%, miles or both?

[Panther]

Hi Peeps,

Being new to EV ownership (8 days in), what do you focus on more in terms of when to charge and/or the distance left to travel etc,

I was fixated the first few days on how many miles the GOM was telling me I had, but now I seem to concentrate more on what percentage is left in the battery.

I still think the GOM is a bit off in terms of miles, I charged to 100% and range was 201miles, not particularly cold at the moment (9 to 10 degrees C), so seemed a little low.

Maybe I am overthinking it, and I should just enjoy driving

 

[MG Clive]

I charged to 100% yesterday, and it showed a range of 209 miles, so we're about even there, to be honest, on a longer journey, I usually keep an eye on the miles per kWh more than anything else.

 

[gary333]

Same as Clive said you get used to knowing what miles per kWh mean for real world scenarios pretty quickly. Although, I suppose it depends on what situation you’re in, if you’re down to 20% you need to be actively reviewing your options, by 10% and you want to be ensuring you're close to a charger (or charging).

 

[ReintjeWA]

My longest regular(ish) drive takes 40% for a round trip, so in that case I just look at percentage,. On an unfamiliar route I check ABRP and check consumption figures mostly I think. I never really trust the GOM too much.

 

[Jomarkh]

I think 200 miles on 100% is a figure to go by. 1% is 2 miles.
I find the GOM is fine if the trip counter is not reset.

 

[Jamesrr]

There's two scenarios.

First is you're just driving around town not doing any particularly long journeys so all you should care about is that you have enough to get home and/or the nearest charger for your standard charge.

In my case with a NMC battery that's to 80% and for the wife's LFP to 100% We typically let it get down to 20% or thereabouts.

With a 7kW/11kW Tesla wall charger we can fully charge either car overnight (after 10PM due to electricity tariff) albeit with the electricity retail plan we have, I charge between 10AM & 3PM as power is free for us then.

It's only really when doing long distance travelling that you should care about the GOM & %charge...

Here's the technique that I use, albeit nowadays I'm so familiar with the car's characteristics I'm never particularly stressed.

Use Android Auto (or Maps in Car Play if you have an iPhone) and have your destination set. Add the intermediate destinations of your planned charging stops.

AA will show you the distance to the next stop.

Look at the GOM and subtract the destination distance. If it's already negative you have a problem

Every 10kms (or miles in your case) perform the maths again and note the difference. If it is steady and positive you are good.

It's when it's diminishing that you need to consider your options.

How quickly is the difference approaching zero or worse?

Is there a reason such as you've been climbing into the mountains? Putting elevation in the car takes power which you do get a good portion back via regen, but if you're not coming back down before you need to charge, then you can't take advantage of it.

If you don't have any alternate charging stops before the one you've planned on, you need to slow down. Just slowing from 110 to 100kph (70 to 60mph) will significantly increase your range.

If you are really desperate and on a motorway or such, find a great big lorry and sit behind it at the ACC 3 bars distance. The tow from the truck will again significantly increase your range.

Have fun!

James

 

[Badger192]

I only go by % of battery as i drive 50 ish motorway miles per day (Round trip for work) and if i have a late finish (early hours) then i'm looking at 75-79mph for the return journey just to get home for a reasonable rest before my next shift.

..and the way that GOM calculates stuff I've seen a 100% charge give me a forecasted range of around 130 miles - which to be fair if i drive like that all of the time might be pretty accurate!

GOM only seems to 'reset' the mileage prediction if the charge goes less than 10% (As informed by a fellow forum member - and it did for me!). Otherwise, even after 3-4 charges and driving like my Grandad it still predicts very low mileage..

 

[dsr]

In my experience, the GOM forecast is based upon recent history. I don’t do many 100% charges, bur the forecast will be higher after long runs rather than short trips. My lowest has been 251 miles and my highest 324 miles. Whatever the forecast, what I actually achieve will be based on my right foot, car load, traffic, weather, etc.

 

[nogbad]

Hi Peeps,

Being new to EV ownership (8 days in), what do you focus on more in terms of when to charge and/or the distance left to travel etc,

I was fixated the first few days on how many miles the GOM was telling me I had, but now I seem to concentrate more on what percentage is left in the battery.

I still think the GOM is a bit off in terms of miles, I charged to 100% and range was 201miles, not particularly cold at the moment (9 to 10 degrees C), so seemed a little low.

Maybe I am overthinking it, and I should just enjoy driving

Welcome! My overthinking wore off after a while and now I just get in and smile at driving such a nice motor

 

[Panther]

I am finding the more I drive the less I am fixating on it

 

[Anon70]

For a long trip I go with how many miles are left and leave a 30-50 mile buffer when planning charging stops just in case the ambient temp changes or the charger(s) I plan to use do not work.

For daily driving usually charge up to 80%, after charge gets down to around 20%. Also schedule in allowing the car to get down to 10% to do a balancing charge top 100% every 1 - 2 months