Skepticisms surrounding electric vehicles largely has to do with the reliability and safety performances in extreme conditions, from freezing Alaskan winters to the desert heat of Southwest US. Ford’s Mark Poll explains how the F-150 Lightning Pro® goes through the same grueling process as the rest of its truck lineup and offers other solutions to ensure operators’ days run smoothly.
MWS: WHAT ARE SOME CONCERNS FORD HEARS ABOUT WINTER EV PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS A DROP IN RANGE DURING COLD WEATHER?
POLL: Our customers work in a wide variety of weather conditions in some of the toughest environments. Ford EVs are designed to operate and tested in demanding conditions in these same locations. The cold weather brings both opportunities and challenges for electrification. First, the F-150 Lightning® offers standard dual motors that provide an always-on 4×4 experience, with the two motors working together to deliver the intended amount of power to each axle. Second, the low center of gravity that results from the motors and battery being integrated into the frame of the vehicle below the cab improves handling.
Cold temperatures have a temporary impact on the battery that reduces the amount of usable energy that can be pulled back out. An EV must generate its own heat to warm the cabin, unlike an internal combustion engine vehicle that generates heat from the combustion process. These factors impact range.
Ford Pro helps clients manage these impacts with a simple-to-use, automatic feature in our EVs called scheduled preconditioning. Preconditioning can be scheduled up to two times per day to automatically heat or cool the battery and cabin to prepare for the next shift or delivery. It can be managed across the entire EV fleet through the Ford Pro E-Telematics platform, or individually scheduled. The feature is smart enough to monitor the external temperature and start heating or cooling the vehicle up to an hour in advance while still connected to “shore power”—using energy from a charger for preconditioning instead of discharging the battery.
MWS: DOES A DROP IN RANGE AFFECT THE PAYLOAD OR TOW CAPACITY?
POLL: The Lightning payload and tow capacity depend on the vehicle’s configuration, such as battery size and the inclusion of the Max Tow Package. Payload and towing both have impacts on range because additional power is required to drive the vehicle and loads. Hilly roads also have an impact on range, though, unlike gas- or diesel-powered vehicles, an electric vehicle can recover the energy used to climb a hill while descending with regenerative braking, which reduces the burden on the vehicle’s friction brakes.
When looking at elevation changes, it’s necessary to ensure the vehicle has enough energy to reach the highest point of its journey, not just enough charge to reach its destination after driving downhill. Through our E-Telematics and Cloud-Connected Navigation products, a driver can enter a destination to have the route assessed for the energy required and identify if a charging stop is required. These features work together to estimate the energy required based on driving history, temperature, traffic speeds, and elevation.
MWS: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OUR READERS TO HELP QUELL THESE CONCERNS?
POLL: EVs offer significant opportunities for cost and time savings in cases where the daily driving needs can be met by charging when the vehicle is already going to be parked. Ford Pro EVs have solutions that help drivers complete their journey and recommend charge stops along the way. We also help drivers find and activate chargers and bill the charge event to the fleet through a vehicle touchscreen app, Charge Assist, paired with our Public Charge Management service.
MWS: HAS FORD CONDUCTED ANY WINTER PERFORMANCE TESTS?
POLL: Absolutely—the F-150 Lightning is Built Ford Tough, just like the rest of our truck lineup. Ford engineers tested and fine-tuned cold-weather performance and drivability in a variety of locations and snow and ice conditions as low as minus 30 degrees. Ford tested Lightning in a variety of conditions to demonstrate the potential impacts on range, factors like payload, speed, towing, and the benefit of the preconditioning feature in cold weather.
MWS: WHAT HAVE BEEN THE RESULTS OF THESE TESTS?
POLL: At 14 degrees, the estimated range was 17% higher with 1-hour of scheduled preconditioning compared to the estimated range at that temperature without preconditioning. The results of this testing and additional tips are available on our website.
All vehicles face challenges in extreme temperatures. To understand how these challenges affect EVs, AAA tested (2019) how weather impacts the range of several popular EVs. They found that when outside temperatures heat up to 95 degrees and air conditioning is being used in the vehicle, driving ranges can decrease by 17%. 20-degree weather alone could reduce range by 10-12%, while the use of in-vehicle climate control could amplify range loss to 41%.
MWS: HAS THE FORD LIGHTNING UNDERGONE CUSTOMER TRIALS OR TESTING IN REAL WORK FLEETS THAT OPERATE IN EXTREME CONDITIONS?
POLL: On the commercial side, our customers range from small and medium size businesses with just a few trucks to large businesses with 500-plus trucks. Lightnings are also in use across the US in a variety of vocations: construction, utilities, oil & gas, mining, and many others. These trucks go through the same torture testing our other truck products endure.
MWS: HOW WILL THE RECENT PRICE DROP AFFECT THE FLEET INDUSTRY?
POLL: As our EV production scales and we move past the pandemic related supply bottlenecks, we can offer more competitive pricing for our customers—this remains fluid to market conditions. Lightning is in heavy demand across fleets for numerous reasons. Delivering solutions that help our fleet customers run their businesses more efficiently is what Ford Pro is all about.
MWS: ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS?
POLL: Ford Pro EVs are designed to support a wide variety of use cases and operating environments. While some use cases might be better suited for a gas, diesel or hybrid powertrain, many Ford Pro customers have already incorporated EVs into their fleets and are experiencing the potential operating benefits of electrification. Ford Pro offers a planning tool called Ford Pro E-Switch Assist that helps customers determine if an existing Ford Transit® van is a good candidate to switch to an E-Transit™.
Ford Pro solutions are available to help customers through the transition to electrification. Some tools include a complimentary trial period. Ford Pro can help clients through their electrification planning with solutions beyond the vehicle itself, including charging, vehicle monitoring, and management tools.
For More Information
Mark Poll is a manager of EV Consulting at Ford Pro Charging and has more than ten years of experience working with Ford Motor Company. Find out more at www.fordpro.com.
