Is anyone getting more miles per charge? I had it for 3 years and it seems im getting more as it it gets older?

[Grumpy2]

A big factor to consider: you are heating a small area for a relatively short period of time.

I believe this is key, especially when you look at the complexity of the Ford heat pump system compared to the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater. There is a lot more to go wrong in the long run with the heat pump.

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[chl]

I believe this is key, especially when you look at the complexity of the Ford heat pump system compared to the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater. There is a lot more to go wrong in the long run with the heat pump.

True...but if made well, heat pump systems are not much trouble.

However, that could be a big 'if.'

My 2010 GE Hybrid was made in China and that was a problem - within a few months a weld failed, GE came under warranty and fixed, but then another part failed after the 1 year warranty was up - it was a Sears special deal with a nearly free 5 year warranty, so Sears just replaced it with a new GE - but that one was also made in China...of course then the second one failed within a year or so but needed a part that had to come from China, so several months waiting (compensated by GE/Sears for lost savings $)...but then once finally fixed in 2014, lasted until this year when the computer board went south and no replacement available, a hassle to be sure but saved lots of $$ on the electric bill.

This year I got a new one from Home Depot, a Rheem with a 10 year manufacturer warranty (1 year labor) and I added a 5 year labor warranty for about $80 through Allstate and HomeDepot.

It was pricier to be sure, just under 3 times as much because with installation, no free install etc. from Sears like the GE in 2010...but there was a $250 rebate from the electric company and there is still a tax credit to get when I file taxes (30% up to $2000 max).

The rebate and tax credit will make it just under 2 times as expensive as the 2010 GE, so the pay back time period will be longer because electricity cost per kWh has not doubled since 2012.

I am hoping the Rheem will not be as troublesome as the GE was. This Rheem water heater was apparently NOT made in China - made in the US and Mexico, so fingers crossed!

The hybrid is nice in the summer because it adds cool air to the house which I can move up the stairs from the basement to the rest of the house with a fan - in the winter it makes the basement just a bit cooler, but not too bad.

 

[RLXXI]

True...but if made well, heat pump systems are not much trouble.

However, that could be a big 'if.'

My 2010 GE Hybrid was made in China and that was a problem - within a few months a weld failed, GE came under warranty and fixed, but then another part failed after the 1 year warranty was up - it was a Sears special deal with a nearly free 5 year warranty, so Sears just replaced it with a new GE - but that one was also made in China...of course then the second one failed within a year or so but needed a part that had to come from China, so several months waiting (compensated by GE/Sears for lost savings $)...but then once finally fixed in 2014, lasted until this year when the computer board went south and no replacement available, a hassle to be sure but saved lots of $$ on the electric bill.

This year I got a new one from Home Depot, a Rheem with a 10 year manufacturer warranty (1 year labor) and I added a 5 year labor warranty for about $80 through Allstate and HomeDepot.

It was pricier to be sure, just under 3 times as much because with installation, no free install etc. from Sears like the GE in 2010...but there was a $250 rebate from the electric company and there is still a tax credit to get when I file taxes (30% up to $2000 max).

The rebate and tax credit will make it just under 2 times as expensive as the 2010 GE, so the pay back time period will be longer because electricity cost per kWh has not doubled since 2012.

I am hoping the Rheem will not be as troublesome as the GE was. This Rheem water heater was apparently NOT made in China - made in the US and Mexico, so fingers crossed!

The hybrid is nice in the summer because it adds cool air to the house which I can move up the stairs from the basement to the rest of the house with a fan - in the winter it makes the basement just a bit cooler, but not too bad.

Sounds like we have the same water heater.

 

[chl]

Sounds like we have the same water heater.

Yep, Proterra:

The code required the metal drip pan.
I already had a condensate pump for the old GE and the high-efficiency gas furnace which is where the white PVC drain goes.

BTW, that's a UV light on the return of the HVAC duct which does a pretty good job eliminating mold build up anywhere in the HVAC system (e.g., coils).

When I put in a whole house vacuum system (what fun that was) it did a lot to eliminate dust around the house - it all goes into a bag in the garage and some smaller stuff goes through a filter and mostly just air goes outside the house (a split level ranch built in 1969).

The fun part was working in the attic in summer!

Ran the FCSP flexible conduit through the attic as well - in summer.

Real sweat equity!

 

[chl]

I mentioned the mold and dust because that was what used to clog the tiny condensate drain on the GE Hybrid, basically a plastic nipple - and yes it broke off a couple times and I had to glue it back on - that was a real pain!

 

[Maxx]

This may be a fluke or unrelated but yesterday, I did the same drive that I have been doing for 3 years. The best I have gotten in the past was 3.6-3.8 mi/KWh. Yesterday, I got 4.4 mi/kwh. Even though the conditions and my driving was perfect but this is still unexpected.

