• Welcome to F150Lightningforum.com everyone!

    If you're joining us from F150gen14.com, then you may already have an account here!

    If you were registered on F150gen14.com as of April 16, 2022 or earlier, then you can simply login here with the same username and password!

Sponsored

Cold Weather Range

tlin

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2022
Threads
1
Messages
16
Reaction score
24
Location
Wichita KS
Vehicles
2023 F150 Lightning Lariat ER; 2022 Wrangler 4xe
I was able to conduct my first trip yesterday, a 560 mile round trip from Kansas to Nebraska. I wanted to get some experience with the cold weather before I had a critical need. I am glad I did. I left preconditioned and at 100% charge with 323 miles of range, theoretically enough to nearly make it to my destination. My range quickly dropped as expected. Navigation indicated a need for a 20 minute charge 100 miles up the road to get to destination. I made it 100 miles up the road and luckily there was a EA charger as I was at 15% battery. No big deal, I charged to 86%, about 30% over what the trip recommended to make it to my destination. Another 100 miles down the road and I was at 10% and the only charger along the road was a 50 kw charger (which I am grateful for otherwise I would have been stranded). A solid hour got me to 60% and we took off, again, about 30% over what the trip meter recommended. I costed into the EA charger near my destination with 4% battery remaining, with the last 40 miles with heat and accessories shut off and slowing down to 60 mph. Much much too close for me, especially when the temp is hovering around 0 F with a 20mph wind. The return trip calculated the range much closer, but was still about 20 miles off at each charge. A normal 8 hour round trip took us 14 hours with the three 150kw EA charges and the two stops at the 50KW charger along the way. Moral, error on the side of caution and make sure there is an option to charge at least every 100 miles in cold weather. I absolutely love the truck, but the cold weather range and the calculations the truck used were disappointing at best and almost a little dangerous at the temps we were driving in. 14 to 0 degrees F with a 15-20mph headwind going north driving between 60 and 70 mph. Average 1.1 Mile/kwh against wind and 1.3 on the return with wind. No load, no towing. Lariat ER. The other item to note is that the gas stations where the chargers were located all closed at 8PM, so a bathroom break, or warm place to sit or snack was not an option. Again, love the truck, but there is a great deal of additional planning needed for cold weather trips.

Ford F-150 Lightning Cold Weather Range IMG_3803
Sponsored

 

RickLightning

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2022
Threads
63
Messages
3,827
Reaction score
4,797
Location
SE MI
Vehicles
'22 Lighting ER Lariat,'22 Mach-E Premium 4X
Yes, planning is required.

Minimal use of the heater, with use of the seat heaters and heated steering wheel, will extend range.

If you blast the heater, it has a big impact on your range. You should be able to get closer to 1.7 on the highway in winter, but as you're closer to zero 1.5 would be more likely.
 
OP
OP

tlin

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2022
Threads
1
Messages
16
Reaction score
24
Location
Wichita KS
Vehicles
2023 F150 Lightning Lariat ER; 2022 Wrangler 4xe
Yes, planning is required.

Minimal use of the heater, with use of the seat heaters and heated steering wheel, will extend range.

If you blast the heater, it has a big impact on your range. You should be able to get closer to 1.7 on the highway in winter, but as you're closer to zero 1.5 would be more likely.
I neglected to mention that I had the heat set to 62 for the trip and minimal use of seat heaters as I kept my coat on.
 

Monkey

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 9, 2022
Threads
3
Messages
465
Reaction score
471
Location
Somewhere in the mountains
Vehicles
'23 Lightning, Tesla Model Y, and more...
Occupation
Semi-retired electrical/computer/software engineer
On my first trip in the Lightning, road tripping it from Iowa to Colorado, I averaged about 1.6mi/kWh and it kinda sucked. Clear roads and average traffic speeding along at 85+ MPH on I-80. I wanted to keep up with traffic, the truck wanted to keep up too, but couldn't if I wanted to make my intended charging stops. So I spent most of my time at 75MPH or below, in the right lane, getting passed, honked at, etc.. Pushing past 80MPH and my consumption was right at 1.0mi/kWh...

