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Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

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Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#111
post #49

My experience with EVs (Teslas): EVERYDAY CITY DRIVING - I drive whenever I need or want, without ever worrying about range. If I notice the expected range has dipped below ~60 miles, give or take, I plug it in at home at the end of my day. I'm delighted that I never have to go to a gas station, which reeks of all that smelly/poisonous/explosive stuff. LONG TRIPS - I charge to 100% the night before, get on the road,…

I'm not sure I agree that 325mi is a long trip. I used to live in FL and you can drive more than 600mi and stay in the state. I now live in Texas where that number jumps to about 900mi. I'm sure in California it's at least 500mi. EVs can be great if your commute is less than 30mi one way, but that doesn't make them good for road trips. At least in the US.

I’ve done >800 miles in a day a few times (San Jose Seattle) with my EV (Ioniq 5). It was fine, stopped every 2-3 hours for 15-20 mins. Granted, it’s one of the better supplied charging corridors in the US, so your hassle/overhead may vary depending on where you are going.

Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#112
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the first time I've heard anyone exceed their EPA range. 303 miles is impressive!

I have the same experience with my Kona EV. Official range 415 km, but in the summer it's actually ~450 km. (Not that I ever run 100%-0% of course, but I get 90 km going from 80% down to 60%.)

Same with a Kia Niro EV I had, which is on a shared platform with the Kona. I think it was 239 miles EPA rated, in the summer it was quite easy to exceed. I don't have a lead foot and drive pretty efficiently though.

Great car, good space, level 2 driver assists and very efficient which offset the slow DC charge speed. Relatively lightweight for an EV at 3800lbs as well.

Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/03/car-tyre...

Interesting that driving style has such an outsized impact. Perhaps aggressive driving and tire composition should be regulated.

Cars should be smart enough to automatically adapt the allowed driving style to their surroundings. There is no reason why cars should be able to accelerate at maximum torque on normal city roads. Or go their max speed.

Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#114

For occasional commutes, 115km one way is ok (not for me, but it's not unthinkable). But 115km each way (230km round trip) 5 days per week is a problem. We should not be doing this, at least not in individual cars. That electric car is still creating a lot of particulate pollution from the tires on the road, not to mention its contribution to general traffic. The focus should be on how to reduce the commute distance…

> So much of our intellectual and financial energy seems to be directed toward overclocking the horse and buggy

I don't personally think it's realistic to expect everybody/all people (who mainly work for a living/work hard) to ask them to give up the luxury of spending their hard earned money on being able to transport themselves (to and from their job) in something other than the comfort of their own car. I think you're suggesting "we should all be doing public transport, it's more efficient."

You aren't wrong, but there's a human/emotional element/aspect here.

Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#115
post #69

"Cold weather has an influence on the battery capacity too." I take this to mean that the author acknowledges GAS cars are also affected by cold weather. There's just no escaping thermodynamics. It's also like pointing out GAS cars' MPG is reduced by 20%+ in cold weather. While it's true, it's like pointing out a gotcha edge case for all cars. So the conclusion can also apply the same way to GAS cars. 'Next time you…

I can fill up the gas car quickly almost anywhere if I'm running low on fuel.

Also, survival time in a stuck ICE in Winter is much higher.

Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#116
post #69

"Cold weather has an influence on the battery capacity too." I take this to mean that the author acknowledges GAS cars are also affected by cold weather. There's just no escaping thermodynamics. It's also like pointing out GAS cars' MPG is reduced by 20%+ in cold weather. While it's true, it's like pointing out a gotcha edge case for all cars. So the conclusion can also apply the same way to GAS cars. 'Next time you…

That article seems a bit misleading. I have to think the impact of cold weather on an ICE vehicle is highly variable on other factors. It certainly wasn't quite so bad when I was growing up in Canada, and most of the variance was attributable to differences in winter vs. summer fuel mixes.

Most of the effects it describes are only in effect while the car is warming up, and given that say, engine oil typically warms up to around 70C when operating, it's hard to believe that the difference between starting at say -10C vs 20C is really going to add up for anything more than a VERY short drive (one that, if you cared about fuel economy or environmental impact, you'd probably just make on foot).

Sure, if you have electric seat warmers and the like, that could add up, but one of the "advantages" of an ICE car is their inefficiency leads to lots of waste heat, so they can keep the car cabin warm just from that, without needing to use electric heaters at all (keeping the interior cabin warm is one of the primary factors that sucks up EV range in cold weather).

Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#117
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And their increased weight makes them much harsher on roads than normal cars. They wear down roads faster, and I suppose they also produces more particle pollution than normal car for this reason.

Threads like this read like EVs are double or more the weight of an ICE car. EVs are a couple hundred pounds heavier in average than an equivalent ICE car. In terms of road wear, it's still a rounding error compared to industrial trucks.

The road wear is said to be proportional to the fourth power of axle load. http://www.cyclelicio.us/2014/fourth-power-rule-road-tax/

That means you deal twice the damage by increasing weight by only 20%. Seems in line with electric car weight difference.

Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you brake with the electric motors first This is not true. At least for Teslas, the brake pedal only controls the friction brakes (they are hydraulically coupled). Same with a Chevy bolt. Unsure on other EVs

In Teslas, any time your foot is completely off the accelerator, you're getting maximum regenerative braking. If you then press the brake pedal too, you're getting maximum regenerative braking plus friction braking.

I think I misunderstood your use of "actual pedal" in the GP comment. You meant accelerator by that? I assumed brake pedal

Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#119
Model Y in cold climate here.

While the sticker estimates of range are probably advertising, and the % battery to range meter you get in the app / dashboard is junk, the drive estimates are spot on.

When you enter a destination, it will tell you very precisely how much energy it will take, accounting for every current condition, including temp. This must surely be data driven because it is alarmingly good. So your day to day use will not involve these guessing games, imho

Re: Realistic daily range of an electric vehicle

#120
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually I wasn't referring to ICE, just that the climate influenced the realistic daily range too. But your remark is very interesting, I would have thought that combustion did not suffer much from the cold.

Maybe it’s air density with coefficient of drag that worsens in cold air.

I believe those were factors once upon a time, but modern cars tend to heavier and more aerodynamic than they once were, so drag is less of a factor... and the air gets warmed up prior to combustion, which minimizes the impact of its initial temperature.
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