Issues with Range/Power usage

[bumrar]

Hi,

Just got a second hand MG4 Trophy Long Range. Using it to commute to work but getting what seems to be dreadful range based on my reading of like posts on this forum.

Essentially its a 55min journey, roughly spit as A road (7 miles) B road (3 miles) and Motorway for 21 miles. the average speed over the whole journey is 35mph, doing about 75mph on the motorway. I'm getting 2.1 - 2.3mls/kwh over the whole journey.

At time of driving it was cold ~3-4 °C

I understand that the temperature and driving slower on the motorway would benefit usage, however I still feel like I would expect more range?

 

[salty]

Sounds about right to me. Some my say different.

 

[T1 Terry]

When we first bought our MG4, we weren't EV trained, just loved that performance the moment you stepped on the go pedal.
Then we learnt about changing to eco mode, watching the power meter on the right hand lower side of the drivers screen and realised that stab on the go pedal used a lot more battery than a lighter touch that still felt like it was going well, just not neck snapping ... but we still give it a bit every so often

Sports mode eats battery like you aren't planning to drive very far.

25% is still 1/4 tank of fuel, so not the panic point, 5% is when the old petrol gauge red light came on .....

T1 Terry

 

[Martinonline]

Using the HVAC reduces the range as well has high. Speed and acceleration.

What driving parameters have you set, eg, Sport, regen 1.

 

[LenEV2016]

Hi,

Just got a second hand MG4 Trophy Long Range. Using it to commute to work but getting what seems to be dreadful range based on my reading of like posts on this forum.

Essentially its a 55min journey, roughly spit as A road (7 miles) B road (3 miles) and Motorway for 21 miles. the average speed over the whole journey is 35mph, doing about 75mph on the motorway. I'm getting 2.1 - 2.3mls/kwh over the whole journey.

At time of driving it was cold ~3-4 °C

I understand that the temperature and driving slower on the motorway would benefit usage, however I still feel like I would expect more range?

Seems normal for the time of year, guessing heating on and you are doing 75 mph on the motorway

 

[siteguru]

Do 65 rather than 75 and it'll take you about 2.5 minutes longer for those 21 miles. However your consumption (efficiency) will noticeably improve.

 

[EvTek23]

@bumrar, All the previous responders have given thier experience of ev motoring, and I'd agree with them all. Keeping the efficiency up especially in cold weather is always a challenge. I did a journey similar to yours of motorway, A and B roads totaling 65 miles. My speed on the motorway was around 55mph. I also used the heated seats, and kept the HVAC on 22 degrees (no a/c).The journey worked out to an efficiency of 3.4mls/kWh.

 

[LenEV2016]

@bumrar, All the previous responders have given thier experience of ev motoring, and I'd agree with them all. Keeping the efficiency up especially in cold weather is always a challenge. I did a journey similar to yours of motorway, A and B roads totaling 65 miles. My speed on the motorway was around 55mph. I also used the heated seats, and kept the HVAC on 22 degrees (no a/c).The journey worked out to an efficiency of 3.4mls/kWh.

I get that slowing down on the motorway helps efficiency but 55mph is a step to far for me

 

[Black estate]

I get that slowing down on the motorway helps efficiency but 55mph is a step to far for me

And I’d be over taking you in my truck @57mph

 

[EvTek23]

Well maybe a bit pedestrian, but it would save about 7kWh of consumed energy (about 1/3 less than at 75mph) and in reality only add 6 minutes to the total journey time of 55 mins.
Driving style has a lot to do with it too as @T1 Terry says with the impressive acceleration on tap it's easy to exploit it.
Who remembers the national speed limit in the US which was set at 55mph for years in the fuel crisis in the 70's to reduce consumption of the average American 5 litre V8 engine.

 

[T1 Terry]

Driving slower certainly reduces consumption, but you also have to avoid being a rolling road block. The rate you accelerate from stationary up to speed and the rate you accelerate to change speed will save battery draw down.
On the long climb out of Adelaide, we use the cruise control to flip up 5kms at a time till we reach 90km/h (56mph) in the truck lane, because there is no way the trucks could do this, even empty, maybe bobtail, but there are 3 lanes so they could pass if they needed to ........ once we reach the top of all the big climb, we do the same 5km/h speed increase until we reach the 110km/h speed limit. Because there are a lot of up and down sections, the 100km/h i actually more fuel efficient than the 90km/h, momentum takes it further up the next hill before current changes for regen to load ..... any faster than 110km/h does eat into the battery capacity ..... and the wallet and the licence, speed cameras everywhere and Highway Patrol Police cars with radar guns ..... you fine out the level of pain within 2 weeks of the offence .....

T1 Terry

 

[EvTek23]

@T1 Terry, interesting that you use the cruise control, I've tended not to use mine so much and let the car slow down on uphill sections of motorways, while watching the power meter and driving the car on the accelerator to keep the power acceptable, of course on downhill sections hopefully you’ll be in regen. With cruise on the power just sky rockets to keep the speed constant uphill. and in eco mode the less than subtle switch from power to regen.