Cruise vs No Cruise
- Thread starter Limey
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Nubo
Well-known member
Limey said:
It depends. If it's flat and no traffic, cruise will do pretty good. But if cruise control is frequently invoking regen then energy is being wasted. With rolling hills, for example, it's most efficient to coast down them, keeping power level at zero (no forward power, no regen). Keeping speed within reason and being considerate of traffic, of course. I find this makes a significant improvement in efficiency vs. letting the cruise control invoke regen to keep constant speed.
thankyouOB
Well-known member
agree. if you are disciplined, you can generally do better just holding a speed 60-63, even 65.
but the tendency is to speed up.
(i am talking 2011 model here)
the issue i would like to see focused on in this regard is whether there is little difference in slowing with ECO or using the brake lightly.
i think the accomplish the same thing.
i generally use ECO to slow as I would a lower gear in a manual, but I believe light braking would accomplish the same thing; based on observing the energy usage and regen screen.
but the tendency is to speed up.
(i am talking 2011 model here)
the issue i would like to see focused on in this regard is whether there is little difference in slowing with ECO or using the brake lightly.
i think the accomplish the same thing.
i generally use ECO to slow as I would a lower gear in a manual, but I believe light braking would accomplish the same thing; based on observing the energy usage and regen screen.
DaveinOlyWA
Well-known member
yes it is better but keep in mind; the performance gain is solely reliant upon your abilities. I suggest that in many cases, you simply have bigger fish to fry than to play the small changes in elevation on your journey such as... finding the right radio station, sipping coffee or selecting a dinner destination
TickTock
Well-known member
Nubo said:
+1. With an emphasis on "keeping speed within reason."
The electrical round trip efficiency is ~81% at 45mph (Nissan Leaf Advanced Vehicle Testing) and gets better at higher speeds. So if your increase in speed on a downhill causes your frictional losses (air drag) to increase more than 20% you are better off applying a little regen to keep speed in check.
stjohnh
Well-known member
I agree with all the other posts above, basically that a knowledgeable and conscientious driver can do better than cruise, is true, but I think a factor for me that has not been emphasized enough is that while fairly knowledgeable, I am not consistently conscientious.
That is, in my 2013 S, without cruise, while I KNOW what to do to get best range, with some frequency, I find myself daydreaming, and (because wind noise, engine noise, and road noise are so low in the Leaf), I find myself going 70mph when I was planning on going 55. My wife has the 2013 SV, w cruise, and on the freeway, unless I am concentrating on driving, I clearly get better range in her car on the freeway than in my S.
The two things I miss the most in my S that she has are the cruise and the QC port.
That is, in my 2013 S, without cruise, while I KNOW what to do to get best range, with some frequency, I find myself daydreaming, and (because wind noise, engine noise, and road noise are so low in the Leaf), I find myself going 70mph when I was planning on going 55. My wife has the 2013 SV, w cruise, and on the freeway, unless I am concentrating on driving, I clearly get better range in her car on the freeway than in my S.
The two things I miss the most in my S that she has are the cruise and the QC port.
GRA
Well-known member
+1. If you're a hypermiler that wants to devote a large part of your attention to minimizing your energy usage, then you can do better than using the cruise control, and hopefully not annoy too many other people in the process. For everyone else, just set it and forget it; you'll do better than 'normal' manual driving.stjohnh said:
I agree with most of the above, but note that there are always exceptions. My housemate learned to drive later in life, and she won't use Cruise - doesn't want to give up control of the throttle. She also drives very carefully, and she gets better MPG with her Prius PHEV using her foot only than I can get with it using both cruise control and careful driving. If you drive like a Little Old Lady to begin with, Cruise won't herlp you much.