Conditions were somewhat windy, about 35 degrees F. And you don't realize it on the drive, but that route is all up-hill the whole way. My biggest frustration the whole time was EA chargers not working properly. I found a couple properly operational ones along the way, but most of my stops were made much longer by slow chargers that were throttled back or struggling with the "cold" as per EA customer support. Ford's navigation, especially where charging is concerned, is totally brain-dead. Almost got me stranded outside Omaha because I took a detour to look at something and the only charger I could get to was a 50kW ChargePoint. It's infuriating to spend an hour at a 50kW station to get enough charge to get to the next EA station, which then only ran at 37kW. A one day trip turned into a two day trip because of EA chargers.

I found leaving the heat on auto, set about 68 with seat heaters on level 2 and both my wife and I were comfortable. That's about where I'd set things in my ice trucks or Expedition. Wish I had the heated steering wheel... Fine once things warmed up, but starting out on a cold morning without the heated wheel... meh.

Biggest factor working against range is speed. The truck has the aerodynamic prowess of a brick. My daily driving around town I early get 2+ mi/kWh, even in sub zero temps like today. As long as I start with a warm battery and I'm not stomping on the accelerator at every intersection.

Second road trip I took in the Lightning was similar. EA chargers still suck. Traffic was heavier and not moving as well, so didn't have to worry about speed, truck performed as I expected. Overall downhill one way, uphill on the way back. 2+ mi/kWh one way, 1.6 mi/kWh on the way back. Temps ranging between 30 and 40 degrees F.
 

ZSLC

Active member
First Name
Zach
Joined
Jan 30, 2023
Threads
1
Messages
27
Reaction score
18
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
Vehicles
F-150 Lariat Extended
A couple of points of data, living in SLC where it's cold but most days get above freezing.

Since purchasing the vehicle a month ago I have driven 1209 miles. According to the Fordpass charge logs I have added 1633 of charge. Being off by 26% seems very high if we are to depend on these vehicles.

Yesterday I took a 62 mile trip which ate half the battery (extended range). That gives me an effective range of just over 100 miles.

I completely understand a cold weather penalty but getting 1/3 of what we paid for?
 

Sponsored
OP
OP

tlin

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2022
Threads
1
Messages
16
Reaction score
24
Location
Wichita KS
Vehicles
2023 F150 Lightning Lariat ER; 2022 Wrangler 4xe
On my first trip in the Lightning, road tripping it from Iowa to Colorado, I averaged about 1.6mi/kWh and it kinda sucked. Clear roads and average traffic speeding along at 85+ MPH on I-80. I wanted to keep up with traffic, the truck wanted to keep up too, but couldn't if I wanted to make my intended charging stops. So I spent most of my time at 75MPH or below, in the right lane, getting passed, honked at, etc.. Pushing past 80MPH and my consumption was right at 1.0mi/kWh...

Conditions were somewhat windy, about 35 degrees F. And you don't realize it on the drive, but that route is all up-hill the whole way. My biggest frustration the whole time was EA chargers not working properly. I found a couple properly operational ones along the way, but most of my stops were made much longer by slow chargers that were throttled back or struggling with the "cold" as per EA customer support. Ford's navigation, especially where charging is concerned, is totally brain-dead. Almost got me stranded outside Omaha because I took a detour to look at something and the only charger I could get to was a 50kW ChargePoint. It's infuriating to spend an hour at a 50kW station to get enough charge to get to the next EA station, which then only ran at 37kW. A one day trip turned into a two day trip because of EA chargers.

I found leaving the heat on auto, set about 68 with seat heaters on level 2 and both my wife and I were comfortable. That's about where I'd set things in my ice trucks or Expedition. Wish I had the heated steering wheel... Fine once things warmed up, but starting out on a cold morning without the heated wheel... meh.

Biggest factor working against range is speed. The truck has the aerodynamic prowess of a brick. My daily driving around town I early get 2+ mi/kWh, even in sub zero temps like today. As long as I start with a warm battery and I'm not stomping on the accelerator at every intersection.

