New to EV. Trying to decide between SR and ER to keep 200k+ miles with 100 mile daily commute.

[salimbarut]

Hello all,
I have a 23 SR XLT and I live in IL. We wear shorts&tshirts in 60F here

My daily commute is 60miles total per day, no highways, 45-55 mph city driving. I usually don't charge at home, only charging at work.

I park in the garage overnight at home, so the battery is not frozen in the mornings in winter. However, my garage is usually about 40F when it's freezing outside, which means the battery is pretty cold when I start driving.
I attached a picture of my truck; the lowest I saw was 1.3kWh/mile with this setup, with a cold battery.
Considering you have a ˜100kWh battery in an SR, which gives you ˜130miles.
This becomes easily 1.8/kWh if it's plugged, and the battery is heated before I leave.

I love how my truck looks, so I am aware of the sacrifices I'm making to have it. The range anxiety is a thing, but it really depends on your needs. I learned not to be stressed

We are also doing ˜250 miles daily road trips to enjoy the beaches on the eastern part of Lake Michigan. I never had an issue since I have the adapter for the Tesla Superchargers.

If I had the chance to swap it to ER, would I do it? Hell yes, but if I won't pay for the difference I don't want to spend that much money on something I don't need to feel better. SR it is.

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[Bigisland Guy]

My 2 cents, having had both an SR and an ER. My biggest concern with battery usage is elevation gain added with winter cold. We live at an elevation of 6,000 feet and drive down to the coast or the desert often. This situation is not favorable for the SR, depending on the season. Just another factor to consider if you are not a flatlander.

 

[chris.bryan]

Like you I was considering the standard range vs. extended range.
Well, I bought the Lariat (ER-320mile range)new in September of last year, I have a 70 mile commute (mostly highway at 70+). During the winter here in WV, my range dropped to 260 mile range, I changed it every night to 90% because I didn’t want anxiety about running low on the battery.
Glad I spent the extra for the extended range, by the sounds of your commute you will definitely need the ER.
The SR I believe is 240 miles?? That’s optimal efficiency. You may lose 20% range in the winter, in WV I lose closer to 30% range. Florida doesn’t get as cold so you may not lose as much.
Another point:
Keep in mind about the EV’s efficiency, they do great at 45mph or less, they do not like 70+mph. At that speed I get 2.1miles per KW(summer) and 1.5miles per KW (winter)…
The faster you travel the less efficiency you will get.
Given your commute from my experience, I would not recommend the SR….
Having said all that, I absolutely love my truck and given the opportunity I would make the same decision I did.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.

 

[Howard S]

I have the PRO with all options except the large battery. It's now 3 years old This was the first Lightning sold in NM. Only problem in 24 K miles, is the rear half shaft replacement for a leak. It's quiet as a Mercedes S class and rides like an old Cadillac. Very little degradation to the battery. Charges up to 230 miles every time and average about 2.3 mi/kWh. If you only drive 100 miles a day, my suggestion is charge to 80% every night and when you arrive home after your 100 mile drive you should have about a 30% soc of about 60 miles conservatively when you arrive home. That is using a high of 2.0 mi/kWh. SR Battery capacity is 98 kWh and a rule of thumb is 1% battery is 2 miles of range.

 

[hturnerfamily]

just came home from a 240 mile, 2.5kwh average, travel day... with 6% remaining... PRO SR

didn't need to stop... perfect weather....no wind.... some 60mph highways, some 55, some city... a little Climate...

 

[pullinggs]

Interesting thread. My subjective summary after four pages: "People with ER think you should get an ER, while SR people think SR is plenty." Sounds like there might be some built-in bias here. And I agree with all of them, as I have one of each.

You face neither extreme winter temperatures nor elevation changes. The SR absolutely will get the job done. The ER will allow meaningfully more flexibility with less (maybe not truly valid) range anxiety. So maybe look at other things like color or ProPower or tow package as the more impactful options to influence your choice?

You are going to LOVE your new truck, either way.

 

[WaterboyNorCal]

Most likely due to the trim level, being the Pro it was meant for job sites thus having the 240v and SR battery where other trims like XLT, Flash, Lariat, Platinum are geared towards the general public.

Or I was lied to, lol.

Yeah, if you were told that by a salesperson/dealer, you were straight-up lied to. I have a 2023 XLT SR with ProPower - not only is it available, but it is a very common option. No matter at this point - you have the ER truck and can drive a little faster on the highway for the same range as my SR.

 

[RLXXI]

Yeah, if you were told that by a salesperson/dealer, you were straight-up lied to. I have a 2023 XLT SR with ProPower - not only is it available, but it is a very common option. No matter at this point - you have the ER truck and can drive a little faster on the highway for the same range as my SR.

It was someone in this forum.

 

[PreservedSwine]

It was someone in this forum.

