I Knew Winter Would Hit My Range… But 60%?

Is this normal? Am I missing a setting or doing something wrong?

Just to clarify, it’s not a huge deal for me since I’m usually well within range. But I thought the heat pump on the 2024 models was supposed to keep the range hit to about 20-30%, not 60%! My typical efficiency is around 2.6 mi/kWh, but lately, I’m getting about 1.1 mi/kWh on my usual 50-mile round trip.

Here’s my setup: I precondition the truck every morning, I drive with one-pedal mode (rarely using the brakes), and I keep the cabin at 72°F with the driver’s heated seat and steering wheel on. The truck is nice and warm from preconditioning, but the heat pump runs constantly on the second auto setting in 20-35°F weather.

I start with a 90% battery and end with around 57%, compared to my usual 90-81% usage (ER battery, Flash trim).

One thing I’m wondering about is the “heat” button in the climate settings. Does it add extra electric heating, or is it for the heat pump as well? It’s currently on—maybe it shouldn’t be?

EDIT: Based on some advice here, I checked my tire pressure—turns out they were at 33 psi! I inflated them to 40 psi, and my drive home improved to 2.1 mi/kWh, the best I’ve seen all week. Still testing, but this seems like it made a big difference!

That’s wild. Are you sure you didn’t leave a trailer hitched on by accident? :laughing:

Carson said:
That’s wild. Are you sure you didn’t leave a trailer hitched on by accident? :laughing:

:joy: It really does feel like it!

Micah said:

Carson said:
That’s wild. Are you sure you didn’t leave a trailer hitched on by accident? :laughing:

:joy: It really does feel like it!

I’ve gotten poor range like that before. I don’t have the new heat pump, but you could try driving with just the heated seats and steering wheel on, no cabin heat. I notice that even a little cabin heat drains my battery much faster. When I do turn it on, I just run it on high for 5 minutes to warm things up, then let it fade out for 15-30 minutes and repeat as needed. I got back toward 2 mi/kWh doing that.

Micah said:

Carson said:
That’s wild. Are you sure you didn’t leave a trailer hitched on by accident? :laughing:

:joy: It really does feel like it!

Did you tow recently? Sometimes you have to manually select ‘No Active Trailer’ after towing; it’s a known bug.

My 2024 Flash gets around 1.6-1.8 on the highway in similar temps. In town, it’s usually 2.0 or better, even when it’s 30°F.

Something feels off here. Could Ford’s full-charge calculations be skewed somehow?

I’d say, if it’s super cold, try setting the cabin to low 60s instead of 72°F. Even lowering it to 70 might make a noticeable difference.

@Zion
I agree, the numbers don’t quite add up. 2.6 is a rough average, it actually bounces between 2.5 and 2.7, never landing exactly at 2.6 (maybe a glitch in the system?).

I’ve got two young kids in car seats in the back, so they can’t wear their winter coats while strapped in. I keep the cabin warmer for them, but I’ll try lowering it a bit and see if it helps. Still, I’m prioritizing their comfort over a few kWh of efficiency!

@Micah
How long is this drive? The compressor and heating system can use a lot of power, especially if it’s not a very long trip.

Jordan said:
@Micah
How long is this drive? The compressor and heating system can use a lot of power, especially if it’s not a very long trip.

Each way is about 25 miles, around 20-30 minutes per trip.

@Micah
It sounds like something’s up. That’s a lot of extra power being used. Could you have a setting on that’s preconditioning the battery even when you’re not going to a fast charger? That would burn a lot of energy for little benefit on a regular drive.

@Micah
Also, are you putting a fast charger as your destination? Sometimes that triggers battery preconditioning.

Luca said:
@Micah
Also, are you putting a fast charger as your destination? Sometimes that triggers battery preconditioning.

Nope, I’m not setting any destination in the navigation.

@Micah
Try running it at 72°F in your driveway for an hour to compare energy use. Might reveal if heating is causing the issue.

That range drop seems extreme, especially since you’re preconditioning. I’m in similar temps, and my efficiency hasn’t dropped below 1.7-1.8 (2024 Lariat). Even my 2023 Lariat did better than 1.1 last winter without a heat pump.

Could be tire pressure. When temps drop, so does tire pressure, which increases rolling resistance.

Perrin said:
Could be tire pressure. When temps drop, so does tire pressure, which increases rolling resistance.

Great thought! I’ll check and pump them up if needed. Thanks for the tip!

Perrin said:
Could be tire pressure. When temps drop, so does tire pressure, which increases rolling resistance.

Update: You’re the MVP here. My tires were down to 33 psi, so I pumped them up to 40 psi before heading home. I’ve been struggling with 1.3 mi/kWh lately, but on my drive home, I got up to 2.1! Still not normal, but a huge improvement. Thanks for the reminder to check my tires!

@Micah
I usually keep mine at 48 psi when it gets cold. The extra efficiency is worth a little trade-off in ride comfort. Way better than my old Tesla.

@Micah
Glad to hear it’s improving!