Traveling Through West Virginia

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Stoy333

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That’s crazy 10mph or less effects the battery so much! Instead of going up a steep incline at 70 mph and getting 1.9 kWh, I’ll probably do 55-60mph and a lot fast down the mountain
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That’s crazy 10mph or less effects the battery so much! Instead of going up a steep incline at 70 mph and getting 1.9 kWh, I’ll probably do 55-60mph and a lot fast down the mountain
It isn't the battery, it is aerodynamic drag and energy required to move the car. The same applies to ICE vehicles.

Drag has an exponential impact in relation to speed, so the faster you go, the drag goes up exponentially. The difference between 60 mph and 70 mph is much less, something like 12% if I remember correctly. The difference between 80 and 90 will be crazy bad. Of course you probably didn't plan on driving 90 mph anyway. :cool:
 

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On a recent trip, I had to slow to 55 for the last 20 minutes to make it to the charger with 3% charge.
 
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Stoy333

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On a recent trip, I had to slow to 55 for the last 20 minutes to make it to the charger with 3% charge.
I can’t recall drive around 55mph in my MME. I live in a city and drive to work on a 70mph interstate. Do you live in flat land?
 
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Stoy333

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It isn't the battery, it is aerodynamic drag and energy required to move the car. The same applies to ICE vehicles.

Drag has an exponential impact in relation to speed, so the faster you go, the drag goes up exponentially. The difference between 60 mph and 70 mph is much less, something like 12% if I remember correctly. The difference between 80 and 90 will be crazy bad. Of course you probably didn't plan on driving 90 mph anyway. :cool:
That is very interesting. I’ve heard the term “drag” but never really knew what it was. Is drag the air we drive through when heading down a road? Cutting through the wind per say
 


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I can’t recall drive around 55mph in my MME. I live in a city and drive to work on a 70mph interstate. Do you live in flat land?
It was a 70mph highway. Point was if you slow to 55 you use much less power.
 

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That is very interesting. I’ve heard the term “drag” but never really knew what it was. Is drag the air we drive through when heading down a road? Cutting through the wind per say
Yes. When you put your hand out the window, it is the air pushing against your hand harder and harder as you drive faster. On windy days if you are driving into the wind it will be worse, and better if you are driving with the wind.

Anyway, just monitor the navigation system prediction for charge at destination and drive slower if it looks like you might not make it.
 

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The aerodynamics of the car seems to change significantly between 60 and 70 and also between 70 and 80.
I put a line of weatherstripping across my windshield to damp noise. After an illadvised trip to a car wash, it was loosened ever so slightly. From 0-60, you’d never know. But when I took it above 70, there was some pretty extreme vibration from the like 2 millimeters of loose weatherstripping buffeting in the wind. It probably would have ripped clean off at 80.
This is all to say, aerodynamics are real and have a huge effect at high speed. 60 wasn’t enough to push the loose weatherstripping but 70 was enough to make it loud. That’s the air you’re pushing out of the way by driving. You don’t get that energy back, so drive slower than 70 to increase your range when you are concerned.
 

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Any thought of having a route through Western Maryland. There are level 2 chargers at Deep Creek lake, then you can hit an EA station in Hagerstown,MD you can then possibly head down I-81, there are a few EA stations along the way or continue heading east on I-70 then down through DC suburbs. Traffic might suck depending on day of week and time of day but there are a crap ton of charging options.
 

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The aerodynamics of the car seems to change significantly between 60 and 70 and also between 70 and 80.
The aerodynamics of the car does not change with speed. The impact of the drag does.

Drag has an exponential impact in relation to speed, so the faster you go, the drag goes up exponentially. The difference between 60 mph and 70 mph is much less, something like 12% if I remember correctly. The difference between 80 and 90 will be crazy bad.
 

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The aerodynamics of the car does not change with speed. The impact of the drag does
I love it when people pick nits. I’m just trying to explain it in an accessible way.
 

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I love it when people pick nits. I’m just trying to explain it in an accessible way.
Is that better than picking my nose?
 

