CAR1 AWD 10% efficiency advantage vs Premium AWD...18" wheels?

Bjbjustin

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I'm trying to peel back what's giving the CA Rt 1 a 10% efficiency advantage over the Premium AWD...only spec difference I can see is 1" smaller wheel on the CA.

Sure, websites can post incorrect specs vs published spec sheets...but am I missing something here other than wheel size? If that's it, imagine how much mileage you'd pick up swapping wheels with a Datsun.
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vinny2487

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CA Route 1 also has aero covers on the rims. That makes the car more aerodynamic.
 

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My guess is that since eAWD is new for 2022 on the CA Rt1 model it hasn't been officially "measured" by the EPA/Ford (which is why the order page says "targeting").

In addition to that the EPA range for the 2022 Premium eAWD hasn't changed (270 miles) despite the extra 3kWh usable. Thus the EPA range for the 2022 CA Rt1 model eAWD may be larger not only due to the aero wheels but also the extra 3kWh.
 

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Also lower weight from fewer items. The front passenger seat is lighter. There are fewer speakers. The front side windows are lighter. The controls for the lift gate are less complex... Etc. All of those simple changes add up to less mass to push around. The CaRt1 is 0.1 inches taller because of the lower sprung weight.
 

OH2AZ2OH

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Ford has not yet updated the Premium AWD with the increased range due to more of the battery being unlocked for 22, which I believe they said will be 279 miles. Since the Ca RT1 AWD is new for 22, Ford included that with the estimate.

18s will make a difference in range, both in city and highway driving. They have less rotating mass than the 19s, so they are easier to bring up to speed in city driving. You do lose a small amount of regen, but that is more than offset by the gains. The 18s, especially with the aero covers, have less drag at highway speeds. There is also a slight weight advantage vs a Premium since there is no powered lift gate and maybe some other features. Will that add up to 21 miles? That seems optimistic, but not impossible.
 


Rt1AWD

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I believe they have messed up a little with this difference in range they calculated before.....
Somebody tested AWD and RWD in similar conditions and it seems the difference is much smaller then official.
Also after releasing 3% extra battery capacity for usage
- the range of Rt1 RWD was not updated
- the range of premiums was not updated
 
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Bjbjustin

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All sounds completely reasonable, and knowing that stated ratings don't actually reflect real world experience, but rather used as a tool for comparative analysis...my suspicion was the efficiency between the 2 models was much closer than stated (and likely not CA R1 gets '30 more to the charge')...but still, a 10% efficiency bump for wheel covers, nominal difference in wheel size and a few lbs of weight in the grand scheme of things is substantially higher than I'd expect.

Across the MME platform is a remarkably similar shared profile, it'll be interesting to hear real world feedback on what that translates to vs. how it compares to expected efficiencies.
 

GoGoGadgetMachE

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I believe they have messed up a little with this difference in range they calculated before.....
Somebody tested AWD and RWD in similar conditions and it seems the difference is much smaller then official.
Also after releasing 3% extra battery capacity for usage
- the range of Rt1 RWD was not updated
- the range of premiums was not updated
we know that Ford is deliberately, knowingly reporting lower than EPA in the US (the EU is different legally - they are required to report unchanged WLTP there, apparently), so this would make sense across the board and is consistent with the "underpromise, overdeliver" thing on range.

we don't know for sure that's how they got to this specific set of circumstances with respect to the deltas - just that the EPA numbers aren't what they used on the 2021 MY.
 

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<snip>
18s will make a difference in range, both in city and highway driving. They have less rotating mass than the 19s, so they are easier to bring up to speed in city driving.
<snip>
The *wheel* has less mass. The tire (given the same OD) has more mass. Typically, the tire weight is higher than the wheel weight so increasing the rim diameter with the other specifications remaining the same reduces the mass of the wheel and tire assembly. This has always been my experience with race wheels and tires.

Any range advantage from a smaller diameter wheel is purely aerodynamic. The smaller wheel presents a smaller window to the air, creating less turbulence and drag. This advantage would likely be enhanced by the aero covers on the smaller wheel and lack of covers on the Premium wheel.
 

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Regardless of total weight, moving the bulk of the weight of the wheel (the barrel) further away from its center of rotation always means it takes more force to turn it. Basic physics.
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