Winter conditions.

[j79guy]

Hey all, winter hit with a vengence here, 4" of snow on the ground, and daytime high of -4 Celcius. (25 F.) I've not been skimping on the heat, I keep the climate control set at 21 C. (70 F.), use the seat heaters and rear window defroster. Typical highway speeds of 95kmh. (57mph.) My effective range has been chopped by 40%, under these conditions. The the low rolling resistance tires are not so good on the ice & snow, these are to be changed to ice radials, which will likely cut my range a bit more. My commute is short, so the loss of range is no big deal for me, but I'm pushing it so to speak to see the worst case scenarios for range. As the season progresses, temperatures are only going to drop more, so we'll see how the car fares. I keep the car on-plug, as advised by the in-dash prompt, to keep the batteries warm. However I do park at the local rec centre two times a week, for three hours at a time in the evenings, and there is no EV plug there. So far, although the car is prompting me to keep it on-plug to keep the batteries warm, this 3-hour time period when it is not on plug hasn't caused any problems or significant reduction in range. (Other than the range reductions noted above.) We'll see how things go when it gets really cold out.

Cheers,

Robin.

 

[dmann000]

I'm really eager to understand winter performance as people get more feedback here. My daily commute is 26.1 miles each way, and my work does not have a charger. Occasionally I have to drive around a bit during a day. It might get a bit tough in the winter for me. I'll certainly give feedback as the season goes through. My largest question is what is going to be "severely impacted performance" when the car is sitting in my work parking lot freezing cold.

-don

 

[Rwbill]

Excellent topic, one I was wondering about back in September when I picked mine up and everyone was driving in near ideal, temperate conditions. The AC didn't seem to take many miles off the projected range, and I was curious about winter and cold conditions.

Nights in Virginia lately have been in the upper 30s-mid 40s. It seems like driving to work, even with the car plugged in and warming the cabin to "Go Time" of 65 degrees, the car is pulling about 330-350 wHr per mile, compared to the 260 Whr per mile I was doing in ideal weather. I also decided not to skimp as my round trip is less than 50 miles. I take off in the morning showing a potential range of 76 or 79 miles, but 20 miles later at work this is reduced to 42 miles or so.

I wish there was an indicator of when the battery temperature was being conditioned by battery power, or something like that.

Anyway, this is a good topic, winter will only get colder and worse until March here.

I had wondered if winter would be a bigger draw on battery reserve than summer, and I think the answer is a resounding yes. Even in the hottest summer days I don't think the range will be reduced this much.

 

[dwf123]

Me too!!! I am seeing the same 300+ watts per mile. I commute, one way, 40 miles and have been getting a little nervous. I can pull the watts down to about 280-290 after driving for 40 miles, but I start off with big number like 450 watts. My fresh battery range has been reduced to 55-60 miles and it is real. I am preheating, heater set at 66 degress F, using the heated seats and drive at 60 mph. Watch out if it is snowing and coming home in the dark. Current temps are only in the low 30 degrees F. I have to make a couple of monthly trips which are 75+ miles one way and in the real cold I think I will have to use my gasser.

 

[Rwbill]

Me too!!! I am seeing the same 300+ watts per mile. I commute, one way, 40 miles and have been getting a little nervous. I can pull the watts down to about 280-290 after driving for 40 miles, but I start off with big number like 450 watts. My fresh battery range has been reduced to 55-60 miles and it is real. I am preheating, heater set at 66 degress F, using the heated seats and drive at 60 mph. Watch out if it is snowing and coming home in the dark. Current temps are only in the low 30 degrees F. I have to make a couple of monthly trips which are 75+ miles one way and in the real cold I think I will have to use my gasser.

Yes, I don't know why it seems to be pulling so much, right off the bat in the morning after being plugged in all night and "using the grid to precondition" the car. It does seem to immediately drop the predicted range sometimes from 79 to 61. Turning off the climate now does jump the range up more than in summer when the AC was on and I turned it off.

I will say the car is comfortable in the morning with the GO set at 65 even with 38 degrees outside, but the extra draw down on the battery range is noticeable and immediate when unplugged. From a dead start in the cold parking deck late afternoon it does seem to warm up the cabin more quickly than a gas car.

If I had to drive as far as you may have to some round trips it would concern me! especially with no place at work to plug in during the day.

Even though my General Services Dept said I can't plug in to charge, in the winter I may go out to the parking deck an hour or two before leaving for home and plug in the 110V cable to precondition the car or bring the battery temperature up.

It seems the battery sure does not like cold temperatures, which is something that was anticipated.

 

[dwf123]

Rw -
I do have a 240v plug at work and therefore I don't really sweat the range. However, I get caught up in the "maximizing efficiency" issues. It is like a game It does appear that I will have to use the gasser for my monthly run to Providence.

Pretty much this car is perfect for me because I will drive 18-20000 commuter miles every year. Saving $2500.00 per year in gasoline cost make most issues with this car very minor...

 

[Rwbill]

Rw -
Pretty much this car is perfect for me because I will drive 18-20000 commuter miles every year. Saving $2500.00 per year in gasoline cost make most issues with this car very minor...

I guess there isn't a "like" button here, but I agree as a commuting car this is hard to beat, and a very well built and designed car.

 

[Gatorman82]

I was noticing a huge drop in mileage in the cold weather, so I decided to check my tire pressure. As you all probably know, cold weather drops tire pressure. The recommended pressure for tires on the Focus Electric is 38 psi. Mine had fallen to 30-31 psi on all four tires. So I pumped them back up to 38. I'm seeing an improvement now (~10% greater range). So I would highly recommend you monitor you tire pressure as the temperature falls.

