Longest Range Pontifications

[surfingslovak]

I did something similar last night. 23 mph was the lowest setting cruise control would accept. I turned off high beams, but had my auxiliary lights on.

 

[LEAFfan]

23 mph was the lowest setting cruise control would accept.

Interesting, the lowest mine will hold is 24 as it disconnects at 23.

 

[surfingslovak]

Interesting, the lowest mine will hold is 24 as it disconnects at 23.

Yes, somehow I managed to get one notch below 24, but it could have been circumstantial.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I think we're going to narrow this down pretty fast. If 23 and 27 are producing 6.5 from these quick tests, 25mph may be the sweet spot.

Tomorrow I'll make a few more tests for a longer duration around Fiesta Island. I was running out of juice today.

Maybe 6.6 ???

 

[DaveEV]

Ok, I did a lap around Fiesta Island. Some of those turns are tough at 27mph, but here's the result:

Yeah, I was going to say - having ridden around Fiesta Island many, many times, the turns are quite tight if you're going over 20 mph, and even though you're doing a lap, there are some hills in there.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

#1) i like the idea of collecting data

#2) i think your risks are too great

#3) for any real conclusion, it would have to be done several times.

now; not sure if this is an option for you, but around here we have half finished housing projects where its paved but empty streets on weekends. in fact, i have a place near me where there is a loop that could be run all day Sunday (pretty sure there is construction going on Saturday) i would have to measure it, but probably close to a mile. there is a stop sign which would make it tough but i think that only works in one direction.

another option might be an industrial park on the weekend. we have several around here that are pretty empty on weekends as well.

 

[TonyWilliams]

and even though you're doing a lap, there are some hills in there.

I think those hills are fine, since they aren't more than about 10-15 feet up or down, and every 2.5 miles, you're back where you started. Temperature is perfect, wind is largely negated by a loop, and you can race the bicycles.

It will be good for just determining the correct speed for a full distance run.

Edit: I'm terrible on the iPhone.

 

[TonyWilliams]

#1) i like the idea of collecting data

#2) i think your risks are too great

#3) for any real conclusion, it would have to be done several times.

Nothing preventing repeats. I like data. Risk will be mitigated, where ever tests are done.

not sure if this is an option for you, but around here we have half finished housing projects where its paved but empty streets on weekends.

The magazines use airport runways a lot. There isn't anything flat around here... Even Fiest Island, at 5-10 above sea level, right along the ocean water, has some small dipsy doodles <~official term.

 

[LEAFfan]

I think we're going to narrow this down pretty fast. If 23 and 27 are producing 6.5 from these quick tests, 25mph may be the sweet spot.

Tomorrow I'll make a few more tests for a longer duration around Fiesta Island. I was running out of juice today.

Maybe 6.6 ???

The problem with 25 being the 'sweet spot' is most of our streets are 45. So even if you can do better than at 38, it wouldn't be practicable except if one were running out of juice. I obtained my 6.8m/kW h on the dash (7.0 console) by staying around 38 as much as possible and timing all the lights (6 mile trip).

 

[TonyWilliams]

The problem with 25 being the 'sweet spot' is most of our streets are 45. So even if you can do better than at 38, it wouldn't be practicable except if one were running out of juice. I obtained my 6.8m/kW h on the dash (7.0 console) by staying around 38 as much as possible and timing all the lights (6 mile trip).

I'm sure you recognize that this is data collecting. Not recommendations for highway driving.

Once baseline data is carefully collected, actual improvements can be accurately measured against that.

6.8 at 38 is way better than 6.5 at 23-27. Interesting though.

 

[TonyWilliams]

...getting your vehicle towed.....Some trucker takes a bend where you are just out of eysight and all of a sudden he's on top of you... You may well end up performing a field sobriety test for CHP.

Honestly, I appreciate you concern. But, I think you're just a bit over the top. Nobody is going to tow my car, and for any drunk test given, I think I'll pass (and I seriously doubt we'd get to that point).

If you read the proposed route, one of the many criteria was straight and level. No truck is going to be "just out of eyesight" unless they're sleeping. And that is a VERY real possibility, even if I'm going 40mph (the legal minimum on the freeway, I believe).

Fortunately, the soccer mom's in their giant SUV's on the cell phone should all be sleeping.

Drunks, truckers, police, and me.

Tonight, after my quick spin around Fiesta Island (I'll do it again tomorrow), I was following a truck up the 163 freeway at about 30mph. We had both just gotten on the freeway, and it was uphill, so the truck wasn't accelerating. I was a couple hundred feet behind when a BMW Mini swerved around me at probably 80mph, horn blaring, and swerved back INTO my lane in front of me and almost hit the truck. What a tool.

I think of all the cars that I've read about on here involved in an accident were rear ended.

There are some two lane roads in Imperial County that may also be viable, and also just south of the border in Mexico.

 

[planet4ever]

No truck is going to be "just out of eyesight" unless they're sleeping. And that is a VERY real possibility, even if I'm going 40mph (the legal minimum on the freeway, I believe).

