59 Months (and counting) of EV driving...

[J Alynn]

Great question. We have a little over 75,000 miles combined on the two vehicles, at least 50% of which have been road tripping where a “road trip” is, to me, a trip that requires an overnight stay away from home. I would say at least 250 miles one-way (4 hours or so one-way). I used to do 16-hour there-and-back iron butt trips, but those just aren’t worth it to me anymore—and haven’t been for much longer than I’ve owned EVs. A trip down to the Valley for work or play (~150 miles one way) isn’t in any way a concern and I sometimes don’t even bother to charge on the way back up the mountain.

Would I consider the Harvester? Or any other hybrid vehicle?

No.

Spoiler: Reasons

I have become spoiled by the following things about EVs that aren’t attainable in gas vehicles of any kind, including hybrids:

• The fuel/charge level every morning is right where I want it to be. My apps remind me to plug in if I’ve forgotten, so the vehicles are always charged up by morning to where I need them to be.
• I never have to make a special run to a fuel station to get ready for a trip.
• The amount of time spent refueling the vehicle is now only a factor for road tripping—this saves us hours and hours of time every year
• I haven’t had to do an oil change or any other sort of major maintenance on either of our main travel vehicles since 2022; this has saved thousands of dollars on maintenance costs and hours and hours of time.
• We've saved thousands of dollars on fuel costs; fast charging (road trip charging) has increased in price over the past year, but overall the prices are—for our trips—better than gas, and charging at home was 3.5 cents/kWh = $4.55 for a fill-up in the Lightning (320 miles) and $3.19 for a fill-up in the Mustang (312 miles). Now it’s “free” since we installed solar and we use the excess solar to charge the vehicles instead of selling back to the utility for next to nothing.
• We’re almost always more relaxed when we get to our road trip destination because the noise levels are much lower; the Ford Blue Cruise ADAS level 2+ relieves stress while highway driving; and the very slightly longer refueling breaks help us be more relaxed during the trip.
• The independence we’ve gained from fueling concerns is incredible; we are no longer dependent on the whims of fossil fuel companies reaching for record profits on our backs; we’re no longer dependent on the whims of administrations changing fuel policies back-and-forth; we have a much more predictable energy cost every month—on gas we’d have a different fuel bill every month because prices fluctuated so much.
• The long-term off-grid capabilities we have gained (along with solar) or are able to gain in the future mean we can be off-grid for as long as we like; at some point we may just turn off our electric service and use the vehicles to bank excess solar for our own uses. We’ll see. This is still aspirational to some extent.
• I have no concerns about power outages causing us any issues—we both work from home and need power to be reliable. With the Lightning able to provide >120 hours of backup power not counting solar or the whole-home battery, and without the noise and maintenance of a generator, we know we will always have power.
• Camping with electric is fantastic! We now leave several things at home that we used to bring with us:
  • No more propane unless we want a non-wood campfire. Instead we cook on an induction cooktop with our cast iron cookware. Coffee is ready in just a few minutes now, and could be ready even sooner if I brought a drip machine with a clock.
  • No more jerry cans of gasoline that I have to worry about spilling in the bed of the truck—now we just bring our solar panels and auxiliary battery if we think we need some extra fuel.

Things I wish were different:

