Thought on our frigid 1,300 mile trip

[CavRider]

I found that driving slower makes a bigger difference in cold weather. It is hard [for me] to do but 65 is much more efficient than 75 so I try to avoid the Interstate highways when range matter.

That makes total sense since cold air is more dense. More drag and more lift to an airfoil as well.

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[Nikos]

Yes I have used it and will re-subscribe to premium before the trip. I sync it to my OBDII adapter. I don't find ABRP particularly useful for our trip planning but it might be very useful on this trip calculating the temps, winds and elevation changes. Not sure if the Lightning NAV takes any of that into account at this point. I'll teach my wife/co-pilot how to use it.

I also know how to do the calculations based upon the efficiency reading from the truck.

I realize most of our legs are super short but being overly cautious not to get stranded in the middle of nowhere with little to no backup chargers.

The Lightning’s NAV knows of the elevation changes according to the route you input into it. Also compensates for outside temp and while you driving on your route it will reassess your range even for headwinds. You have done your homework, now input your trip into your truck’s navigation system and you will see what the truck’s nav system is suggesting. It can be confusing and overwhelming. The truck’s nav system is trying to help by sending you in many directions. Stick to your plan.
You need to do the planning yourself and override the truck’s suggestions some times. If you have overcome your range anxiety fears then your plan and the truck’s nav system should do just fine. Manage your speed which is one factor many of us tend to brake but according to your plan, you have charging stations every 90 miles.
You will find the rhythm that works for you. If your wife is part of your plan, assure her that is going to work, and it will. Good luck and check back with us on your return. We all like to hear.
Also, the is a member of the Mach E forum who pulled a small teardrop camper in the snow and cold winter across the country with his Mach E.
Enjoy the experience.

 

[CavRider]

Thanks. I have a 60kw backup charger available on the first leg if needed. I've done the KC to Council Bluffs trip a handful of times and have never needed the backup charger.

The first time we made this trip was across I-90 (in the summer) it was a nightmare. Things have improved tremendously since then. We are actually a little excited about going across I-94. Neither of us have ever seen that area of the Country.

The front half of ND (Fargo-Bismark) is flaaaaaaaat. Just like the sister to the south. Gets more interesting after Mandan though. You'll be climbing all the way. Fargo: 902'. Medora: 2,267'

 

[Hammick]

The Lightning’s NAV knows of the elevation changes according to the route you input into it. Also compensates for outside temp and while you driving on your route it will reassess your range even for headwinds. You have done your homework, now input your trip into your truck’s navigation system and you will see what the truck’s nav system is suggesting. It can be confusing and overwhelming. The truck’s nav system is trying to help by sending you in many directions. Stick to your plan.
You need to do the planning yourself and override the truck’s suggestions some times. If you have overcome your range anxiety fears then your plan and the truck’s nav system should do just fine. Manage your speed which is one factor many of us tend to brake but according to your plan, you have charging stations every 90 miles.
You will find the rhythm that works for you. If your wife is part of your plan, assure her that is going to work, and it will. Good luck and check back with us on your return. We all like to hear.
Also, the is a member of the Mach E forum who pulled a small teardrop camper in the snow and cold winter across the country with his Mach E.
Enjoy the experience.

Thank you. We have about 20k miles of interstate experience with our Lightning. Most of that going across I-90 from Sioux Falls to Billings or I-70 to I-25 and up. Taking the I-94 route this trip because of the Superchargers. All the Superchargers on I-90 in SD and WY are V2 (UPDATE: looks like Gillette, WY has a V3 SC now).

I pulled a NuCamp AVIA RV (28' - 6k lbs) from Louisville to KC last summer. I'm guessing this trip across ND will be a cakewalk in comparison.

 

[F150Flash]

I’ve used ABRP. There are some things about it that bother my use cases.

1. There seems to be no way to totally start over with the actual, current location. Sometimes mid-trip, I just want to start-over from my present location. But ABRP is attached to my location the first time I planned that day (it does seem to reset “My Location” each morning).

