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Old 10-28-2016, 01:42 PM   #7 (permalink)
NeilBlanchard
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Mica Blue - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
Team Toyota
90 day: 42.48 mpg (US)

Forest - '15 Nissan Leaf S
Team Nissan
90 day: 156.46 mpg (US)

Number 7 - '15 VW e-Golf SEL
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Ecodriving an EV is the same as any car - coasting is best when you need to continue moving forward. Regen is only for when you need to slow down - and it is obviously better than friction brakes.

Drive like you don't have brakes - the exact same principle as you would for an ICE.

Put it in neutral and coast - the e-Golf has this as the default. In our Leaf, I pop it into the R position (when moving faster than 7MPH) and it instantly goes into neutral; or hold it in N for 2 seconds. Put it back into D for some regen (like a downshift), or bump it a second time to get into B for more regen.

Ironically, in the Leaf you have to put it into D/B in order for there to be regen on the <b>brake</b> pedal. But the e-Golf is the best here, as well.

Doax has it right - electric motors don't idle, and they peak at ~92% (or slightly higher!) efficiency, and they hit that at very low RPM's. Most EV's have a reduction gear, and a differential that also reduces the wheel RPM vs the motor. A Leaf, for example has the motor "redlining" just shy of 10,400RPM at ~94MPH, so it hits ~80-85% efficiency at <10MPH.

http://livingleaf.info/2010/11/nissa...-transmission/

The bottom line is there is not much "fat" to squeeze out of the drivetrain - so it comes down to using the accelerator pedal as little as possible.
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Last edited by NeilBlanchard; 10-28-2016 at 01:56 PM..
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