• I wish there was a Tacoma-sized and -priced BEV truck available. Nothing out there is quite right for us. The Rivian R1T is close, but it’s twice the price and I don’t have that kind of capital (it would pay for itself within 5-7 years of ownership, but right now I’m low on capital).
• I want an off-road capable BEV. The Lightning isn’t it. The Mustang isn’t it. The Scout Traveler is close, but it’s too wide for my tastes and the Rivian is, again, very expensive for what I can afford (and also too wide). We’ll likely end up with either the Traveler or a used R1S, or maybe an R2, when it’s time to replace the Mustang.
• I would like more fast charging stations in the desert southwest away from the main interstates. There’s a lot of space out here and sometimes things are just a bit more out-of-range than I would like. We’ve never been “stranded” but that doesn’t mean it’s ideal.
• Towing isn’t a major concern for me as I mostly do 100-ish mile towing trips and we don’t have any interest in long-distance travel trailer towing at this time. But it’s not a zero-concern for me either. If we wanted to do a tour of the country, we’d probably want to bring a trailer and that would be possible, but not necessarily ideal. There are quite a few people in the various BEV truck forums who do regular cross-country trips with their travel trailer. But from my reading, many of them are retired or have figured out a way to work while on the road. I could do that, but I’m not sure my partner is ready to work on the road.
• I wish I’d listened to my partner and not purchased the very bright blue Mustang Mach-E. If I’d listened, we would have bought a much more subtle color. She has to deal with jerks yelling at her about it being an EV, about the Mustang name, about all that sort of things related to their opinions that she didn’t ask for. I think it would happen less often if it was a more subtle color. Very few people will approach me to give their unsolicited opinion about the vehicle. The Lightning disappears into the crowd because it’s just an F-150.

I accidentally-on-purpose put in a bid on a 1973 Mustang Mach 1 and it looks like I’m going to win it. I was in an overly-ambitious state of mind thinking I’d have time and money to convert it to electric and restore its body and interior, but now I think it’s going to be just another project hanging over my head. If I do win the auction, I’ll probably just put a few hundred dollars into it to get it running and then sell it. I do not look forward to dealing with the various fluids that need dealing with. I’ve even put off maintenance on both my tractor and my motorcycle because I just don’t want to deal with the mess and smell and time required.

As usual-your insight is fantastic. I keep debating investing in solar panels but still am not sold I get a full benefit where I am but every few months I think about it again. Listening to your situation time and time again makes me think I should consider it. Thanks again sir!

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

As usual-your insight is fantastic. I keep debating investing in solar panels but still am not sold I get a full benefit where I am but every few months I think about it again. Listening to your situation time and time again makes me think I should consider it. Thanks again sir!

I rarely consider only the dollars out of my bank account when looking at benefit vs cost.

For example, my free time is much more valuable to me than my hourly take-home. A 30-minute diversion to refill the truck once a week was a huge inconvenience and I valued that time at least 3x my hourly pay.

Not having to spend mental load not worrying about future energy cost is worth at least 3x the cost of installing solar.

To me. Others have other considerations.

 

[04Ram2500Hemi]

I rarely consider only the dollars out of my bank account when looking at benefit vs cost.

For example, my free time is much more valuable to me than my hourly take-home. A 30-minute diversion to refill the truck once a week was a huge inconvenience and I valued that time at least 3x my hourly pay.

Not having to spend mental load not worrying about future energy cost is worth at least 3x the cost of installing solar.

To me. Others have other considerations.

Your reasons are the same I’m sticking to the Harvester. I drive by multiple gas stations on the way to work, so filling up is not a big inconvenience. When I’m on the road I don’t want to have to stop for 30 minutes to charge.

 

[cyure]

Your reasons are the same I’m sticking to the Harvester. I drive by multiple gas stations on the way to work, so filling up is not a big inconvenience. When I’m on the road I don’t want to have to stop for 30 minutes to charge.

This example just shows they were smart to make both. What works for one doesn’t work for someone else.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it elsewhere, but I figured I’d put it here as its own post.

Over on the various forums, people obsess about the current state of their EV's battery health. I check about once a year because it doesn’t really matter that much. On one of those forums, I was reading yet another thread about state of health and decided to share my vehicles’ states of health.

Reminder: Federal law currently requires EV manufacturers to warranty the health of their batteries for 8 years / 100,000 miles. The warranty is that the battery will retain at least 70% of its usable capacity, which is defined at the time of first sale.

The Ford vehicles report to the OBD-II port a value called High Voltage Battery State of Health. I pulled those values for this post.

