 73, is 1.7 or 1.8. Most of our trips have been in winter months with temps mid 50s or lower, but I have never seen 2.2 or higher except with a tailwind.

 

[sotek2345]

Whelp, after a charging stop, we averaged 1.6 again for the last 85 miles. Maybe I will have the dealer take a look at the shutter.

 

[RickLightning]

Download Windy app. Maybe you had a headwind or crosswind.

 

[ryun]

Might as well have the dealer check your alignment while you're there.

Whelp, after a charging stop, we averaged 1.6 again for the last 85 miles. Maybe I will have the dealer take a look at the shutter.

 

[sotek2345]

Might as well have the dealer check your alignment while you're there.

Actually just had an inspection and they checked that - no issues.

 

[mr.Magoo]

What’s The Optimal Speed For An EV Road Trip? We Use Our 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning XLT To Find Out

Ah yes, because when you're driving long distances, there are fast chargers conveniently located every 60miles, just a stones throw from the interstate so you don't lose any time at all exiting/getting back on the interstate.

Besides the range at different speeds that table is pretty dumb.

 

[mr.Magoo]

Only 30 miles in that snapshot makes me think it might be warming the battery.

I basically never precondition.
The only time I've seen the truck warm up the battery while driving is when you're in-route to a fastcharger - OR - once when my battery was in the single digit % remaining and it was fairly cold outside, at that point the truck sacrificed energy to warm up the battery in order to extract more energy out of the battery (noticed this because my range kept going up despite driving 70 in the freeway - and I verified it through my OBD logs afterwards).

 

[sotek2345]

Ah yes, because when you're driving long distances, there are fast chargers conveniently located every 60miles, just a stones throw from the interstate so you don't lose any time at all exiting/getting back on the interstate.

Besides the range at different speeds that table is pretty dumb.

Honestly - NY is getting pretty close to that, if not better. EV chargers being installed at all thruway rest areas. They are directly off the highway (no exit) and spaced about every 30 miles. Some are still under construction, but it will be very nice once done.

 

[JTWIRE55]

Does changing driving modes make any difference?

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