2. Waypoints cannot be placed between starting location and destination. So if I want to make a little side venture, or navigate to lodging I have to scrap the Planned Route and start over… from My Location at the start of the driving day which is not my current location. And all charging stops are based on that starting location and based on ABRP charging level targets along the way.

I just completed a 4000 mile trip from Arizona to Iowa to Texas to Arizona. I preplanned the trip using ABRP and at each stop used reset and deleted the current stop. Then the route began from there. It worked fairly well, but I didn't use ABRP for leg to leg, I used primairly Google Maps using the address of the next charge stop.

Interestingly, I wanted to use the Ford Navigation to go from charge point to charge point, but i wanted to enter the next charge point while at the current charger. When I tried to open Navigation without starting the vehicle (it was still charging) the only way I could get it to open the accessories was to enter my backup code. No rhyme or reason why?

 

[MTcowpoke]

Thursday, Nov 21 I drove to Billings, 90 miles from the northwest and returned in the afternoon. Morning temp was 15 and afternoon was 40. I set the cruise at 68, heater on 68 degrees knowing I would take on some charge in Billings. There was also some west wind returning and increasing elevation of course. My mi/kWh was 1.7 both ways. In summer the same trip I average 2.0-2.2 mi/kWh. I think the wind and dense air are the biggest culprit, not elevation change. Just slowing down 5 mph helps a lot. Just thought it might be some usable info for your trip.

 

[Hammick]

Hey guys. OP here. Looks like the weather has really changed for the worse. Highs at 7 degrees and lows of -9. Does the Lariat ER really lose 50% range in these conditions or is it more like 30%. We will postpone our trip if we have to charge to 95 or 100% at each stop. Charger distances for the most frigid travel listed below. Thanks.


EV Connect Watertown to SC Sisseton, SD: 58 miles

SC Sisseton to SC Fargo: 89 miles

SC Fargo to SC Jamestown: 90 miles

SC Jamestown to SC Bismark: 102 miles (truck on overnight on L2 charger)

SC Bismark to SC Dickinson, SD: 97 miles

SC Dickinson to SC Glendive,MT: 96 miles

SC Glendive to SC Miles City: 77 miles

SC Miles City to SC Billings, MT 139 miles

 

[TaxmanHog]

Hey guys. OP here. Looks like the weather has really changed for the worse. Highs at 7 degrees and lows of -9. Does the Lariat ER really lose 50% range in these conditions or is it more like 30%. We will postpone our trip if we have to charge to 95 or 100% at each stop. Charger distances for the most frigid travel listed below. Thanks.


EV Connect Watertown to SC Sisseton, SD: 58 miles

SC Sisseton to SC Fargo: 89 miles

SC Fargo to SC Jamestown: 90 miles

SC Jamestown to SC Bismark: 102 miles (truck on overnight on L2 charger)

SC Bismark to SC Dickinson, SD: 97 miles

SC Dickinson to SC Glendive,MT: 96 miles

SC Glendive to SC Miles City: 77 miles

SC Miles City to SC Billings, MT 139 miles

20-30 % depreciation in range is the norm but, I've never experienced the lows you're anticipating, interested to see what the folks further north have witnessed.

 

[NoRegretFORD]

Heated weather gear, jacket, socks etc. Bundle up, lower heat consumption.

 

[luebri]

Hey guys. OP here. Looks like the weather has really changed for the worse. Highs at 7 degrees and lows of -9. Does the Lariat ER really lose 50% range in these conditions or is it more like 30%. We will postpone our trip if we have to charge to 95 or 100% at each stop. Charger distances for the most frigid travel listed below. Thanks.