Second road trip I took in the Lightning was similar. EA chargers still suck. Traffic was heavier and not moving as well, so didn't have to worry about speed, truck performed as I expected. Overall downhill one way, uphill on the way back. 2+ mi/kWh one way, 1.6 mi/kWh on the way back. Temps ranging between 30 and 40 degrees F.
I will say the EA chargers worked very well for me and saved me a hotel, twice in Salina Kansas, although 10 miles off my path both times and one in Grand Island, NE. In Grand Island, I was actually charging at 163KW for awhile at 2 degrees F. The charge point would only charge about 44 KW and it took a couple tries both times to even get it to work, but again, I would have been waiting for a tow truck without it, so I will take it over nothing. My entire trip average according to the trip meter was 1.2 miles/kwh. Actual calculation using total miles divided by the KWH as recorded by each charging station was 1.17 miles per kWh so that gauge was fairly accurate.
 

RickLightning

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2022
Threads
63
Messages
3,827
Reaction score
4,797
Location
SE MI
Vehicles
'22 Lighting ER Lariat,'22 Mach-E Premium 4X
I will say the EA chargers worked very well for me and saved me a hotel, twice in Salina Kansas, although 10 miles off my path both times and one in Grand Island, NE. In Grand Island, I was actually charging at 163KW for awhile at 2 degrees F. The charge point would only charge about 44 KW and it took a couple tries both times to even get it to work, but again, I would have been waiting for a tow truck without it, so I will take it over nothing. My entire trip average according to the trip meter was 1.2 miles/kwh. Actual calculation using total miles divided by the KWH as recorded by each charging station was 1.17 miles per kWh so that gauge was fairly accurate.
Yet as you can see, others are getting 1.6 in similar conditions, and you were lower in speed.
 

eRockBoon

Well-known member
First Name
Erik
Joined
Dec 21, 2022
Threads
6
Messages
199
Reaction score
214
Location
Kansas
Vehicles
F150 Lightning Pro (extended range)
I was able to conduct my first trip yesterday, a 560 mile round trip from Kansas to Nebraska. I wanted to get some experience with the cold weather before I had a critical need. I am glad I did. I left preconditioned and at 100% charge with 323 miles of range, theoretically enough to nearly make it to my destination. My range quickly dropped as expected. Navigation indicated a need for a 20 minute charge 100 miles up the road to get to destination. I made it 100 miles up the road and luckily there was a EA charger as I was at 15% battery. No big deal, I charged to 86%, about 30% over what the trip recommended to make it to my destination. Another 100 miles down the road and I was at 10% and the only charger along the road was a 50 kw charger (which I am grateful for otherwise I would have been stranded). A solid hour got me to 60% and we took off, again, about 30% over what the trip meter recommended. I costed into the EA charger near my destination with 4% battery remaining, with the last 40 miles with heat and accessories shut off and slowing down to 60 mph. Much much too close for me, especially when the temp is hovering around 0 F with a 20mph wind. The return trip calculated the range much closer, but was still about 20 miles off at each charge. A normal 8 hour round trip took us 14 hours with the three 150kw EA charges and the two stops at the 50KW charger along the way. Moral, error on the side of caution and make sure there is an option to charge at least every 100 miles in cold weather. I absolutely love the truck, but the cold weather range and the calculations the truck used were disappointing at best and almost a little dangerous at the temps we were driving in. 14 to 0 degrees F with a 15-20mph headwind going north driving between 60 and 70 mph. Average 1.1 Mile/kwh against wind and 1.3 on the return with wind. No load, no towing. Lariat ER. The other item to note is that the gas stations where the chargers were located all closed at 8PM, so a bathroom break, or warm place to sit or snack was not an option. Again, love the truck, but there is a great deal of additional planning needed for cold weather trips.

IMG_3803.jpeg
I could barely make my 140 mile round trip to MCI last night. 1.1 mi/kw is brutal on the cold windy Midwest days.
 

sotek2345

Well-known member
First Name
Tom
Joined
Jun 7, 2021
Threads
29
Messages
3,535
Reaction score
4,076
Location
Upstate NY
Vehicles
2022 Lightning Lariat ER, 2021 Mach-e GT
Occupation
Engineering Manager
That headwind is what was doing you in. The cold hurt, but even when you slowed down to 60, you were having to push through 80mph wind.
 

