Most efficient highway cruise speed?

[Shayne]

Slower is better until possibly you start to use climate controls. As the heater starts to consume energy speeding up to reduce the duration of interior climate consumption may help range. A sweet spot may exist during cold (hot) conditions. At 20 oC and no interior consumption the slower the better.

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[Carsinmyblood]

If you're low on a charge, you'll want to hurry home before it runs out.
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Joke. An old one.

 

[ARK]

Like Prius drivers 15 years ago, with dangerously overinflated tires, and cycling between going up to 80mph, coasting down, going back to to 80mph, and doing it again when no truck was available to tailgate.

 

[db4z]

Wind resistance goes up with the square of speed, so even though you are covering more distance in the same time, you are using exponentially more energy to push air around the car. There will be small variations in motor efficiency with speed, but that probably isn't very significant as electric motor losses a fairly small compared to all losses. Like others have mentioned, there will also be fixed electrical load from accessories like hvac that will make very slow speeds less efficient because you are driving and therefore using those systems for so much longer.

I would expect that tesla study to be in the right ballpark for peak efficiency somewhere between 30 and 40mph. ICE cars are a little different because engine efficiency changes drastically with loading and gearing.

 

[theo1000]

I don't have a Mach-E yet but on my Etron which has a similar front profile the ideal sweet spot I have found considering all factors is 68 mph for slow and 72 mph for fast. 68 Mph allows you to overtake the 65 Mph folks and allow the 70 Mph folks to overtake you. Below 68 Mph the gains are not worth the aggravation! If you have a 250 mile range and have to go 100 miles then I set to 72 Mph as this allows for a nice buffer, including bad weather, detours, etc. But mostly I set it at 68 Mph and forget it....

 

[gnaark]

Honestly I just drive at the speed limit and I get to the EPA range or better.
Going slow on the highway is dangerous.

 

[theo1000]

I think all of them. 60 mph to 75 mph. There's only a couple of stretches west of me that are set at 75 mph. but most don't exceed 70 mph.

 

[DaMeatMan]

Hey MME Folks,

This is my first electric car, and so far it's great. Anyway, I'm getting ready to go on a road trip next month was was wondering if there is a particular speed that maximizes efficiency? Any intel from more experienced electric car folks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Slower is better, but at the end of the day just drive like a normal human being and go with the flow of traffic. Same basic laws of physics apply for all vehicles, irrespective of ICE or BEV, and faster speeds equals less efficiency. Don't focus so much on counting every last Kwh, and just enjoy the car.

I was new to EV's as well before getting my MME, and ultimately I fell into the trap of checking my range and KWh consumption like a fiend every moment I could at first. But then something strange happened, I got over that initial fear and uncertainty and just learned to enjoy my MME and the ride! The MME has plenty of range even for most road trips lasting 3 hours plus on the road. Check before hand if going on a really long trip, and make plans for stops as part of your route as necessary, but beyond that just enjoy the car!

 

[Luke]

Better yet, tie a car to the truck, disable 1 pedal drive and set the car in Neutral with L and enjoy the free fueling by regen. Just make sure to disconnect within 30 min

I just wonder how long until someone tries that...

 

[UW2]

Hey MME Folks,

This is my first electric car, and so far it's great. Anyway, I'm getting ready to go on a road trip next month was was wondering if there is a particular speed that maximizes efficiency? Any intel from more experienced electric car folks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I would say the most efficient speed is the one that gets you away from the cops.

 

[JCHLi]

Hyundai set EV range records running at 30 km/hr, so I'm guessing the optimum speed would be right around there.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Hyundai set EV range records running at 30 km/hr, so I'm guessing the optimum speed would be right around there.

Post #10 agrees.

 

[JCHLi]

Post #10 agrees.

I think that was in mph, not sure why the difference between T and Hyundai. My guess is climate as the Hyundai test was very controlled.

 

[Crilly]

With level 1 charging, about 30 miles an hour.

With level 2 charging, about 45 miles an hour.

With 150 amp DC charging, as fast as you can with out getting pulled over.

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