There is no specific minimum unless so posted:

CALIFORNIA VEHICLE CODE SECTION 22400

(a) No person shall drive upon a highway at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic unless the reduced speed is necessary for safe operation, because of a grade, or in compliance with law.
No person shall bring a vehicle to a complete stop upon a highway so as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic unless the stop is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law.
(b) Whenever the Department of Transportation determines on the basis of an engineering and traffic survey that slow speeds on any part of a state highway consistently impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, the department may determine and declare a minimum speed limit below which no person shall drive a vehicle, except when necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law, when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are erected along the part of the highway for which a minimum speed limit is established.

Ray

 

[evnow]

Tony,

No reason to drive till turtle. All we need is a 10 mile roundtrip - with soc meter and logging the m/kwh.

BTW, checkout the Edmonds test. They did it in a closed loop.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Tony,

No reason to drive till turtle. All we need is a 10 mile roundtrip - with soc meter and logging the m/kwh.

BTW, checkout the Edmonds test. They did it in a closed loop.

Yes, I've read that test before. I like this comment:


"This last point is why it took so long to arrange this test. Crapping out on some random road or freeway with unknown emergency parking and uncertain traffic simply wouldn't do. Sure, we could have done it at 2:00 am somewhere, but the video would have been a little, shall we say...dark."

So, at 35mph, they completed 132.0 miles in 80F heat. They beat my 22 miles from Low Battery to Turtle at 26.1 miles:

LowBatt 16.1
VeryLow 10.0

Ratio 62% !!!!!


My son was scouting around Phoenix for some of the auto proving grounds. The GM one near him was locked up tight, and I don't know that they rent it out. I think the one they used in in the northwest corner or Arizona, either Ford or Chrysler. Easy to find on Google Earth.

It wouldn't be that big of a deal to go there, and rent a LEAF for testing !!!

Or rent a LEAF here in San Diego at Enterprise.

Well, I'm off to Fiesta Island again for more testing.

Tony

 

[surfingslovak]

I have another update. The good news is, we can definitely beat the 138 miles range record. The bad news is, we may have to do it in turtle. I've uploaded a few pictures taken yesterday night. I switched from ECO to D mode for this test, and used the accelerator pedal to coast between 15 and 19 mph. I was not able to use the CC, because it does not support speeds this low.

I drove for about 3 miles and the readout on the dash was 8 MPK, the console was showing 8.4 MPK. I reset the console halfway through the test drive, after I realized that the dash indicator maxed out at 8. The highest readout I had on the console was 10.1 MPK, but that lasted only temporarily.

The guessometer thought it could go 123 miles on an 80% charge this morning. I fixed that really quick ;-)

 

[DaveEV]

I have another update. The good news is, we can definitely beat the 138 miles range record. The bad news is, we may have to do it in turtle.

Nice work - did you drive a loop to get that 8+ mi/kWh? If you can do that should be able to go over 160 miles. It will take you all day, though.

 

[surfingslovak]

Nice work - did you drive a loop to get that 8+ mi/kWh? If you can do that should be able to go over 160 miles. It will take you all day, though.

Yes, it was a long stretch of empty road close to home. And you are quite correct, it will take some dedication to beat the record ;-)
I believe that I saw about 120Wh per mile yesterday night. Auxiliary draw will become an issue at this level, but there is some hope that we can break 200 miles on a full charge one day.

 

[LEAFfan]

I switched from ECO to D mode for this test, and used the accelerator pedal to coast between 15 and 19 mph.

If you coasted in 'neutral' on the power bubbles using D between 15 & 19, don't you think you would have done better in ECO? I have absolutely no trouble at all keeping it in 'N' in ECO with the accelerator, and I would benefit with regen when it dropped to 15-18 then back to 19, etc. I'm going to have to try it for myself and see if I can do better. I'm going to try to keep it at a steady 15 though. I just realized our street is a 1/4 mile loop, no stops. What was your outdoor temp when you did your test? Here it is over 100 every day now (normal is 105).

 

[surfingslovak]

If you coasted in 'neutral' on the power bubbles using D between 15 & 19, don't you think you would have done better in ECO? I have absolutely no trouble at all keeping it in 'N' in ECO with the accelerator, and I would benefit with regen when it dropped to 15-18 then back to 19, etc. I'm going to have to try it for myself and see if I can do better. I'm going to try to keep it at a steady 15 though. I just realized our street is a 1/4 mile loop, no stops. What was your outdoor temp when you did your test? Here it is over 100 every day now (normal is 105).

Yes, that sounds like a great idea. It was quick and dirty test setup the other night, and I'm sure my technique has a lot of room for improvement. The ambient temp was 63 F, I believe that it's visible on the first picture in my prior post as well. I won't have much time this week, but I look forward to see what numbers other folks will post

 

[TonyWilliams]

Over 8 miles/kWh ??? Wow. Here's my day's work (about 25 minutes worth), 4 laps around Fiesta Island, 2.5 miles each lap, youngest son Kent doing the Navigator duties (he ended up putting a pen mark on my seat :-(

7.1 mile/kWh was the best, at a mostly steady 25 mph (40 kph) on cruise control, 69 degrees (20.5C), just a few feet above sea level, light westerly onshore breeze of less than 5 knots,

Note: I forgot to turn off the air conditioning, but I don't really think it was doing much as this temperature.