One other thing that has been touched on numerous times, but no one has said it out right, if you plan on keeping this as long as it sounds like you do, you want to keep your battery between 80% and 20%.
So even though you have a "240 mile range'" realistically, you're only dipping into 60% of that.
Don't think of it like a gas automobile will you refill the tank to 100% when you fill up. You never fill it all the way up and you never run it empty, if you're trying to keep the battery degradation to a minimum.
You're really only at about 145 mile range with the standard range. You could go more, you could go less, depending on conditions. This is something I overlooked and didn't put enough emphasis when making my decision. That, and the cost was over 20 grand more to get an extended range battery when these things first came out.
I'm able to make it work, but this truck stays in the driveway on road trips.
Apologies in advanced for any syntax or spelling errors, this was done voice to text

 

[WaterboyNorCal]

One other thing that has been touched on numerous times, but no one has said it out right, if you plan on keeping this as long as it sounds like you do, do you want to keep your battery between 80% and 20%.
So even though you have a "240 mile range'" realistically, you're only dipping into 60% of that.
Don't think of it like a gas automobile will you refill the tank to 100% when you fill up. You never fill it all the way up and you never run it empty, if you're trying to keep the battery degradation to a minimum.
You're really only at about 145 mile range with the standard range. You could go more, you could go less, depending on conditions. This is something I overlooked and didn't put enough emphasis when making my decision. That, and the cost was over 20 grand more to get an extended range battery when these things first came out.
I'm able to make it work, but this truck stays in the driveway on road trips.
Apologies in advanced for any syntax or spelling errors, this was done voice to text

Look- I plan on keeping my truck for 250k miles or more, but I think it’s a little overly conservative to put it this way. For HIGHWAY road trips, yes, you are realistically looking at 10% - 80% (it’s totally and completely acceptable to go below 20% SOC, especially when it’s occasional), which on an SR is ~145 miles at 70mph, assuming not driving uphill, into a headwind or below 50 degrees F. I have gotten 190 miles of range (95% to 5%) in 30-40 degree temperatures, driving into the mountains (and then back down) but my average speed was closer to 50mph due to snowy road conditions at elevation and traffic.

Everyday range (charging to 90% at home, which is really closer to 82% actual SOC due to the relatively large top buffer) assuming a mix of in-town and highway driving is more like 2.5 miles/kWh, which would give you about 175 miles. I often average over 2.8 miles/kWh in mixed summer driving, which is more like 200 miles (90-20%).

…just saying (and agreeing with you) that “it depends”. Not everyone is driving at highway speeds most of the time (though obviously some are), and ambient temperatures/wind can make a HUGE difference.

 

[RLXXI]

One other thing that has been touched on numerous times, but no one has said it out right, if you plan on keeping this as long as it sounds like you do, you want to keep your battery between 80% and 20%.
So even though you have a "240 mile range'" realistically, you're only dipping into 60% of that.
Don't think of it like a gas automobile will you refill the tank to 100% when you fill up. You never fill it all the way up and you never run it empty, if you're trying to keep the battery degradation to a minimum.
You're really only at about 145 mile range with the standard range. You could go more, you could go less, depending on conditions. This is something I overlooked and didn't put enough emphasis when making my decision. That, and the cost was over 20 grand more to get an extended range battery when these things first came out.
I'm able to make it work, but this truck stays in the driveway on road trips.
Apologies in advanced for any syntax or spelling errors, this was done voice to text

You're definitely barking up the wrong tree with me, my commute is 4 miles round trip. I feed my truck with solar when able. Suburban cruiser.

 

[hturnerfamily]

Most likely due to the trim level, being the Pro it was meant for job sites thus having the 240v and SR battery where other trims like XLT, Flash, Lariat, Platinum are geared towards the general public.

Or I was lied to, lol.

my original Aug 2022 '22 model PRO SR, I ordered on May 2022, has the optional 9.6kwh ProPower, Max towing package, and the TowingTECHnology option.... you could order any of these 'back in the day'.... but, with later model years, the options list may have changed...

 

[flyct]

You're definitely barking up the wrong tree with me, my commute is 4 miles round trip. I feed my truck with solar when able. Suburban cruiser.

Heck even at my age of almost 80 years old I would walk that distance instead of driving.

 

[RLXXI]

Heck even at my age of almost 80 years old I would walk that distance instead of driving.

You don't suffer with my ailments apparently.

 

[wescravinshocker]

Hi new to everything. New to forums, looking to be new to EV’s. Currently have a 2025 Ram1500 bighorn hurricane. Came from a 2016 ram1500 eco diesel that got 202k miles in 8 years.
I am considering 2024 or 2023 XLT SR or Lariat ER. I drive 100 miles a day for work mostly highway. 50 miles at 70 mph, 40 miles at 60 mph and then 10 miles of 35-40 mph. I plan on keeping the truck for 10 years hopefully and usually put 22k-25k miles on it a year. I prefer the non large screen of the XLT over the massive vertical one but also want rear sliding window so that leaves me with the large screen lariat from my research.
My internal debate with the SR vs ER is battery degradation over the 10 years but also some what range anxiety being new to EV. SR look to be $10K -$12k cheaper but really with going from my current Ram ( 22mpg) i will make that price back in a couple years. I also live in south florida and FPL has 30 month unlimited charging off peak so electric is almost free. Has anyone had experience with the fpl program. Has anyone gotten the ER and said man I wish I just got the SR?
Im looking at a couple different options but for the most part 2023-2024 Lariat ER gold certifed 10-15k miles there around $56-$58k is that about right? Is one year better or more sought after than the other? They also show as commercial vehicle use on carfax from Michigan any concerns with that?
Thank you for any help
Sean

I wish I could have bought an XLT ER or Flash ER, but the price was awesome on a 2023 XLT SR, I bought a 63k truck for 53k, so I settled for the smaller screen, and SR, but the payment was just not good enough on an XLT ER. I just have to charge more often on longer trips, so I would recommend the ER if you can afford it.

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