Miles available after charge (winter)

[David Dobson]

What kind of miles are you getting after a full charge?  Especially during the winter?  I am getting 9 (and that's what the dash says...I may not even be getting that high).  That is pathetic.  Has anyone noticed a change with the cold weather?  I just had the car (2014 Fusion Energi) at Ford for 4 days.  They dont know what the hell they are doing.  Just excuses.  I bought the car because I wanted to use less gas, but I dont know if it's worth plugging it in.

[murphy]

If it is very cold out the heater can cut the miles in half.  It draws 5 kW when fully on.  Do you have a 240 volt charger?  If you do set up a GO time so the cabin is warm before you start your trip.  This preheats the cabin from wall power instead of draining the battery. 

 

Another way is to start out in EV Later mode which preserves the battery charge and heats the cabin using heat from the engine.  Once the cabin is warm then switch to EV Now mode.

 

Also the battery efficiency drops in cold weather.  A heated garage would help that but not many people have a heated garage, I certainly don't.

 

The battery miles number is an estimate based on how the car has been driven in addition to the environmental conditions.  If you have been heavy on the accelerator pedal when starting out, that will drop the estimate.

 

I do most of my driving in EV mode.  I used a total of 27 gallons of gasoline in 2014.

[larryh]

In the summer, the usable energy from the HVB is around 5.7 kWh before the ICE turns on (maybe up to 6.0 kWh of you are careful).  For my commute to work in the summer, the car consumes about 0.23 kWh of energy per mile for a range of 5.7/0.23 = 25 miles. 

 

In the winter time, the chemical reactions in the HVB slow down.  The HVB cannot supply as much energy.  When it is around 0 F, the usable energy from the HVB drops to around 5.0 kWh. 

 

If I used the heater for my commute at around 0 F, the electric heating element would draw approximately 2.2 kWh of energy from the HVB.  Thus the usable energy from the HVB to propel the car drops to around 2.8 kWh. 

 

Finally, friction and aerodynamic drag increase by 40% when it is 0 F vs 70 F.  It takes a lot more energy to propel the car in the winter.  At 0 F, it now takes 0.32 kWh of energy per mile.  Thus the total range of the car is now 2.8/0.32 = 9 miles.

 

In summary, you lose the following amounts of range to these various factors in winter at 0 F:

 

HVB capacity falls with temperature:  3 miles

Increased friction/aerodynamic drag:  3.5 miles

Heater consumes energy from HVB: 9.5 miles

 

The heater is the largest source of loss of range.  Use it sparingly.

Edited February 13, 2015 at 01:02 PM by larryh

[EnergiCCAATS]

Had my FFE for 3.5 weeks.  Typically have about 25 miles range after charging in garage when NOT using the heater (preheating before I leave and using only seat heaters).  Temps have been in 20s at night and 40s-50s during the day.  When I use the heater, I lose about 6-8 miles of range.  Wife's 2014 has been similar.

[Hybridbear]

In the summer, the usable energy from the HVB is around 5.7 kWh before the ICE turns on (maybe up to 6.0 kWh of you are careful).  For my commute to work in the summer, the car consumes about 0.23 kWh of energy per mile for a range of 5.7/0.23 = 25 miles. 

 

In the winter time, the chemical reactions in the HVB slow down.  The HVB cannot supply as much energy.  When it is around 0 F, the usable energy from the HVB drops to around 5.0 kWh. 

 

If I used the heater for my commute at around 0 F, the electric heating element would draw approximately 2.2 kWh of energy from the HVB.  Thus the usable energy from the HVB to propel the car drops to around 2.8 kWh. 

 

Finally, friction and aerodynamic drag increase by 40% when it is 0 F vs 70 F.  It takes a lot more energy to propel the car in the winter.  At 0 F, it now takes 0.32 kWh of energy per mile.  Thus the total range of the car is now 2.8/0.32 = 9 miles.

 

In summary, you lose the following amounts of range to these various factors in winter at 0 F:

 

HVB capacity falls with temperature:  3 miles

Increased friction/aerodynamic drag:  3.5 miles

Heater consumes energy from HVB: 9.5 miles

 

The heater is the largest source of loss of range.  Use it sparingly.

One of the moderators should click the "mark solved" button for this post so that it will show up at the top of this thread. This is fantastic data and should be saved for reference for the common posts about reduced winter range.

[rbort]

I am seeing a little better performance with my Cmax...was out and about today, trip stats for those that might be interested:

 

Charged this morning from 85% to 100.

Left the house 4F, got to Wellesley, 6F.  19.5 miles trip, no heat brilliant sunshine, 3 miles range left in battery, 140 MPGe.

Walked to Needham and back to run errands, back to the car, it was at 99%.

Travel to Cambridge, 10.7 miles trip, 141 MPGe.  11 miles range left in the battery.

Lunch, travel to Medford, battery at 94%.  6.1 miles, 133 MPGe, stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, 45 minutes trip.

Medford back to Cambridge, don't remember battery %, just less than 1/2, 5.9 miles 133 MPGe, same traffic bumper to bumper.

Dinner in Cambridge, battery back to 100%, 8.8 miles to charger, 123 MPGe at night with headlights, (no heat).  Charger no longer free, damn it!  Drive to next one towards my house, 5.5 miles, 121 MPGe, temp dropping dropping from high teens to low teens.

Back up to 100%, Wellesley to home, 16.7 miles, 126 MPGe at night, temps down to 10F.

 

Average for the whole trip 132 MPGe.  73.3 miles.

 

In the summertime on that same trip I took this morning that yielded 140 MPGe I would net closer to 190 MPGe.

 

-=>Raja.

[stevedebi]

One of the moderators should click the "mark solved" button for this post so that it will show up at the top of this thread. This is fantastic data and should be saved for reference for the common posts about reduced winter range.

The original poster can click the "solved" button.

[Hybridbear]

The original poster can click the "solved" button.

True, but the OP is a relatively new member who may not be familiar with that button which is why I suggested that a moderator do it.

[shaggy314]

What about heated seats? (FTW btw). Better to have a warm butt over a warm interior.