Bad weather mileage - 1.5mi/kWh

[WXman]

I have always said that the more efficient a truck is, the more sensitive it is to change. And boy you can really see it on these Lightnings. Losing half your range just because of a change of seasons? Ouch. I lose a hand calculated 75% of my range when I hook on my enclosed trailer. Ouch. Running unloaded in perfect weather these trucks are amazing. But ANY environmental or load change really hurts the efficiency in a serious way.

I've seen the same with diesel trucks. Might get low 20s on the highway without a trailer, but if you hook on a camper you're down to around 10 MPG. That's over 50% loss of range. Ouch.

I've had a lot of gasoline trucks in my lifetime that would get 14 MPG on a good day, but in the dead of winter they'd still get 13 and with a big load behind them they'd still get 11.

Funny how that works. The less efficient a truck is, the less sensitive to change it is. And the more efficient a truck is, the more sensitive to change it is.

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[Piquette]

If you really want to see your mi/kw drop, try driving a Lightning at -18 degrees Fahrenheit. Then try to charge at a DC fast charging station. The cables become very stiff and hard to plug into the charging port. I learned my lesson last winter. I’m not going out in sub zero weather unless I absolutely have to.

 

[jamelski]

Speed kills drive 55 if you want good miles to kw max 65 or you get what you get bruh. It’s an EV rookie

 

[camflan]

Speed kills drive 55 if you want good miles to kw max 65 or you get what you get bruh. It’s an EV rookie

 

[MidAtlanticLightningClub]

Just happened to us on Wednesday, our first ev road trip. Between Ames, IA and Albert Lea, MN we saw just over 1 mi/kwh for over an hour (kept bouncing between 1.0 and 1.1). Wind, cold, and I’m guessing a very slight grade (not noticeable but shows in ABRP). We had to make an emergency 10 minute stop at a 65kwh charger to make Albert Lea at 8% instead of the expected 28% when we left Ames. Kept decreasing speed too, 75 -> 70 after about 15 minutes then had to drop to 65 for 15 or so until our emergency pit stop

Those speeds make a big difference:

So does temperature:

Did you precondition before departure?

 

[PJnc284]

I have always said that the more efficient a truck is, the more sensitive it is to change. And boy you can really see it on these Lightnings. Losing half your range just because of a change of seasons? Ouch. I lose a hand calculated 75% of my range when I hook on my enclosed trailer. Ouch. Running unloaded in perfect weather these trucks are amazing. But ANY environmental or load change really hurts the efficiency in a serious way.

I've seen the same with diesel trucks. Might get low 20s on the highway without a trailer, but if you hook on a camper you're down to around 10 MPG. That's over 50% loss of range. Ouch.

I've had a lot of gasoline trucks in my lifetime that would get 14 MPG on a good day, but in the dead of winter they'd still get 13 and with a big load behind them they'd still get 11.

Funny how that works. The less efficient a truck is, the less sensitive to change it is. And the more efficient a truck is, the more sensitive to change it is.

I got .8mi/kWh pulling the boat at 60mph v 2.2 unloaded here in eastern NC. Was only 80 miles to the ramp so we made it home with about 25% remaining and that was on a nice day. We fish year round so would likely be pucker city on those winter mornings that were in the 20's. (yeah I'm a little crazy. ) Main reason I kept the Ram also since charging infrastructure on the route is non-existent. It gets about 9mpg pulling it v 20mpg+ unloaded but that's only about 1/2 tank to the boat ramp and back with plenty of gas stations on the way.

 

[camflan]

Those speeds make a big difference:

So does temperature:

Did you precondition before departure?

Understood. It was the 3rd leg of our trip. We were getting the usual 1.8/1.9 at 75 for the first half of the trip, then got down to 1.5 and then 1.3 as expected, not surprised at all. Barely crossing 1 mile/kw at 65 was the unexpected part. And ABRP was also apparently surprised because it thought we’d comfortably get to Albert Lea and then about halfway it had us pit stop

 

[WXman]

Got a message on my gauge cluster tonight that I hadn't seen yet. It said "Outside temperature is low. Plug truck in when not in use." This happened at 26°F. It's not even winter yet....

 

[PJnc284]

Probably since it's below freezing. When plugged in, it will try to keep the battery above freezing even when not actively charging.

 

[camflan]

Got a message on my gauge cluster tonight that I hadn't seen yet. It said "Outside temperature is low. Plug truck in when not in use." This happened at 26°F. It's not even winter yet....

Haha, same. Can’t wait to see how it goes when the temperatures dip below 0

 

[TwentyTwentyThree]

It’s winter here. I went from my summer average of 2.5-2.9 to 1.7-2.1. Seems normal.

 

[Shmoe]

Yeah this was my first drive in severe rain in the Lightning, and I think that impacted efficiency more so than the wind did.

You're not wrong but it blew my mind when it was laid out to me this way.. if you're going 75 into a 40 mph headwind, you're getting the resistance of doing 115mph.

Vice versa if the wind is going your way. Brings you down to about 35mph equivalent resistance.

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