[K.Moreton]

Hi Everyone. I'm new to the group so apologies if this has been covered before.
I have an EQA and previously, when the battery was fully charged, the car would indicate that I have around 230 miles range. I know that this never translates to actual miles but I've noticed recently (worth noting in the cold weather) that when the battery is fully charged the car is indicating that I have around 180 miles of range. I expected there to be a reduction in the range in the cold weather but still expected that when charged to 100% the car would indicate the normal anticipated range of around 230 miles. Is this to be expected in the cold weather or is this apparent reduction in the battery capacity something to be investigated? Is there anything in the settings (as in some other cars) where you can re-set the battery so that the maximum charge gives the previously given range?

Thanks in advance.

 

[FDR]

Hi Everyone. I'm new to the group so apologies if this has been covered before.
I have an EQA and previously, when the battery was fully charged, the car would indicate that I have around 230 miles range. I know that this never translates to actual miles but I've noticed recently (worth noting in the cold weather) that when the battery is fully charged the car is indicating that I have around 180 miles of range. I expected there to be a reduction in the range in the cold weather but still expected that when charged to 100% the car would indicate the normal anticipated range of around 230 miles. Is this to be expected in the cold weather or is this apparent reduction in the battery capacity something to be investigated? Is there anything in the settings (as in some other cars) where you can re-set the battery so that the maximum charge gives the previously given range?

Thanks in advance.

Many drivers new to EVs get worried by these mileage estimates but the figures are based on a few criteria, eg. your driving style based on your last journey and as you have discovered, the temperature. The figures you quote are well within the range expected at this time of year in the UK and I don’t believe you have any cause for concern. My own range has dropped from an overall average since new of 3.2 miles per KWh to around 2.7 just now, so much the same as you are getting.
Setting the range manually would not serve any purpose even if it was possible, as it would not mean you would achieve that range. It would be like having a range estimator in an ICE car and setting it to 10,000 miles then saying that is how far you can get on one tank of petrol.
You can improve your range particularly in winter by preconditioning your car while it’s connected to the charge point, which saves using the drive battery to do the heating and charging just before you leave also warms up the drive battery.

 

[K.Moreton]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. This does provide me with some reassurance. My main worry was that when charged to 100% the range had dropped significantly leaving me to be concerned that there had been deterioration in the health of the battery. Presumably, in warmer weather the range will return to somewhere near what it had been previously?

 

[FDR]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. This does provide me with some reassurance. My main worry was that when charged to 100% the range had dropped significantly leaving me to be concerned that there had been deterioration in the health of the battery. Presumably, in warmer weather the range will return to somewhere near what it had been previously?

Yes, you should get your maximum range back to 230-260 miles but remember it’s only as good as your latest journey, if you’ve been driving in a hilly area or at 70-80mph or out-dragging sports-cars at traffic lights, you will see lower figures. This doesn’t have any bearing on the journey you are now undertaking as that depends on how you are now driving ( the estimator is not a Chrystal ball so can’t predict how you will drive or future temperatures) which is why the range figure is pretty meaningless and is why as I have said in previous posts, it’s better to use the consumption display in combination with the battery charge percentage to work out your available range.

 

[Parkwood]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. This does provide me with some reassurance. My main worry was that when charged to 100% the range had dropped significantly leaving me to be concerned that there had been deterioration in the health of the battery. Presumably, in warmer weather the range will return to somewhere near what it had been previously?

Yes always look at your consumption figure as that is used to give the range the range also varies during a trip and you can gain range as you drive along say for example if you are on a long downhill run. People forget but ICE cars are just the same and use more fuel in the cold than warm.

 

[EQA-S.oz]

You can improve your range particularly in winter by preconditioning your car while it’s connected to the charge point, which saves using the drive battery to do the heating and charging just before you leave also warms up the drive battery.

In about 8 months' ownership, I had not previously used Pre-entry climate control ('PECC'), but a week ago we undertook a journey of about 320 km in mild weather (20-25 degrees C) and prior to commencing the journey, I charged the battery to 100% (not previously done during our ownership) and the car showed a range of 413 km. About 20 minutes before leaving I set PECC and when we left the range had increased to 422 km. As others have commented, I suspect PECC is even more effective in cold weather.

Most of my journeys are relatively short and during winter (relatively mild in South Australia), I typically achieved about 21 kWh / 100 km, but with a bit warmer weather (we've had a cool spring), my EQA250 uses significantly less energy, running at about 18 kWh / 100 km. For interest, at times I use the MBUX display which shows - as I recall - three different categories of energy use and heating is certainly quite 'hungry'.

 

[FDR]

I have noticed another temperature related effect today which will affect achievable range to some extent. On checking my tyre pressures they are all down to 37psi, when I checked a couple of weeks ago they were at 40psi. I haven’t blown them up yet as it m help with traction in the snow we have at present, but worth keeping an eye on if you’re looking for maximum range.