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Old 05-27-2024, 11:57 AM   #604 (permalink)
redpoint5
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Location: Oregon
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Acura TSX - '06 Acura TSX
90 day: 24.19 mpg (US)

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90 day: 47.32 mpg (US)

Big Yeller - Dodge/Cummins - '98 Dodge Ram 2500 base
90 day: 21.82 mpg (US)

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90 day: 17.14 mpg (US)

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snax View Post
While the differences should be less, driving style can make a significant impact.

Some people see driving an EV as a free pass to efficiency, but that's not the reality.
Acceleration at a modest pace has an unavoidable minimum hit, but accelerating more briskly reduces efficiency, heating the controller, pack, and motor more. I can't really speculate exactly how much, but it's one of the things that makes racing my i3 less fun. (More than a couple of minutes of balls out driving puts it into overheat protection.) But what a lot of drivers in general fail at, EV or otherwise, is predicting traffic, and that can have a huge impact on regeneration potential as well.

More savvy EV drivers and us attempt to never use the brakes, while the less savvy are always throwing energy away by constantly tapping them or blasting up to stopped traffic and obviously throwing a good portion of energy away. Likewise, people who are constantly on and off the throttle also multiply the inefficiency losses over time, as even regeneration at best is still well under 90%. (80-85% is the number that is floating around in my head.)

So bad drivers still get bad efficiency and drag the numbers down.
I disagree that it makes much difference. You plot the route and maximum speed, then drive it as efficiently as possible, then have my wife thoughtlessly drive the same route with the same maximum speed, and you'll see no more than a 1% difference.
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