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Our son lives in Williamsburg VA, and the route through WV to I64 was always the way we went. But from Canton to go that route is impossible in the Mach E because WV is a DCFC desert. We would have to charge in Cambridge, and then Wytheville would be too far South. So we took the other route through PA and then South - 3 times which I HATE between the PA Turnpike and going from DC to Richmond in that hellish traffic. So we solved it by buying a Lincoln Corsair PHEV.

SUPPOSEDLY there is going to be a DCFC station put in at the Tamarack rest area in Beckley - which would be great even though that does not help you now.

Godspeed if you try this, and keep us in the loop here on your experience for those of us who travel that route.
 
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Stoy333

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Our son lives in Williamsburg VA, and the route through WV to I64 was always the way we went. But from Canton to go that route is impossible in the Mach E because WV is a DCFC desert. We would have to charge in Cambridge, and then Wytheville would be too far South. So we took the other route through PA and then South - 3 times which I HATE between the PA Turnpike and going from DC to Richmond in that hellish traffic. So we solved it by buying a Lincoln Corsair PHEV.

SUPPOSEDLY there is going to be a DCFC station put in at the Tamarack rest area in Beckley - which would be great even though that does not help you now.

Godspeed if you try this, and keep us in the loop here on your experience for those of us who travel that route.
Great info. I was looking at PlugShare for all the different possible charging routes I’d need to take and I routed out a trip that goes thru northern MD and cuts down by DC. I’d love to go that route except I don’t want to add an extra 600 miles or so round trip!
The route you take through WV, do you drive the entire length of the state (more or less)? I’ll be in wv for approx 190 miles with a l2 boost 50 miles into the WV charging wilderness
 
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Alright guys, I made the trip! Took some notes


Wv trip notes



I made notes of my trip from Columbus OH to Lexington NC going thru WV. I decided to drive this route because I wanted some Lexington Bbq, literally the #1 bbq place in America. If you’ve never tried “Lexington Style” bbq, you’re not doing it right. Anyways…



Left Columbus 615a 100%, drove approx 55-70 mph (more 55 mph than 70mph) until galliplos. Arrived at 57% Fast charge 60kw to 81%. Drove 55 mph until Charleston wv arrived w 60%. Both %s at these stops were 13-15% less battery use than what abrp said id use-and that was with setting all accurate setting in abrp. Charged blink qlabs for 2.5 hrs and gained 25%-1218p, weather is super humid and rainy of and on. Temp feels like 86. Ended up charging to 90% 1245p. There was a car charging at the same station, so I think it may have charged slower because of that. The posted speed on the charger was 16.6 kWh. Left Charleston and headed south. Started the trek up the mountains. Drove 51-57 mph but had blue cruise set to 55mph for 90% of the time. Stopped in Becky, mountaineer Mitsubishi. Arrived with 62% battery. Used 28% from Charleston to Beckly. There are 4 ford l2 chargers next door but all four were powered off. The Mitsubishi was working at about 5kwh. Stayed there long enough to eat/gain 5% in a half hr. Headed towards wytheville w 67%. Arrived at wytheville at 49%.

Pre conditioned at every charge stop in oh, wv, va. Didnt pre condition to the max each time, but did for the stop in Charleston. Didn’t in nc and got 1-1.3 kWh less. From beckly to wyth I drove 65-75 mph which is still mountainous and got 3.1-3.9 kWh. When I didn’t precondition in nc and was way less hilly I got 2.7-3 kWh going 73 mph.

Findings: the trip from Columbus Ohio to wytheville via Charleston and Beckly is doable! The keys are charging 80-90% (depending how fast you want to drive in the mountains) in Charleston on l2. I recommend driving no faster than 65mph in the mountains but you MUST pre condition at each charge! Pre condition pre condition pre condition!!! I won’t go this route again until they get dc in Charleston or Beckly. It will take me less time to go thru Cincinnati>ky>tenn>nc to get to Charleston SC. It’s 100 miles longer but it’s all dc charging. Won’t have to wait around 2.5-3 hours on a l2 charger in Charleston wv.

Got some Lexington Bbq, so worth the extra hour to two and stress of driving in the unknown.
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