Tips for driving in the mountains ?

[RedDragon]

All,

Mostly urban/suburban driver here so was curious if those who go to the great outdoors have tips to share.

I have some ski trips planned this winter. Does the forum have any tips on driving the MME in mountainous areas? My main concern is maximizing range. I am wondering the best ways to handle the ascents and descents.

Is there a drive mode people use for ascents versus descents? What about 1pd on descents vs coasting down? What about using the "L" ?

Thanks all and happy new year to everyone!!

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[beerfueledrunner]

I can only tell you to ensure charging is available at your destination. I made a 77 mile trip to our local mountains (started at 1500 feet and ended at 7000 feet) in temps ranging from mid 60s to low 50s. I started with a bit over 300 miles available and ended with 130 remaining (no charging and very little traffic). Driving back home I actually burned almost no net miles as I ended up at 128 miles remaining by the time I landed at home the following day. In total I drove 154 miles and burned thru about 180 net miles…

BUT (and that’s a big but ?), I wasn’t driving or sitting in freezing temps which definitely has an effect on total mileage. If your trip is longer, steeper and/or colder, I think you will definitely need to charge at least once and possibly more depending on how many days you will be in the mountains and how much additional driving you will be doing up the hill. Note that during my accent, I burned around 175 miles to travel 77 which is over 200% usage.

As an FYI, I used the unbridled mode in both directions as I have read that it provides the most regeneration though their may be others who have more helpful experience. Also important to note that I was also doing a bit of my own research on curved road cornering performance (in other words I was not trying to conserve but was having a lot of fun driving ?)

Cheers and Happy New Year!
@beerfueledrunner

 

[Frankie]

It's more efficient to use regen to maintain a lower speed than it is to let gravity take you faster by coasting, because most of that "extra" energy is lost to wind resistance. It's not going to be an enormous difference though.

Whether you use L or 1PD or just set the cruise control is personal preference. If the roads are slippery I'd be cautious using 1PD though.

The car is probably going to tell you at some point that you don't have enough battery to make it to the nearest charger because I guess it doesn't really understand how going down hills works. It's happened to me two or three times in both the Sierras and the Rockies and in all cases I arrived at my destination with like 20 or 30% battery. Just plan your routes well (i.e. use ABRP) and ignore what the stupid car is telling you.

 

[phil]

Gasoline-powered vehicles work really well in such situations.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

No snow here (We’re at 4400 ft snd the lowest it’s snowed here ever is 7500 ft), but I do live on the side of a dormant and rather tall volcano (Mauna Kea).

Climbing steep roads will eat into your SOC fairly quickly. Going up a 7 mile stretch from roughly 1,000 ft msl to over 5,000 ft msl averages 1.2 miles per kWh if I’m driving fast. If I’m very near the speed limit (60 mph) that average is around 1.8 to 2.1. Slopes are in excess of 6%.

The plus side is the descent. From our house at 4400 we need to climb on country roads to over 6,000 feet in about 5 miles. From there it’s a descent to under 1000 ft msl in about 7 or so miles. Using engage with 1-pd “on,” I usually arrive at the junction to another highway at a slightly higher or the same SOC as when I left home. I’ve never used “L”.

This is all about energy management. Your climbs are going to eat into the battery charge. Your descents are going to restore at least some of that. Keep in mind that your average mike/kWh won’t apply here. You’ll need to keep a comfortable reserve and plan for charging stops (possibly).

As for specifics of driving techniques, I hardly qualify. I live in Hawaii. Ice is what we put in the drinks we serve to tourists at the resorts.

 

[RedDragon]

Is there any data out there, or has anyone had experience, comparing L to 1pd on descents to see which one may be marginally more efficient?

I realize the efficiency differential may not be high at all between the two modes, but I'm still curious

Thanks!

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