Mustang: Battery age is 45 months. The state of health is >= 94%.
Lightning: Battery age is 25 months. The state of health is >= 98%.

Battery degradation is not linear, so I do not expect the Mustang’s battery to experience another 6% loss in the next ~four years. Instead, it follows a power law kind of curve, and its degradation rate decreases. At the end of the 8-year battery warranty, I expect something around 90-92% state of health.

We do not baby the batteries.
At home, we charge to 85% on the Mustang and 90% on the Lightning.
On road trips, we charge to whatever value makes sense for the next segment of the trip. Sometimes 85%, sometimes 90%, but usually 75-80%.
We’ve used fast chargers on both vehicles hundreds of times.

We have not lost any useable range on either vehicle. The 312 miles range on the Mustang is still attainable on the freeway. The 320 miles range on the Lightning is still attainable on the freeway.

 

[J Alynn]

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it elsewhere, but I figured I’d put it here as its own post.

Over on the various forums, people obsess about the current state of their EV's battery health. I check about once a year because it doesn’t really matter that much. On one of those forums, I was reading yet another thread about state of health and decided to share my vehicles’ states of health.

Reminder: Federal law currently requires EV manufacturers to warranty the health of their batteries for 8 years / 100,000 miles. The warranty is that the battery will retain at least 70% of its usable capacity, which is defined at the time of first sale.

The Ford vehicles report to the OBD-II port a value called High Voltage Battery State of Health. I pulled those values for this post.

Mustang: Battery age is 45 months. The state of health is >= 94%.
Lightning: Battery age is 25 months. The state of health is >= 98%.

Battery degradation is not linear, so I do not expect the Mustang’s battery to experience another 6% loss in the next ~four years. Instead, it follows a power law kind of curve, and its degradation rate decreases. At the end of the 8-year battery warranty, I expect something around 90-92% state of health.

We do not baby the batteries.
At home, we charge to 85% on the Mustang and 90% on the Lightning.
On road trips, we charge to whatever value makes sense for the next segment of the trip. Sometimes 85%, sometimes 90%, but usually 75-80%.
We’ve used fast chargers on both vehicles hundreds of times.

We have not lost any useable range on either vehicle. The 312 miles range on the Mustang is still attainable on the freeway. The 320 miles range on the Lightning is still attainable on the freeway.

Thanks for your update

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Did a quick, 800 mile road trip to ABQ to visit with the Spawn, relax in the nearby hot springs, and back the next morning.

There are so many more fast chargers on the I-40 than the least year, it's fantastic. It's almost as embarrassment of riches.

The day before our trip, we charged to 100% while the sun was shining.

After 200 miles and 63% of the battery drawn down, we needed to stop, use the restroom, and take a quick walk. We stopped at a GM/EVGo charging station colocated with a Flying J truck stop. The charger is expensive, but the restrooms are clean. And the charge rate is great. After 21 minutes, we were ready to go, the truck was at 69%, which was plenty to get us to ABQ

Next we stopped at a Walmart in ABQ to get a quick restroom break and a quick charge.

We picked up the kids and headed to the Jemez hot springs for the rest of the afternoon.

After dinner, we dropped them off and went to our hotel. There was no L2 charger--ABQ doesn't have very many lodging choices with L2 charging, which is annoying.

Next day we grabbed breakfast that happened to be next to an L2 charger, so we plugged in and got a small charge while eating. It wasn't much, but it was more than 0%. We left town with 45%.

We headed out on the highway. Our first stop was at the EA charger at Walmart in Grants to get a charge and make a restroom stop. We ended up doing some shopping as well. Left at 80%, which was more than I'd intended, but whatever.

The final charge stop was to try a new Rivian charger in Holbrook. Fast charger, gross restrooms, high price. Probably won't stop there again. Left with 51%, which was, again, more than necessary.

Got home with 15%.