 

[chl]

Back the original post subject...

Maybe they tweaked the guess-o-meter because I have noticed the range estimate on my 2023 Pro SR at 80% now says 214 miles.

98kWh x 80% = 78.4kWh; so 214mi/78.4kWh = 2.73 mi/kWh

In reality, I rarely see that many mile per kWh after a trip even on level ground under 35 mph.

 

[RLXXI]

They call it the Lie-O-Meter in ice circles. I put Zero faith in either of them being anything close to accurate for the most part.

 

[RLXXI]

Yep, Proterra:

The code required the metal drip pan.
I already had a condensate pump for the old GE and the high-efficiency gas furnace which is where the white PVC drain goes.

BTW, that's a UV light on the return of the HVAC duct which does a pretty good job eliminating mold build up anywhere in the HVAC system (e.g., coils).

When I put in a whole house vacuum system (what fun that was) it did a lot to eliminate dust around the house - it all goes into a bag in the garage and some smaller stuff goes through a filter and mostly just air goes outside the house (a split level ranch built in 1969).

The fun part was working in the attic in summer!

Ran the FCSP flexible conduit through the attic as well - in summer.

Real sweat equity!

No drip pan required here, it's in my attached garage that slopes slightly all the way to the driveway where it drops 3% to the street. I could have done a better job with the condensate drain but ehh, it's in the garage lol.

 

[WXman]

Where is @WEC ? This thread has derailed.

 

[RLXXI]

Just got back from a short road trip and my average went up from 2.0 mi/kWh to 2.2mi/kWh Go figure.

 

[chl]

No drip pan required here, it's in my attached garage that slopes slightly all the way to the driveway where it drops 3% to the street. I could have done a better job with the condensate drain but ehh, it's in the garage lol.

It's a new local code requirement I think they said, not sure how much good having the pan does when the drain plug on the side of the pan is not connected to any drain hose routed anywhere,

It's not like it would hold 50 gals of water and prevent it from flooding the basement utility room, which has a floor drain a few feet away anyway...

And anyway, this model has a leak guard to shut off the water in the event of a leak..but it is a building code regulation so, go figure.

The requirement for a drip pan will depend on where in the house the water heater is located. If it is inside the living space of the house or in a non-living space, such as the garage, but at the same floor level as the living space, a drip pan is required.

Gotta keep potential inspectors happy...

 

[Zprime29]

I'm at 48k, no noticeable change in efficiency. I got 2.4 the past 3 months vs 2.7 over the winter and spring. Still using the same amount of energy to commute as I did day one. I'm cool with that.

 

[Lightning Rod]

I charged my 23 Lariat to 100 percent to go on a 200 mile round trip yesterday. I checked and it was at 341 miles and it's at 99 percent and still charging. I don't remember this ever happening back in 2023. I think my charging is getting better also.

 

[RickLightning]

I would not use the guess-o-meter as a basis for an efficiency increase.
Between parts getting to know each other and software updates, I have seen a marginal increase in my typical mi/kwh as I come up to 50k miles.

As for heat pump vs resistive heating, there are trade-offs. For example, the AC in the resistive heating trucks appears to be a little more efficient than the cooling in the heat pump trucks. While the resistive heater is less efficient than the heat pump, there's no night and day difference here. My brother has a heat pump in his Flash. My 23 Lariat has the resistive heater.

Steering wheel and heated seats are all resistive heating regardless of what you're using for cabin heat. Incidentally, using them is more efficient than trying to warm all of the air in your cabin. In the dead of winter, I set the interior temp to the 60s -- folks are in their hoodies and sweaters anyway. If you're balking at my miserly low cabin temp, the Lightning still gets much warmer than any ICE vehicle on a short ride when I am up in Maine.

Cold weather performance has much more to do with keeping the pack warm vs the cabin warm. If you leave the truck plugged in on those cold nights, you'll see much better efficiency as the truck isn't trying to warm the pack up when you venture out.

Would be great if in the dead of winter, you and your brother could do a matched drive, and see the difference, if any, in efficiency.

All of those are negligible, at about 20-50 watts each, compared to something like 5 kW for the resistive heater for the cabin.

Using those over heating the whole cabin will provide a little more range on the current charge if you really need it to get to your destination and avoid a charging stop.

That said, I find the Lightning's range with or without the heating on has a much less effect on range than in my FFE. The range loss in distance is about similar for both, but in percentage, it's just over double the effect in the FFE.

The Lightning heater pulls 10kW at times.

My Ford Fusion Energi showed a range of 21 electric miles in summer, 13 in winter. It was awful in winter, because the gas engine turned on to warm up and provide heat, negating the electric value...

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