 

[JFS]

Just got mine a few days ago. Invested in a lap blanket (actually a doggie berber fleece), fleece hat and gloves, and will be digging out the apres-ski boots. That, the seat warmer and cracking the front windows open gives much better milage than any combination of main heater and defog. Not to everyone's taste, but quite doable.

Using the "go time" feature to pre-heat the battery (while plugged in) seems to be a significant help, too (not sure how much).

 

[irving121]

Hi there,
I live in Calgary, Alberta & we have brutal winters here - some days it gets down to -20C (which is -4F), and colder with the wind chill! I have been driving a Camry Hybrid for the past 3.5 years & love the fuel efficiency I get. I feel I want to switch to a full electric vehicle & really like the Focus. I am very concerned about the battery and the cold weather however. My commute to work and from is only about 24KM/day and the few errands I occasionally run do not add much to that.
Has anyone experienced extreme cold yet? any adverse effects? I understand my range will drop - but by how much?

 

[mountaineer]

SNOWTIRES: FFE's OEM tires perform poorly in more than a few inches of snow or on icy snowpack; my new 2013 FFE could barely get up my pretty gentle driveway slope at 7100' in the Rockies, even with traction control necessarily turned off. So I've ordered the very highly regarded Michelin Ice-X Xi3 snow/ice tires (unstudded) from the same low-rolling-resistance Michelin Green X series. They have virtually identical specs to the OEM summer tires; the only differences are the Ice-X's 1" deeper tread, higher load-carrying capacity (1653 vs 1443 lb/tire), slightly narrower tread (7.7 vs 8.2"), 1 psi lower maximum pressure (50 vs 51 psi, so no need to reset Tire Pressure Monitoring System sensors), and $7 lower list price ($167 vs $174 at TireRack.com, or $668 for four, FOB Indiana). Same revs per mile, so odometer and speedometer will read correctly. It's too new to have survey data yet but in most respects appears to outperform Blizzaks, the local favorite here and long my winter tire of choice. The X-Ice tires also have 0.9 mpg higher clear-road fuel economy than Blizzaks and have best-in-class summer handling.

Added 13 Jan 2013: After a week in high-Rockies winter conditions, I can confirm that the Michelin Ice-X Xi3 snow/ice tires do perform superbly, better than my old Blizzaks. I'm encouraging Ford to make them a factory option.

And in the general forum on viewing real-time accessory loads, I've just posted my recent experience of seeing 78-79 mile predicted ranges despite nighttime temperatures down to -19F and daytime in the single digits or teens F: Technique can trump Temperature and Terrain!

 

[JFS]

Thanks for the tire suggestions--the ones it comes with are indeed p*ss-poor in snow.

My contribution is more low-tech. I've been coming up with creative car clothing options, so as to not run the heater. I had everything covered (figuratively and literally) except I was lacking something warm to quickly and easily cover calves and lower legs without having to disturb clothing and shoes. After searching for "padded gaiters" and "insulated spats" and similar terms, I stumbled on these:

They are horse/pony padded shipping boots. The 14 inch size. They velcro on. For me, there's a gap in the back of maybe 2.5 or 3 inches, and leaving the top velcro undone lets me bend my legs comfortably (I have short legs). They are comfortable, with a couple of very minor tweaks to fasten the unused straps (use folded-over piece of "hook-side" velcro to secure the unused straps). They stay in place, and show no signs of slipping or interfering with the driving.

Ordering link http://www.shopping.com/flared-shipping-boots/l4P6zwYFYxTHvKXH3yfpRw==/info (multiple other colors available for those who don't like sporty purple and silver).

 

[lespen]

HI all,

I'm a new member. I purchased a slightly used (8500 miles) 2012 about two weeks ago and so far absolutely love the car even in this unbelievable winter. Here in Wisconsin, since the 1st of December, we've had exactly fours days were the temp reached freezing. Most of the time we've been at least 20+ degrees below normal. Two mornings ago it was -21 on my in to work! My 18 mile commute makes this car perfect for me. As far as range goes, I still only have the 110 v charger (type 2 on order) so I haven't gotten to 100% yet. However my work place allows me to stay plugged in all day so I don't have any "range anxiety" at all. Battery condition in the morning reads about 48-50 mile range. This is in an attached but unheated garage that stays about 20 or so degrees above ambient. The heat is set at 74 degrees auto, seat heater at 2, and lights on both ways for now (I'm starting to see the sun rise in the morning now so spring is coming). I love everything about the car so far. Quiet, comfortable, tight, and well built, just like a Focus. I also have a 2005 ZX5 that I consider one of the best cars I've ever owned. Nothing but good so far. I hope as the weather warms the range comes back so I can get a little more aggressive about where I take the car. Think spring!!

 

[mountaineer]

I've just analyzed calendar-year-2013 usage by my 2013 FFE, which drove nearly 7k miles during the year. It used 78% of its electricity for tractive recharging (Level 2) and the other 22% for thermal management of the battery when plugged in, since it's in an open carport. I'm at 7100' in the W Colorado Rockies. Anyone living in a cold climate and not wanting the extra electricity consumption should be able to reduce it considerably by parking your FFE in an insulated, enclosed garage. Otherwise the undocumented thermostat will keep turning on the battery heater off and on all night, and sometimes in the daytime if it's around ≤0F.

This is not a gripe -- I bought the FFE instead of the Leaf precisely for its superior battery thermal management -- but it would be interesting to know other users' observations about winter electricity usage by the battery heater. I also think Ford should describe this usage, and the thermostat setting and heater size, in its sales and owner literature so that owners can make informed choices about vehicles and where they're to be parked.