 

[cyure]

Did a quick, 800 Mike road trip to ABQ to visit with the Spawn, relax in the nearby hot springs, and back the next morning.

There are so many more fast chargers on the I-40 than the least year, it's fantastic. It's almost as embarrassment of riches.

The day before our trip, we charged to 100% while the sun was shining.

After 200 miles and 63% of the battery drawn down, we needed to stop, use the restroom, and take a quick walk. We stopped at a GM/EVGo charging station colocated with a Flying J truck stop. The charger is expensive, but the restrooms are clean. And the charge rate is great. After 21 minutes, we were ready to go, the truck was at 69%, which was plenty to get us to ABQ

Next we stopped at a Walmart in ABQ to get a quick restroom break and a quick charge.

We picked up the kids and headed to the Jemez hot springs for the rest of the afternoon.

After dinner, we dropped them off and went to our hotel. There was no L2 charger--ABQ doesn't have very many lodging choices with L2 charging, which is annoying.

Next day we grabbed breakfast that happened to be next to an L2 charger, so we plugged in and got a small charge while eating. It wasn't much, but it was more than 0%. We left town with 45%.

We headed out on the highway. Our first stop was at the EA charger at Walmart in Grants to get a charge and make a restroom stop. We ended up doing some shopping as well. Left at 80%, which was more than I'd intended, but whatever.

The final charge stop was to try a new Rivian charger in Holbrook. Fast charger, gross restrooms, high price. Probably won't stop there again. Left with 51%, which was, again, more than necessary.

Got home with 15%.

Thank you so much for taking us along on your trip. How much did this 800 mile trip cost?

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Thank you so much for taking us along on your trip. How much did this 800 mile trip cost?

Charging to 100% on solar: $0.00
Flying J / EVGo: $41.18
EA Plan+: $7.00
EA at Walmart in ABQ: $31.23
ChargePoint L2 in ABQ: $2.46
EA at Walmart in Grants: $47.07
Rivian: $23.46

Total for ~800 miles: $152.40
Total energy use: 258 kWh
Average efficiency: 3.1 miles/kWh

We set our cruise speed to 72-75 mph on the freeway, but were also doing in-town driving and mountain/canyon road driving.

In our Tacoma, this would have been about: $3.40/gallon * 800 miles / 16 mpg = $173.61

A couple years ago, the price for driving the Lightning would have been closer to $0.32/kWh * 258 kWh = $82.56.
If we had used only the cheaper EA chargers on this trip, it would have been $0.42*258=$108.36.

We chose the more expensive chargers to see where they are, how they work, how clean are the restrooms, etc. The Flying J is at a nearly-perfect distance between our home and ABQ, and the restrooms are clean, so we’ll probably stop there more often. The Rivian Adventure Network is in an awkward location, next to a Pizza Hut and Taco Bell with gross, gross restrooms, and is very expensive, so we will only use that if we really need a charge.

 

[TelemarkingSailor]

Charging to 100% on solar: $0.00
Flying J / EVGo: $41.18
EA Plan+: $7.00
EA at Walmart in ABQ: $31.23
ChargePoint L2 in ABQ: $2.46
EA at Walmart in Grants: $47.07
Rivian: $23.46

Total for ~800 miles: $152.40
Total energy use: 258 kWh
Average efficiency: 3.1 miles/kWh

We set our cruise speed to 72-75 mph on the freeway, but were also doing in-town driving and mountain/canyon road driving.

In our Tacoma, this would have been about: $3.40/gallon * 800 miles / 16 mpg = $173.61

A couple years ago, the price for driving the Lightning would have been closer to $0.32/kWh * 258 kWh = $82.56.
If we had used only the cheaper EA chargers on this trip, it would have been $0.42*258=$108.36.

We chose the more expensive chargers to see where they are, how they work, how clean are the restrooms, etc. The Flying J is at a nearly-perfect distance between our home and ABQ, and the restrooms are clean, so we’ll probably stop there more often. The Rivian Adventure Network is in an awkward location, next to a Pizza Hut and Taco Bell with gross, gross restrooms, and is very expensive, so we will only use that if we really need a charge.

