Been getting 21 miles, dropped to 17.

[MC2]

I have been getting a consistent 21-23 miles per full charge since I got my car 3 weeks ago.  I have always used the level 1 charger.  Yesterday, we went to Disneyland and used their 240V charger and only got 17 miles.  Got home and charged the car again overnight using the level 1 charger.  This morning, it showed 17 miles again.  I know that the mileage depends on driving style, but I find it odd that it would start showing 17 miles after using a level 2 charger.  Anyone notice this happen to your car?

[murphy]

Did you do any high speed driving in EV mode?  That runs the battery down in a hurry and will reduce future range estimates.

[jeff_h]

I've found that the most recent driving activity is the primary basis for the number that shows when the HVB is full. 

 

For example, my wife's car normally shows 17-19 miles when the car is fully charged, however if I drive it for a couple full charge cycles on the weekend it will be back up to 23-25 (which is where mine stays until she gets behind the wheel for a charge cycle or two, then mine takes a hit down to 18-19).

[MC2]

Did you do any high speed driving in EV mode?  That runs the battery down in a hurry and will reduce future range estimates.

 

I normally switch to EV Later on the highway, then go back to Auto when I hit the streets.  Nothing special about this trip to Disneyland, which is why I expected to have 21 miles when we left the parking lot.  I thought maybe it had to do with their charger.  I'll have to see the next few cycles to see if I get better mileage on a full charge.  I suppose it is possible that the batteries are not charging to its full capacity?

[Russael]

I normally switch to EV Later on the highway, then go back to Auto when I hit the streets.  Nothing special about this trip to Disneyland, which is why I expected to have 21 miles when we left the parking lot.  I thought maybe it had to do with their charger.  I'll have to see the next few cycles to see if I get better mileage on a full charge.  I suppose it is possible that the batteries are not charging to its full capacity?

 

Actually, I believe the EV mode you're in doesn't impact the estimated range - it's your style of commute.  Considering you were most likely on the freeway for a vast majority of the trip, the car now thinks that is your new commute and is giving you an electric-only estimate based on that trip.  Once you're back to your normal routine, it should return back to your 21 mile estimate.

 

So long as your battery level indicator shows that it's full, it is fully charged.

[MC2]

Actually, I believe the EV mode you're in doesn't impact the estimated range - it's your style of commute.  Considering you were most likely on the freeway for a vast majority of the trip, the car now thinks that is your new commute and is giving you an electric-only estimate based on that trip.  Once you're back to your normal routine, it should return back to your 21 mile estimate.

 

So long as your battery level indicator shows that it's full, it is fully charged.

 

The route we took to Disneyland is the exact route I take to work, with the exception that my work is about 10 miles shorter.  I'll have to see the next few cycles if the range goes back to 21.

[meyersnole]

MC2, I think you will find that the number will vary unless you have a consistent drive. As Russael mentions, the range on the display is just a guess based off recent history. It will also adjust based on your current usage.

 

I had an estimate of 43 once after a trip. Last Fall I drove home from Pittsburgh only charging the battery naturally through regeneration from the mountains.  Needless to say, I did not get 43 miles range from that charge.

 

 

Edited March 25, 2014 at 04:08 AM by meyersnole

[Mike Antonoff]

I had a question about this maybe you guys can help. I am noticing through the MyFordMobile app that when its done charging it will say 19mi available, which is fine I understand that depends on many factors. But if I then check again maybe 2 hours later, while it is still plugged in and the car hasn't moved, it has dropped to like 16, and this morning it was at 13. 

 

Now I did just set a GO Time for the morning when charging at home, but this morning the car did not seem to be at the set temperature anyway. When i first opened the MyFordMobile app it said fully charged and 19mi from 2 hours earlier, i updated it and it then it still said fully charged and the mileage changed to 13. Temp outside last night/this morning was probably in the 30s but nothing crazy. Any thoughts? 

 

I'm going to double check the charge % as opposed to the mileage estimate to make sure i'm not losing charge while its still plugged in.

[murphy]

The MyFordMobile  estimate does not include using battery power for heat or A/C.  If the heat is on the estimate in the car will be lower.  When it is in the 20s (F) my estimate gets cut in half.

[Gigi]

Mike,

If you are charging and using a GO time on 120V, I believe you will use more energy than what the charging unit can provide.  That would also explain why the cabin temp was not what you had dialed in.  If you are charging on 120V, installing a 240V EVSE should solve the problem.

If you are using a 240V EVSE, I'm not so sure.  Check and see what the range estimate is when you turn the heater off.

[Mike Antonoff]

Thanks, I am using 120 so understand I'll have some power loss. I guess my problem is that after/during the GO time my car does not go back to charging.

 

So i'm leaving work soon and have my GO time at 5pm. I opened MyFordMobile.com and it says as of 2 hours ago I am fully charged and have 18 miles. I hit the update button to bring it current, and it says I have 14 miles, fully charged. I look at my car, and I have no rings glowing outside on the charging port, so it appears it is NOT charging.

 

Why if it uses juice for GO time does it not continue at least TRYING to charge to regain some of the lost juice, instead of telling me it is fully charged still? 

 

I'm going to test with no GO time tomorrow to see if it just has to do with that, or if for some reason by battery is draining after charging and not maintaining that charge.

[Gigi]

I'm interested to hear what you discover.

[Mike Antonoff]

Well last night on my actual drive home, i got like 24 miles out of EV which was amazing. Made sure to switch it on and off during traffic and non-traffic portions of the trip.

 

Now i'm afraid to adjust the GO time, because I may see more miles just based on the fact that I got more miles out of EV yesterday. I think im just going to check the battery % once I get in the car and start with that this afternoon.

[Russael]

I adjust my go times all the time. :)  If I know I need to depart on a certain day at a certain time, I just go ahead and set one and then delete it once it passes.  I'll most likely be wiping all of my go times out and re-doing them for next week since my work destination has changed so the time I need to drag myself out of bed and depart will change slightly.

 

Once warm weather comes along for summertime, I'll probably remove all of the go times.  I don't mind warm or hot, but cold is another story (especially when it dips under 20F).

[Gigi]

Any plans to install a 240V EVSE, Mike?

[Mike Antonoff]

Gigi, no plans as of now. I was actually going to home make my own, but hit a few snags with the circuitry. But its just too pricey for my blood. I'm currently still transporting the 120V one I got back and forth to work. I built a little holder for it out of a rubbermaid container with holes in the sides so I can leave it outside charging even if its raining.

 

As for my GO times, it seems it has been having little to no effect on my car being ready to go. My battery has been at 99-100% when i'm ready to leave so not sure how its working, but I wont complain. I've also learned the time it says on the estimated mileage is usually way short for me. I've been getting usually about 23-25 miles out of my battery eventhough the display will show no more than 20 and sometimes as low as 14. 

 

So i've learned to not give a crap about what it displays, and just check it at the end to see how well I really did.