EV Mileage Range

again, forget the estimate, what is your actual range? my range has dropped from 16-17 miles in summer, to 12-13 in winter. not a huge drop from temps in the 20's to single digits, maybe 10%.

 

I just spent 4 days at my daughter's house. Temp outside at her place was the same, in fact may have been a couple of degrees cooler than my insulated but not heated garage.

I had been at 9.6 miles. I started another thread about speed being a factor...not many people replied so I'll give my results here.

At her house I went out each morning early for coffee to McDonalds. It was 10 miles exactly total. By myself in the car I was just barely able to make it back to her house. Twice that first day and the engine never started...all city miles, speed never going over 30.

Day two, same scenario except the mileage was up to 10.2 that morning. No problem making it to McDonald's and back. Charged it back up and went on another day trip. Engine never started...speed no more than 30....another trip to shopping and got home with .6 miles left on EV estimate.

Day 3... mileage estimate for EV was at 10.6. Did my morning McDonalds run....Got back to her house with 1 mile left.
Went shopping again...damn women....and engine never started and got yelled at by my daughter for going so slow...lol...got home and mileage was 1.2 left.

Next morn....day for drive home...11 miles...ELEVEN...in the morning.

Drove home 200 miles at my normal 60 mph on the freeway and at my home the mileage the next morn...yesterday...it was 10.6.

Temp basically the same. I'm now convinced it has more to do with NOT starting the engine and driving slowly in EV.

 

Get an aftermarket gauge and watch charge-level instead.

PERCENT of the battery is more informative than the estimate of MILES.

A full recharge will always measure 85% regardless of what the screen shows.

 

Got one.

And what's your source depicting full recharge?

 

I'm at 13.8 km and it's COLD out.

 

13.8km? Converting that to miles would give you 8.6 or so. Seems low. And do you drive mostly EV?

 

Yes and no. If the temp is -10 C or warmer I drive EV as much as possible, below that I need the windshield clear. I also have winter tires and snow/ice on the ground so be sure to take rolling resistance into account.

 

not that surprising given that the Model S actually has active battery temp management and was running on the freeway with the battery being in use constantly. obviously a cold-soaked PiP with absolutely no heating of the battery will not perform as well.

 

When the vehicle stops accepting electricity from the wall.

Yes, internal resistance is higher. That's why saving the bulk of EV usage for the end of your driving is typically the more efficient choice, since the battery-pack will be warmer then.

 

I'm noticing cold weather tire pressure effects more now that most of the vehicles around me have the TPMS. Four of them have lit the warning light so far this winter. All as a result of dropping temperature. Rolling resistance increases as the pressure goes down especially if you end up below placard values. Less regen and faster depletion of EV range (stealth) is what I'm seeing with the Lexus.

Tyre inflation pressures
Temperature has a significant impact on tyre pressurisation. The temperature in a warm garage can be up to 30 ˚C higher than outside. If the tyre pressure is measured inside, it will be too low for outside temperatures.
Example: The temperature in the garage is +20 ˚C, while the outside temperature is -10˚ C à If the pressure is adjusted in the garage, the pressure added to the tyres must be 30 kPa (0.3 bar) higher than the recommended value to ensure a correct pressure level outside.
The impact of temperature on the pressure of passenger car tyres is approx. 10 kPa (0.1 bar) / 10 ˚C.

 

It was 8 degrees the day I got a 7.5 mile full charge. Fairly flat. Rural city streets, 30-40 mph. Today at 9 degrees, I had a full charge of 9.5 miles. Quite a difference. Still the point I was trying to make is that my overall mileage is still very fine. Obsessing about the HV full charge estimates is much ado about nothing.

 

Which OBDII device are you using?

You want to look at "State of Charge" or "SOC". 85% is full and I believe it switches to HV mode at 23%.

 

I am just coming onto this site -- I started tooking for answers as to why the estimated EV mileage was dropping. I have had the car since November and EV miles indicator after a full charge has gone from 11.3 to 9.3 or so. It doesn't seem to be temperature, miles on a 40F morning are the same as on a 20F morning. Now I am reading about the amount of EV driving determining the available miles. If that is the solution, I have a problem. I commute 10 miles in and 10 miles back each day and have been trying to 'save' EV for those level, slower travel areas and switching to HV when there is climb or when I want the car to get warm so I can get some heat. Is there a better strategy to maximize the EV? My overall mileage is just fine but I really enjoy squeezing the max out of the EV.

I have also noticed that if I am in HV when the car is cold the ICE charges the EV battery, or at least the available miles increase. I thought this wasn't something the car ever did (I am not complaining, just curious).

 

It is the temperature. The car starts with an (unrealistic?) number like 13 or 14 miles. As it learns from your driving it slowly adjusts the number...probably some kind of weighted moving average most likely. As the season changes and it gets warmer and if you take the same route, same speed, etc you'll see the number go up a bit.

Yes, the car will charge the battery somewhat in HV mode. But it won't charge it all the way full. I've seen it go up 1 or 2 miles max. If you go down a big hill you'll see it go up more.

Mike

 

Welcome to the forum.

Watch what happens to the estimate EV range as spring arrives. It's quite refreshing, though a test of patience.

I'm one of the few owners that has already experience the seasonal cycle. Warmer temperatures brings longer distances. That's simply how the batteries work. The value you're seeing reflects that... in addition to measuring your own particular driving routes.

Enjoy your Prius.

 

Your goals should be to
–arrive at a charger with zero miles remaining
–avoid using the engine for cold starts/slow speeds
–keep heater usage to a minimum (and use seat heaters instead)
Beyond that, just drive it.