Does your vehicle display the percentage charge or does it display estimated mileage range? I went on a trip down to Mt. Ranier a year or so ago in a BEV (driven by someone else). We left with what I perceived to be insufficient charge, but the driver was confident that given all the regeneration we'd do on the drive, we'd be more than sufficiently charged, and he was right.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Does your vehicle display the percentage charge or does it display estimated mileage range? I went on a trip down to Mt. Ranier a year or so ago in a BEV (driven by someone else). We left with what I perceived to be insufficient charge, but the driver was confident that given all the regeneration we'd do on the drive, we'd be more than sufficiently charged, and he was right.

It shows both.

Here’s one example of the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC):

On the left side, you can see:
Range: 316 miles
State of Charge: 99%
Power available: 100% (if the state of charge is too low, the truck will automatically go into conserve mode and limit acceleration)
Regen: 0% (we’re not moving)

There are several other modes the IPC can be put into.

The next photo shows a mode that displays the trip statistics between powering on and the moment I took the photo.
Range: 51 miles
State of Charge: 20%
Power available: 95%
Regen: 0% (we’re not moving)

Note that the range estimate is an estimate based on weighted averages of at least these parameters (and likely several others; each manufacturer has their own estimation algorithm):

• the power draw at the moment
• recent history power draw
• longer-term past history
• ambient temperature [added after suggestion from @R1TVT]
• and, if you have a destination plugged into the navigation, estimated altitude changes.

The state of charge is an accurate measure of energy stored in the battery at the moment of display (with a buffer to provide a reserve capacity).
I would also like to see Energy to Empty in addition to state of charge so I can remove a step in my mental math.

But it’s not a big deal.
A 20% state of charge is 26 kWh on a 131 kWh battery.
And 26 kWh times 2.5 miles/kWh is 2*26=52, 0.5*26=13, 52+13=65 miles range.
The truck’s range estimate is usually low for my efficiency.

But others experience worse efficiency than the truck predicts. So it’s usually called a “guess-o-meter” (“GOM”).

 

[J Alynn]

It shows both.

Here’s one example of the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC):
View attachment 11265

On the left side, you can see:
Range: 316 miles
State of Charge: 99%
Power available: 100% (if the state of charge is too low, the truck will automatically go into conserve mode and limit acceleration)
Regen: 0% (we’re not moving)

There are several other modes the IPC can be put into.

The next photo shows a mode that displays the trip statistics between powering on and the moment I took the photo.
Range: 51 miles
State of Charge: 20%
Power available: 95%
Regen: 0% (we’re not moving)

View attachment 11266


Note that the range estimate is an estimate based on weighted averages of at least these parameters (and likely several others; each manufacturer has their own estimation algorithm):

• the power draw at the moment
• recent history power draw
• longer-term past history
• and, if you have a destination plugged into the navigation, estimated altitude changes.

The state of charge is an accurate measure of energy stored in the battery at the moment of display (with a buffer to provide a reserve capacity).
I would also like to see Energy to Empty in addition to state of charge so I can remove a step in my mental math.

But it’s not a big deal.
A 20% state of charge is 26 kWh on a 131 kWh battery.
And 26 kWh times 2.5 miles/kWh is 2*26=52, 0.5*26=13, 52+13=65 miles range.
The truck’s range estimate is usually low for my efficiency.

But others experience worse efficiency than the truck predicts. So it’s usually called a “guess-o-meter” (“GOM”).

This was really helpful for me to understand between the pics and your explanation. First time one of these posts made me full sense but I’m surprised to see you math is showing 30% more efficient than the computer.

 

[R1TVT]

It shows both.