EV Connect Watertown to SC Sisseton, SD: 58 miles

SC Sisseton to SC Fargo: 89 miles

SC Fargo to SC Jamestown: 90 miles

SC Jamestown to SC Bismark: 102 miles (truck on overnight on L2 charger)

SC Bismark to SC Dickinson, SD: 97 miles

SC Dickinson to SC Glendive,MT: 96 miles

SC Glendive to SC Miles City: 77 miles

SC Miles City to SC Billings, MT 139 miles

Depends on speed. I have shared this (see attached) elsewhere on this forum, but I believe has been helpful for some. From my experience 32k miles and 2 winters here are my estimates on speed / temp and how it affects range. The answer to your question is yes, there are situations where 50% range loss can happen. As others have stated throttling speed is your best way to increase efficiency/range.

I do not do a lot of long road trips but my biggest concern would be for your trip is what happens if one of the critical chargers happens to be down? What is your plan B option? Admittedly since you are mostly using Superchargers this should be less of a concern then if relying more on Electrify America or other charge providers.

 

[tubby]

Having owned an ER in Iowa for 22 months, this shows you will be charging more than driving...? If it were me, I would take the ICE so you don't need to worry about the ice temps as much. You get wind and your 1.7 will drop to 1.2.

 

[MTcowpoke]

Last winter I posted some pics of my display on a -21 morning. At normal outside temps my display most mornings will say 195 to 200 miles of range at 90% SOC on an SR battery. That morning it guessed about 145 miles of range. I would think none of your distances are beyond the ER's capability but you'll have to be the judge of that. Here is the pics and discussion on extreme cold weather. https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/20f-to-30f-performance-and-experience.18000/

 

[Hammick]

Heated weather gear, jacket, socks etc. Bundle up, lower heat consumption.

Yeah we both have battery operated heated jackets and wife has hand warmers.

 

[husky10101]

Headed to our place in Montana for Xmas. Looking to hear from Northern Lightning ER owners.

Scheduled to leave the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it's looking nasty cold. Going to head to Fargo and across I-94 for the first time since there is a good selection of V3 superchargers. Route is posted below. Will be leaving Kansas City super early and the longest leg is to Council Bluffs, IA. Truck will be at 100% and in garage overnight with a departure time.

We have some cold weather experience from last year up I-25 into Wyoming but nothing like the temps we will see on this trip. We will be staying in Bismark, ND and the low is forecast for 4 degrees. No destination charger so the battery will be cold soaked the next morning. Will be headed to the SC in Bismark early.

Do any of our trip legs look concerning with driving temps possibly below 10 degrees and almost certainly fighting a headwind? If anyone knows of a hotel or motel in Bismark with a destination charger please let me know. Plugshare shows nothing.

Thanks in advance for any advice.





Home to EA Council Bluffs: 200 miles

EA Council Bluffs to EA Sioux City: 104 miles

EA Sioux City to EA Sioux Falls: 85 miles

EA Sioux Falls to EV Connect Watertown, SD: 97 miles

EV Connect Watertown to SC Sisseton, SD: 58 miles

SC Sisseton to SC Fargo: 89 miles

SC Fargo to SC Jamestown: 90 miles

SC Jamestown to SC Bismark: 102 miles

SC Bismark to SC Dickinson, SD: 97 miles (time zone change)

SC Dickinson to SC Glendive,MT: 96 miles

SC Glendive to SC Miles City, MT: 77 miles

SC Miles City to SC Billings, MT 139 miles

SC Billings to Barn: 76 miles

1,310 miles (133 additional miles vs I-90 route)

I drove from Fargo to Deer Park, N of Spokane and it was -41 in Fargo when I left and did just fine. I did have all the chargers planned out ahead of time and even printed them out on paper their address and etc because there are a lot of places on your route with no cell coverage, and I am glad I did this. I also printed out alternative charges and also glad I did because a few Electrify America charger banks were down, so have to go to another charger.

 

[Hammick]

I drove from Fargo to Deer Park, N of Spokane and it was -41 in Fargo when I left and did just fine. I did have all the chargers planned out ahead of time and even printed them out on paper their address and etc because there are a lot of places on your route with no cell coverage, and I am glad I did this. I also printed out alternative charges and also glad I did because a few Electrify America charger banks were down, so have to go to another charger.

So you were able to make that trip without supercharger access starting out at -41? If so, my trip should be a breeze.

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