ANY GPS would do

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blackleafva

New member
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Messages
2
On those days that I have to add some range due to either necessary driving during the day or low outside temperatures, I would love a GPS (either embedded or 3rd party) that would route me for best cost/range performance. Neither the option for my 2011 Leaf nor the option for my Garmin Nuvi give me the ability to optimize range.

For an example, the default for most GPS units is the faster method. Taking a beltway around a major city to get to the other side may get me there faster, but it may also add 15-20 miles to the trip. Going through the city may take me longer, but it would keep me at optimal performance for an EV (unlike gas engines that suffer severely from stop and go traffic) and help me get there with less anxiety.

On most days I barely get to the halfway point on my battery gauge, but there are THOSE days when it just doesn't work. Last week I got called to help my daughter get her car because she was 10 miles short of getting home. The trip to and from her destination added almost 30 miles to the distance she had to travel. Again, the straight line would have taken longer, but it would also have gotten her home without the tow and charge. Fortunately, NISSAN did pick up the towing charge.
 
On my Garmin GPS, there are two options for routing: fastest route, or shortest distance. Choosing the latter has helped me in similar situations. It's not perfect as it doesn't take into account all factors (e.g. terrain, etc), and sometimes the shortest route is also the fastest road, but it does help. I wish they had an "avoid freeways" feature sort of like Google Maps has, but I haven't seen that yet.
 
Navigon on the iPhone and Android both have the ability to avoid highways, toll roads, etc. They do not have an explicit "optimize range" mode though. Nor do they highlight EV charging stations, though I have requested that feature. (They can highlight gas stations.)
 
FYI, starting with the 13 model year there is an ECO routing option. It also displays an estimate of what the state of charge will be after arriving to the destination and allows you compare the various routing methods.
 
Haven't you guys ever used the mapping/routing function in CarWings? Before you laugh, I use to use it a lot to plot out routes for shortest distance; once I figured out my "high frequency" trips, I stopped using it so much (it's a pain to log-in, type in the address, etc.); it has EV friendly options like no highways, etc.
 
Some map apps can be set to pedestrian mode, which yields the absolute shortet path, but you do have to check it to make sure the path is on a road, sometimes it'll go where a car can't.
 
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