Here’s one example of the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC):
View attachment 11265

On the left side, you can see:
Range: 316 miles
State of Charge: 99%
Power available: 100% (if the state of charge is too low, the truck will automatically go into conserve mode and limit acceleration)
Regen: 0% (we’re not moving)

There are several other modes the IPC can be put into.

The next photo shows a mode that displays the trip statistics between powering on and the moment I took the photo.
Range: 51 miles
State of Charge: 20%
Power available: 95%
Regen: 0% (we’re not moving)

View attachment 11266


Note that the range estimate is an estimate based on weighted averages of at least these parameters (and likely several others; each manufacturer has their own estimation algorithm):

• the power draw at the moment
• recent history power draw
• longer-term past history
• and, if you have a destination plugged into the navigation, estimated altitude changes.

The state of charge is an accurate measure of energy stored in the battery at the moment of display (with a buffer to provide a reserve capacity).
I would also like to see Energy to Empty in addition to state of charge so I can remove a step in my mental math.

But it’s not a big deal.
A 20% state of charge is 26 kWh on a 131 kWh battery.
And 26 kWh times 2.5 miles/kWh is 2*26=52, 0.5*26=13, 52+13=65 miles range.
The truck’s range estimate is usually low for my efficiency.

But others experience worse efficiency than the truck predicts. So it’s usually called a “guess-o-meter” (“GOM”).

You can also add temperature to the list. Looks like you are quite warm there with the screen showing 93 degrees.

We are going down into the 20's tonite, so temp obviously becomes a bigger variable in the winter months, and the range estimates will reflect colder temps over a drive based on higher energy usage when it your battery is cold factoring in all of the above (and when you activate heat, heated seats, steering wheel, etc. - based on your vehicle's features, and based how much additional power you'd consume over the course of a drive)

 

[cyure]

You can also add temperature to the list. Looks like you are quite warm there with the screen showing 93 degrees.

We are going down into the 20's tonite, so temp obviously becomes a bigger variable in the winter months, and the range estimates will reflect colder temps over a drive based on higher energy usage when it your battery is cold factoring in all of the above (and when you activate heat, heated seats, steering wheel, etc. - based on your vehicle's features, and based how much additional power you'd consume over the course of a drive)

Okay this is one of those “scary” scenarios I as novice EV user worry about. When I woke up this morning with the wind chill it felt like 6. How much range am I going to lose if I’m out driving in that?

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

This was really helpful for me to understand between the pics and your explanation. First time one of these posts made me full sense but I’m surprised to see you math is showing 30% more efficient than the computer.

Do you mean my range calculation is more than the range estimate on the screen?

Early on Ford was optimistic with range and some people felt it was misleading. So Ford adjusted their algorithm to be more pessimistic. I agree with their decision—you don’t want people to believe the range estimate but fall short because of an unexpected change in temperature, speed, elevation change, etc. So you give them a pessimistic range estimate.

That, of course, gives them a different reason to be upset (“I’m not getting the range I was told I would get in the EPA estimates.”)

It feels like you just can’t make some people understand it’s just an estimate.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

You can also add temperature to the list. Looks like you are quite warm there with the screen showing 93 degrees.

We are going down into the 20's tonite, so temp obviously becomes a bigger variable in the winter months, and the range estimates will reflect colder temps over a drive based on higher energy usage when it your battery is cold factoring in all of the above (and when you activate heat, heated seats, steering wheel, etc. - based on your vehicle's features, and based how much additional power you'd consume over the course of a drive)

Great point. I thought I’d included temperature, but was typing this up on my phone and before I’d had my coffee.

 

[Jasco]

Okay this is one of those “scary” scenarios I as novice EV user worry about. When I woke up this morning with the wind chill it felt like 6. How much range am I going to lose if I’m out driving in that?

