Definitive Range Optimization Technique

[ronco]

I want to apologize in advance for beating the dead horse of Range discussions (especially from n00bs). I know range is better in city as opposed to highway, and warmer temperatures are key.

However, I’ve seen differing recommendations when it comes to drive mode and 1-pedal drive. Some folks say drive in whisper, others engage or unbridled. I’ve also seen comments saying one pedal is best and others saying to avoid it. Has there been a scientific study of the effects of driving style, particularly on highway? I have a road trip plan and I’d like to understand and maximize my range.

Once again, apologies for bringing this up yet again. If there’s a post on this I couldn’t find please point me that way.
Thanks!

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[generaltso]

Ford has stated that efficiency is the same in all drive modes and with both 1PD settings. Don't sweat it.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

If your road trip involves freeway driving, you'll most likely be using cruise control, in which case, for those segments, drive mode is entirely irrelevant.

And as @generaltso stated, there's no efficiency difference between drive modes. I have noticed that the engage drive mode might encourage me to drive...differently...and thus I might have a lower efficiency, but that's because of the way I drive, not the mode (I can get just as bad efficiency in whisper).

Mostly, just enjoy the road trip.

 

[sci_goat]

Logically, it would make sense that 1PD is less efficient. The car has to accelerate he car (battery -> kinetic energy) then store it again (kinetic -> battery). Every time you add a process step, there is inefficiency (in this case, energy lost to heat). I can't say whether the differences are all that noticeable, but theoretically it would be more efficient to coast, and not take the efficiency lost to conversion.

Anecdotally, I noticed that when I activate 1PD, my efficiency numbers in the Trip Energy App decrease.

 

[generaltso]

Logically, it would make sense that 1PD is less efficient. The car has to accelerate he car (battery -> kinetic energy) then store it again (kinetic -> battery). Every time you add a process step, there is inefficiency (in this case, energy lost to heat). I can't say whether the differences are all that noticeable, but theoretically it would be more efficient to coast, and not take the efficiency lost to conversion.

Anecdotally, I noticed that when I activate 1PD, my efficiency numbers in the Trip Energy App decrease.

You can coast with 1PD enabled. It's all about the position of the accelerator pedal.

 

[Maquis]

Logically, it would make sense that 1PD is less efficient. The car has to accelerate he car (battery -> kinetic energy) then store it again (kinetic -> battery). Every time you add a process step, there is inefficiency (in this case, energy lost to heat). I can't say whether the differences are all that noticeable, but theoretically it would be more efficient to coast, and not take the efficiency lost to conversion.

Anecdotally, I noticed that when I activate 1PD, my efficiency numbers in the Trip Energy App decrease.

Regen braking is an alternative to friction brakes, not to coasting. 95% of the time, the only way to coast to a stop is to hit something.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...al-driving-the-measured-data-proves-it.26453/

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Regen braking is an alternative to friction brakes, not to coasting. 95% of the time, the only way to coast to a stop is to hit something.

Or to drive very dangerously and disrupt traffic.

 

[RicoSuave1911]

Haven't tested it, but logic tells me that turning off 1PD during road trips on open highways would be more efficient.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Haven't tested it, but logic tells me that turning off 1PD during road trips on open highways would be more efficient.

The owner's manual indicates that it's turned off when cruise control is activated.

If one is driving without cruise control, then it might take minimally more attention to detail to coast with 1pd on compared with having 1pd off, but it's quite a minor adjustment to driving behavior. I can get the same efficiency with 1pd on as with 1pd off.

 

[Mirak]

Yeah, if you’re on cruise control, 1PD is disengaged, so it’s pretty irrelevant on long road trips. Drive modes are likewise irrelevant.

If you deactivated 1PD, could you get better efficiency around town using the old pulse and glide method? Probably. Would it be enough of an improvement to really matter? Probably not. You’re probably talking about less than a dollar a month in electricity savings.

 

[RWG]

I have found that the most significant energy consumption differential is a result of how fast you drive. If you are going on a road trip, 65mph vs 75mph cruising is about 10% difference ( estimate). I have personally monitored my miles per kilowatt performance at these speeds and there is definitely a difference. The 1 pedal, unbridled vs engage and regen braking all make significant energy efficiency differences during in-town stop and go driving but not much, if anything, at cruising speeds. After-all on any major trip, most time is spent cruising. I have checked my "trip" performance numbers and when I am not paying attention, I might get about 2.4 to 2.5 miles per kilo watt and that is when I drive aggressively, just like everyone else @ 70 to 80 mph. But if I drive the speed limits, and avoid being the fastest car on the freeway, I can get 2.7 to 3 miles per kilo watt, or better, average efficiency.


Good luck

 

[AKgrampy]

Best way to optimize range is precondition batteries.

 

[ronco]

Ok. So my main takeaways are:

• Always use cruise control
• Don’t be a speed demon
• And I’m gonna switch to 2PD. Although @mkhuffman ’s study shows you can be equally efficient in either mode, it seems it takes less effort to drive efficiently in 2PD

I hope that (plus driving in warmer weather) will take us as far as possible on our trip.

 

[DevSecOps]

Ok. So my main takeaways are:

• Always use cruise control
• Don’t be a speed demon
• And I’m gonna switch to 2PD. Although @mkhuffman ’s study shows you can be equally efficient in either mode, it seems it takes less effort to drive efficiently in 2PD

I hope that (plus driving in warmer weather) will take us as far as possible on our trip.

My take on your takeaway...

Drive in the mode you most enjoy. Drive as fast as you want. Don't change how you drive unless you're in an oh-shit, I need a charger now, mode. Enjoy the car and drive it like any other car you've driven. People put way too much into small gains.

You might be able to get a few more miles out of it driving slower, but if you're going on a long trip your likely not going to plan on charging at 5% SOC. You'll have chargers planned on the route with a buffer.

After driving 40k miles, almost all highway, I can tell you that head winds, night time driving and cold temps are going to affect your range far more than driving style or what modes you select.

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