Best drive mode for road trip range efficiency

[HDer]

I'm talking regular driving on highways, with some coasting if enabled, but not extreme hypermilling. Still keeping with the flow of traffic, which in my area is 5-10 miles above the speed limit, AC on, etc.

Has anyone done a test? Want to take a guess?

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[physib]

Drive mode doesn't affect efficiency other than the different regen amount. Then you'd also have to consider regen vs. coasting efficiency. Overall I'd say it doesn't really matter.

 

[AZBill]

I only have one test so far, used whisper mode with one pedal off. Have never shifted to L. Seems logical that whisper will have less acceleration, so better range. I don't see any point in using one pedal on a highway and doubt that it makes much difference at all. But one pedal may make the ACC work more, I would rather just have coasting on the highway.

Unless you have a route that is repeatable often, it would be really hard to test very many combinations.

 

[HDer]

Drive mode doesn't affect efficiency other than the different regen amount. Then you'd also have to consider regen vs. coasting efficiency. Overall I'd say it doesn't really matter.

I think it could matter. Many cars have a dedicated "Eco" mode, and at first glance Whisper and Eco don't sound too far apart. But the differences in regen make me wonder...

 

[HDer]

I only have one test so far, used whisper mode with one pedal off. Have never shifted to L. Seems logical that whisper will have less acceleration, so better range. I don't see any point in using one pedal on a highway and doubt that it makes much difference at all. But one pedal may make the ACC work more, I would rather just have coasting on the highway.

Unless you have a route that is repeatable often, it would be really hard to test very many combinations.

We have a road trip coming up so we might try one way Whisper and one way Engage and record the results. But yes, this is probably best determined by someone who has a daily 30 mile commute.

 

[AZBill]

We have a road trip coming up so we might try one way Whisper and one way Engage and record the results. But yes, this is probably best determined by someone who has a daily 30 mile commute.

That works great if it is flat. My first trip was a climb of 6000 feet at 75mph, got 3.0 mile/KWH in 230 miles. Coming home the same route, got 4.4mile/KWH. I started that trip with the guess-o-meter at 370 miles, that didn't last long.

 

[db4z]

Drive modes do not affect how efficient converting electrons to motor power for a acceleration rate or speed. There would be no advantage of intentionally running the motor less efficiently. While the amount of regen braking with no pedals applied will vary, think of different modes more as changing how much the car pressing the brake pedal for you while coasting. Braking efficiency for the same deceleration g's will remain the same whether the car is braking for you or if you are applying brake pedal as the motor will always slow the car until regen torque is maxed out before applying the friction brakes. The EPA cycles are defined at fixed speed curves vs time such that every car is accelerating and slowing down exactly the same, regardless of how much horsepower the car might have or how aggressive the pedal response is calibrated.

Therefore, drive modes all perform exactly the same on the EPA cycle. If they didn't, then the car would default to most efficient mode everytime you turn it on because the EPA makes you prove the drive mode you are certifying for the label represents what most drivers will use most of the time.

Therefore, the only real efficiency impact from drive modes is how aggressive it might make you drive, not the conversion of electronics to foward motion for a given acceleration rate (including 0 for steady state speeds). Driving in one pedal mode might also help you from over braking and getting into friction brakes but only if you regularly brake/decelerate harder with the pedal than what the car will do in a higher regen mode with no pedal application.

Gas engines with eco modes typically reduce pedal response but may do things to improve efficiency at expense of engine responsiveness, such as adjusting cam timing, spark timing, transmission shift schedule, turbo bypass pressure, egr position, etc. but none of those apply to EVs as the only thing that really affects their responsiveness is how fast current rate can be ramped up out of the battery.

 

[praxiscat]

I think the big advantage of "Engage" with no OPD is the fact it has the break coach. So the car teaches you how to maximize regen. This can extend your range. Likewise it allows for coasting, which can also extend your range.
Again aggressiveness plays into this as well. Save for when I am having fun, I am almost the ideal electric driver for the MME, because I was driving a hybrid for years beforehand. Many of the techniques carry over with the MME.

 

[RickMachE]

I think the big advantage of "Engage" with no OPD is the fact it has the break coach. So the car teaches you how to maximize regen. This can extend your range. Likewise it allows for coasting, which can also extend your range.
Again aggressiveness plays into this as well. Save for when I am having fun, I am almost the ideal electric driver for the MME, because I was driving a hybrid for years beforehand. Many of the techniques carry over with the MME.

Break coach?

 

[macchiaz-o]

Break coach?

Yes, just like this. It's fun and tastes good. ?

 

[buzznwood]

One thing I wish ford would do as the modes are just software settings for steering, pedal respone, lift off regen etc. Is do what other manufactures do and add a custom / individual mode that allows you to pick and mix the presents for each of the variables.

As currently if you select engaged you have the weightier steering feel and have the most lift off regen, Pick whisper then you have the maximum coasting on lift off but also have lighter steering feel.

So if like weightier steering feel and also want the maximum coasting on lift off well then f'you is the ford attitude Not giving users a custom / individual mode is one of the most boneheaded idiotic decisions. Hopefully one day ford will see the light and add it as an OTA even though it should have been there since day 1.

 

[TruWrecks]

ACC disables OPD so no extra workload with ACC or IACC. ACC and IACC are pretty efficient for long trips. I have averaged 3.2 M/kWh and sometimes better using ACC at 70 MPH on long trips.

 

[engnrng]

Pushing air (proportional to square of the speed), elevation change, weight of loaded vehicle (including trim level sometimes), tail wind vs head wind, ambient temperature - these have the greatest effect on efficiency, not drive or regen modes.

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