I'll leave the math to @SpaceEVDriver but you can expect to lose about 15-20% range around the freezing mark assuming the vehicle uses a heat pump (Scouts will) and you precondition the battery. These numbers will be worse at 6 degrees. Remember that many other factors come into play including increased rolling resistance with snow and increased drag in windy conditions. Here is a decent article showing expected ranges for some popular EVs from last January. Fun fact ICE vehicles can lose between 10-20% range in the cold as well.

The range reduction is a non-issue day-to-day for the vast majority of drivers and if you happen to be making the 800 mile trip in the middle of January, just plan accordingly. One last point, the joy of getting in a warm car on a cold winter morning can not be understated.

https://insideevs.com/news/747374/ev-range-loss-cold-heat-pump-data/

 

[cyure]

I'll leave the math to @SpaceEVDriver but you can expect to lose about 15-20% range around the freezing mark assuming the vehicle uses a heat pump (Scouts will) and you precondition the battery. These numbers will be worse at 6 degrees. Remember that many other factors come into play including increased rolling resistance with snow and increased drag in windy conditions. Here is a decent article showing expected ranges for some popular EVs from last January. Fun fact ICE vehicles can lose between 10-20% range in the cold as well.

The range reduction is a non-issue day-to-day for the vast majority of drivers and if you happen to be making the 800 mile trip in the middle of January, just plan accordingly. One last point, the joy of getting in a warm car on a cold winter morning can not be understated.

https://insideevs.com/news/747374/ev-range-loss-cold-heat-pump-data/

How come no one ever mentions that ICE vehicles can lose range too?

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

How come no one ever mentions that ICE vehicles can lose range too?

Because they don’t want to admit that ICE vehicles are far from perfect?

The real scandal is how much energy is always wasted by ICEs because they’re only 25% efficient at burning gasoline. Imagine if you could convert that 33.7 kWh of energy stored in a gallon of gasoline at an efficiency closer to the conversion of stored chemical energy in a battery.

A 26 gallon tank on a 2023 F-150 Lariat holds 876.2 kWh of potential chemical energy. The Lightning’s battery holds 131 kWh with a reserve of 8 kWh (143 kWh total).

With the ICE Lariat’s 876.2 kWh of stored energy, I can go on the highway, at best, according to the EPA, 26 mpg * 26 gallons = 676 miles. I’ve never achieved even 80% of the EPA mpg in a truck, but let’s use that number. That’s a best-case scenario of 0.77 miles/kWh of energy used for travel.

With the Lightning’s 131 kWh of accessible energy stored, I can get 2.5 miles/kWh (327.5 miles) on the freeway. This is real-world use case over ~25k miles in the Lightning.

That's 320% better efficiency than the gas truck.

Once I start driving around town, the difference is even higher.
Once I take into account the reality of EPA efficiency for the ICE, it gets even better.

I, for one, am willing to give up a bit of range in the cold to save so much more energy over the rest of the year. And in most of my driving scenarios, the range loss doesn’t impact my ability to go where I want to go. That might be different for others in other regions.

 

[R1TVT]

Okay this is one of those “scary” scenarios I as novice EV user worry about. When I woke up this morning with the wind chill it felt like 6. How much range am I going to lose if I’m out driving in that?

For me, the only consideration for minor range loss is whether or not you might need any extra buffer when traveling long distances, and perhaps planning a charging stop accordingly.

Couple of points (that were already made above): The vehicle S/W accounts for this with displayed range estimates (it's not scary or unknown what your range will be, based on SOC in the winter). The vehicle's S/W also makes it very easy to route to a charger, in the event that you are on a road trip and need to add a charging stop.

If you are simply doing daily driving, there's nothing to worry about, since a 20% hit won't even impact you with an adequate SOC.

One of the bigger benefits of cold weather driving in an EV is how quickly you can precondition your cabin and warm the vehicle. It's nearly instantaneous when compared to warming up the cabin in an ICE vehicle. So, at the end of the day, I see no reason for anyone to think cold is a scary scenario, and I have never had any problems in cold conditions in the backcountry or skiing for example.