Range versus speed

Tesla's estimate for the Model S90D doing 45mph(lowest speed on the calculator) in 70F is 443 miles. That's 4.92 miles per kWh. Model S | Tesla
Its EPA efficiency is 100mpge. The Prime's is expected to be 120mpge in EV mode. We can expect it to 20% further than the S90D per kWh. Which would mean a little less 52 miles on 8.8kWh.

There has been no change to the actual test cycles. The big change was on the start speed for coast down test to determine the road load to use for the test. That went up from 50mph to 70mph.

 

I would think the 27 mile round trip commute is possible in the Prime given the conditions described. Not only was the the battery capacity doubled, but the system efficiency was improved. I'm averaging 13 miles in the PiP, and if nothing else was changed except double capacity, I would be achieving 26 miles. Surely the efficiency improvement is good for that extra mile.

I expect many owners to regularly achieve 30 miles.

That might be for the Prius, but other vehicles are much less efficient. Most peak at around 30% efficiency, which is only achieved during high loads where the car is generating 85% of peak torque.

 

No.
30% above EPA - maybe, in a nice summer day and without using A/C.

 

Well you don't have 8.8 kWh available. Probably closer to 7, maybe even only 6. If you double the available PiP kWh (~2.6 kWh) then figure out maybe 5.3 kWh as a conservative number and increase towards 7 kWh.

 

My CMax Energi has a 7.6kwh battery with approx. 5.7 usable when new. The most I've seen is 32 miles which was accomplished by slow pulses to 35-40mph and glides in neutral down to 15-20mph without HVAC in nice 70ish degree weather. Lots of fun <sarcasm> In good weather with lite to no HVAC around town, I regularly get 28ish.

Max reports of Volt 1.0 with 10.5 kwh battery is around 70 miles and volt 2.0 with 18.4 kwhr is around 100 miles. Those were accomplished by using a HUGE parking lot at 25mph non-stop.

YMMV

 

Is pulse and glide really more efficient with an EV too? I figured that method only applied to internal combustion engines.

My guess is maintaining a steady speed in an EV is more efficient than pulsing higher than the average speed you want to travel, and then gliding below that average speed.

 

Yeah, steady is best but finding a route is the challenge. I'm thinking a lightly used section of service roads along an interstate with matching overpass u-turns at each end. Basically a super long, oval track; on a cool, early Sunday morning.

 

More specifically, to standard Otto cycle engines. Even Atkinson-cycle and diesel ICEs have significantly less to gain than Ottos.

 

Never been in Denver however I assume it is quite impossible to find there a 30 miles flat road, isn't it?
As for the "gaming the system" as far as I recall this is done in hilly area by using the ICE on climbs (toggling the button) - kind of forced charge?

 

Actually Denver is on a heck of a plateau. Not that impossible to find 30 miles of REALLY flat road.

Pulse and glide.



Unsupervised!

 

I had never seen such flat land before I visited my wife's parents in Greeley CO. It's a little over an hour outside of DEN.

Oregon has few sections of road that are flat for miles, and even those have artificial hills created by on-ramps.

 

The NEDC was even optimistic compared to the pre-2008 EPA numbers.

 

Yes, however the 'pulses' or most of them are done by the ICE, not quite what the O/P wants to achieve.

 

Avg LA freeway speed: 17mph. My 20 mile commute to downtown LA is virtually flat.
I expect the Pime's useful EV range to be considerably > 22 miles for me.

Cheers, Everyone