This past April I bought a new 2023 Escape PHEV. The September or so I was usually getting upwards of 36+ miles of electric only range on each charge. I had more than a couple times hitting 40+. Now, at 9600 miles, I’m lucky to get 22 miles. It doesn’t matter is the outside temp is 50+ deg F or not, the range will not go over 22-24. I can almost understand a drop of 10-15%, but a 40% drop? Is this normal? I should my skeptical, cynical side come to the fore and think this is intentional by Ford and the ipaa / iogp to make electric and hybrid vehicles unwanted?
No, it’s not normal.
I have 2 years of experience with a Lexus PHEV, so let me give you an account of what I have experienced over that timeframe.
The vehicle mfr specifies that my vehicle has a 37 mile EV range, and that is exactly what it had when the car was delivered. Slowly, over the first year, the EV range increased until, this past summer, I was getting a 60 mile EV range.
Then, as the temps began to drop, so did my EV range. Following a period of extremely-low temps over the past couple of weeks, my EV range has dropped to 48 miles, but–of course–once I turn the heater on, that drops to 42 miles.
All of this is because battery efficiency drops sharply in lower temperatures. But, if you are experiencing a sharply-reduced EV range when the ambient temp is in the 50s, then something is not right. I think that a phone call to Ford Corporate Customer Service (contact info can be found in your Owner’s Manual) would be a good idea.
What does Ford specify as the EV range of this vehicle? If they specify 22 miles, then you probably don’t have a valid complaint, but it would still be worth discussing with the Ford folks at the corporate level. I suspect that vehicle mfrs specify a worst-case EV range so that customers aren’t outraged when temps drop.
Even though my winter-temp range has dropped sharply from its peak in warmer weather, my winter EV range is still better than the mfr specified on the label and in their literature, and it is possible that this is also the case with your vehicle. Take a look at the window label/Owner’s Manual to see what the specified EV range is. If it is stated as being more than 22-24 miles, then you would seem to have a situation that is worth discussing with the Ford Corporate Customer Service folks.
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I’m just a knucklehead diy’er w/no experience w/phev’s, but a 40% drop in electric miles from summer to winter wouldn’t surprise me. Esp if mid-winter you are using electric heating, more headlight use due to less daylight, etc. You might try experimenting shutting off anything electrical that is possible to shut off safely (try to drive only during daylight and no electric heat, rear view window heat, heated seats etc. ) and test how many miles that buys you. I wouldn’t expect that to get you back to summer-time miles, but not 40% down.
Did you read my response, based on 2 years of driving a PHEV, George?
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We recently drove over 200 miles on a cloudless, sunny day with the temp in the 40s. Electric range was 22 miles. Vehicle had heat set at 73F Auto which was actually too warm with the sun shining in the windows. Seats and steering wheel were turned off. Today, the overnight temp was 51F and daytime was 60F with clear skies. Same range.
Ford, Motor Trend, Car & Driver all report a range of 36-39 (Ford) miles. Even over the summer I rarely saw over 36, although once it did hit 40.
This is likely the cause. My Tesla is quick to warm up and defrost my windows, but I lose quite a bit of range doing that every morning. I have been known to lose 5% charge just letting the car sit and warm up for 5~10 minutes in the morning, but those were close to 0F outside days.
Would you prefer I don’t read your posts?
No, just as I sometimes learn something from reading your posts, I would think that you would appreciate learning from my 2 years of real-world experience with a PHEV.
I did read your response, then posted my own ideas, hoping they might benefit the OP at least somewhat. . Note that I didn’t dispute what you said. Everyone interested offers up their own ideas, that’s how a forum works.
You might try turning down the passenger compartent temperature control setting. Like other posters mention above, your reduced EV-only miles experience, winter vs summer, might just be normal for this particular design. If not, hummm … other causes might be
- brakes are dragging, could just be one wheel. Any difference in wheel temps after a ride?
- dash control panel “miles” display might be malfunctioning. Check its accuracy using a different mthod to measure miles.
There are other malfunctions posssible, but those seem less likely than the two above.
Ask a dealership if there are any related tsb’s.
My Owner’s Manual suggests using just the seat heaters if the temps aren’t frigid. I can attest that the seat heaters don’t reduce the EV range. So, if the OP has seat heaters, he may want to go that route when it isn’t too cold.
Another idea, is there more weight being carried now vs then? More passengers, cargo, etc? More weight will reduce miles . How much? don’t know.
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… and/ or is the OP doing more high speed driving than he used to? I’m assuming that the tires are properly inflated.
Good point. Higher speeds, more uphills, more lighting, more passengers or other weight are all important factors.
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This problem would be easier to solve if the OP had the drivetrain sensor data for a prescribed test drive when the car was new and working correctly .