A/C - consumption

Thanks Peeto for testing that out, I never took the time to try it myself.

Congrats also for getting 3.3l/100km in 200km.

 

Yeah surprise me too. Highway driving probably helps a lot: the higher speeds dissipate the heat off the big condenser (radiator) in the front more efficiently, compared to around town, stuck in traffic.

Kudos too: for doing an experiment!

 

True.
A bigger reason you'll see a much smaller effect at "highway" speeds: The incremental energy consumption due to air conditioning tends to be approximately constant per unit time at any speed, assuming other variables constant. Therefore, as speed increases (thus time decreases per unit distance), energy required for cooling also decreases. That doesn't mean less fuel is needed overall as speed increases, just less for AC.

 

thanks! it is an amazingly efficient system. i wonder how much they improved gen 4.

 

I've been monitoring G4. Best I can see is they are getting 15% to 20% improvement over G3.

One of my frustrations with the G3 is it turns off/on the ICE at times I don't want to, and it affects my mileage a lot. That's why to get good mileage, I avoid crossing the grey area where it switches a lot between EV or ICE stages. I know if the threshold to stay on 1 mode was higher the car would be more efficient. I also know if the ICE could turn off at higher speeds it would improve efficiency a lot.

G4 seems to have done exactly those, plus it added active shutters.

I already regularly get borderline 700miles per tank with just the G3's, and that's without the blinking fuel lights. I can only dream of what kind of numbers we'd get if we get hold of those machines. 900 miles perhaps, 1000 if we push thru the blinking lights.

But then I don't think I will get a G4 when my G3 dies. Pure EV's will be plenty by then. The ugliness of the G4 doesn't help either.
It may just be ugly enough to push me gently over to a BEV or a pure ICE. There are lots of fuel efficient ICE nowadays also.

 

thanks, but i was talking about the air conditioning compressor/motor efficiency.

 

@Starship_Enterprius How the heck can you average 3.8? Just you in the car, ideal routes, God for co-pilot??

 

In my neck of the woods, it can be 80 or 85 degrees on Christmas Day! Thus, I'm a "year-'round" AC user. I always have it turned on, in my Gen4, set to a low temp of 62. (What can I say, I'm warm blooded.) In mostly stop & go city traffic, my gas mileage has been very good at a constant 60 mpg. That's good enough for me.

(Very rarely, will I ever turn the AC off. And I just found out that the air conditioning works much better (and seems to get colder) when I drive in the PWR mode. Gas mileage has not decreased; I get colder air...
Now I'm a PWR convert. )

 

power, or 'normal' mode, if gen 4 has it, give you full a/c. eco cuts it back, but i'm not sure how much it affects mpg's.

 

Oh ignore that...that was my average for my 1st 3 tanks (2 years ago) when I was still learning how to drive this thing....it is no way a lifetime average. I tried removing it once but can't figure out how. But after the initial fun I got bored keeping up with my fuelly stats... I was just content to see I was filling up only once every 3 weeks or more.

But to answer, yes it is my daily drive to the office on a super ideal route, relatively flat route, all by myself. Speeds are never any higher than 90kph, thru housing streets and one long nice stretch on the river parkway where I can mostly keep my speed around 70-80kph (40-50mph). There are some inclines both at the start and end of the route, but they help more by allowing me to coast downhill. In fact, if conditions are ideal (no cars behind), I can actually climb one of the hill mostly in EV.

It's not really real world driving condition for most peoples standard, but for me it is truly where I've driven everyday for the last 21 years. I know every road incline and curves and potholes to coast around, and can almost time every traffic light or roundabout along the way.

Edit: I finally figured out how to remove the fuelly footer, lol. Sorry for the confusion.

 

Keeping the speed down and seeking smooth routes does it for me too. Then, ours is rolling on 17" pilots.

 

Now that the AC seems to get colder in the PWR mode (Or am I dreaming?!) I can raise the temp up to 68 or so. The real test will come when we get another spell of 100 degrees.

I should turn the AC off for a full week, and see if it makes any difference in the mpg. Oddly, It doesn't matter how I drive, or what speed I drive at, or what "mode" I'm in... I never get better than 60 mpg. (But I'm not complaining.)

 

Try setting the temp around 74~75.

 

Hey!...that's exactly what my house AC is set to at night when it's occupied (it's programmed to go higher during the day).

 

He drives in California, Peeto. It's amazing his getting 60mpg driving there.

 

80% of my driving is stop & go, in the city; trips of 15 to 20 miles.

My 60 mpg average is based on a full tank. I drive until the gas gauge reaches the last "bar", or about 530 miles driven, then I fill up.

(I usually don't report mpg for short distances; It doesn't mean anything. I only do full tank-to-empty calculations. But I did get 73 mpg this morning during a short 113 mile trip. 100% driven in the PWR mode. But again, it's not very important to me.)