Maxx

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 15, 2021
Threads
32
Messages
1,536
Reaction score
1,715
Location
MD
Vehicles
23 Pro, Sky RL, Frontier, Aurora V8, Buicks, ....
That headwind is what was doing you in. The cold hurt, but even when you slowed down to 60, you were having to push through 80mph wind.
I had no idea how much of a difference it made. I just did a short trip with the 8 mph wind at 2.4 mi/KWh and against it at 1.6. Is the truck already looking at local weather and use wind as a part of it’s navigation calculation?

What do you EV veterans do to incorporate wind impact on your trip planning? Always assume the worse or actually look it up before you leave?
 

Sponsored

LightningShow

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 1, 2021
Threads
50
Messages
1,880
Reaction score
2,207
Location
MA
Vehicles
'22 Lariat ER
Occupation
Product Development
Dang, 1.1 is pretty brutal. I’ve never seen anything close to that even down into the teens. My normal trip up to the ski hill has been using ~70% of the battery for the 165 mile round trip. And i drive 75-80 on the highway portions (about 60% of the trip). 50-60 for the remainder on state highway.
 

LightningShow

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 1, 2021
Threads
50
Messages
1,880
Reaction score
2,207
Location
MA
Vehicles
'22 Lariat ER
Occupation
Product Development
A couple of points of data, living in SLC where it's cold but most days get above freezing.

Since purchasing the vehicle a month ago I have driven 1209 miles. According to the Fordpass charge logs I have added 1633 of charge. Being off by 26% seems very high if we are to depend on these vehicles.

Yesterday I took a 62 mile trip which ate half the battery (extended range). That gives me an effective range of just over 100 miles.

I completely understand a cold weather penalty but getting 1/3 of what we paid for?
I think part of the problem is assuming you paid for 320 miles. You didn’t. You paid for an “extended range battery”.

What conditions led to using 50% of your battery in 60 miles? That’s under 1 mi/kwh. That would indicate pretty extreme conditions.
 

ZSLC

Active member
First Name
Zach
Joined
Jan 30, 2023
Threads
1
Messages
27
Reaction score
18
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
Vehicles
F-150 Lariat Extended
I paid for a vehicle with 320 miles of range under "ideal" conditions. If that is not what is being sold then they should advertise a different metric.

In terms of the conditions it was about 20 F and there was elevation change (about 2000 ft.). Also heading up to ski :). I was not towing. I did not "precondition" but I did start it up while still on the charger about ten minutes before leaving and the battery indicated it was warmed up. Definitely snowy conditions. Again, I fully expect some degradation (25-30% seems reasonable).
 

Amps

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 21, 2022
Threads
4
Messages
1,280
Reaction score
1,401
Location
Mid-Atlantic
Vehicles
Bolt
I paid for a vehicle with 320 miles of range under "ideal" conditions. If that is not what is being sold then they should advertise a different metric.
You paid for a truck with a 131 kWh battery that tested to 320 miles range on the COMBINED city/hwy EPA range test. (These test results are to be used to compare similar vehicles, according to EPA) The Lariat ER's highway range on the EPA test is 283 miles.

Your results under the conditions were pretty bad, I agree. If you try preconditioning and navigating to each charger using the vehicle's navigation system in similar conditions, let us know the results.
 

Monkey

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 9, 2022
Threads
3
Messages
465
Reaction score
471
Location
Somewhere in the mountains
Vehicles
'23 Lightning, Tesla Model Y, and more...
Occupation
Semi-retired electrical/computer/software engineer
I managed some 1.1mi/kWh driving a with -5F temps and some reasonable wind. And I was trying to compensate, keeping speed lower.

On the flip side of things, I had to pick someone up at the airport today, a 55 mile round trip, most all highway and about 45 degrees with no wind. Nice day overall. Trip average was 2.6mi/kWh. So that was nice to see and a little better than EPA rated efficiency. I just like this truck more every day. It's only real weakness is the cold weather performance. That's something that affects all current EVs, but I think Ford could have done a bit better here for cold conditioning -- especially with the max tow option that separated the cabin loop from the battery. Our Model Y has the heat pump design, which works better in mild cold, but there's a point where it becomes too cold for the heat pump (somewhere around -5F +/- 2 degrees) and then it's worse.
Sponsored

 


 


Top