33 Months of EV driving...

[SpaceEVDriver]

I recently spent a month in the Los Angeles area and was getting between 4 and 8 miles/kWh in the Lighting---avoiding the freeways is both faster and more efficient (cheaper). At 4 miles/kWh, I can get 4 miles/kWh*131 kWh = 525 miles; at 8 miles/kWh, I can get >1,000 miles. Many times I returned "home" from a 40 mile round trip errand-run with less than 5% of the battery used. I did have an elderly family member in the vehicle, so I was especially careful about fast starts and stops. But it showed me what was possible even in an "inefficient" truck. No, I'm not saying everyone will get this. And this is obviously not road trip mileage. But it's certainly possible with careful driving.

I'm home now. We're finally getting snow in our mountain town (we're about 50+ inches below normal right now, so I haven't had much opportunity to test the Lightning in the snow). The Lightning shows itself to be fantastic in another way: its performance in snow and on ice is just incredible even with the low-quality OEM tires.

 

[oldgeeksguide]

I recently spent a month in the Los Angeles area and was getting between 4 and 8 miles/kWh in the Lighting---avoiding the freeways is both faster and more efficient (cheaper). At 4 miles/kWh, I can get 4 miles/kWh*131 kWh = 525 miles; at 8 miles/kWh, I can get >1,000 miles. Many times I returned "home" from a 40 mile round trip errand-run with less than 5% of the battery used. I did have an elderly family member in the vehicle, so I was especially careful about fast starts and stops. But it showed me what was possible even in an "inefficient" truck. No, I'm not saying everyone will get this. And this is obviously not road trip mileage. But it's certainly possible with careful driving.

I'm home now. We're finally getting snow in our mountain town (we're about 50+ inches below normal right now, so I haven't had much opportunity to test the Lightning in the snow). The Lightning shows itself to be fantastic in another way: its performance in snow and on ice is just incredible even with the low-quality OEM tires.

That’s useful data. Speed has a much bigger effect on efficiency for an ev than for an ice car, and range estimates seem to be focused on freeway speeds. When you’re traveling 30-40mph it can make a big difference in your range.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

That’s useful data. Speed has a much bigger effect on efficiency for an ev than for an ice car, and range estimates seem to be focused on freeway speeds. When you’re traveling 30-40mph it can make a big difference in your range.

Yeah. The heat-waste energy losses by an ICE are so high that while it's the same physics for loss at speed, there's such a large base inefficiency that it's not as obvious to ICEs when driving at higher speeds.

The EPA "test cycle" weights the city 55% and highway 45%. But the "test" is more of an applied model. The manufacturers don't drive the vehicle in the real world, they run the test on a dynometer and then apply one of several reduction factors (usually a simple 70% multiplier) to account for wind resistance and "aggressive driving" at highway speeds.