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Biggest and Smallest Wh/mi and Biggest Projected Range

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Cottonwood

Cottonwood

Roadster#433, Model S#S37
Feb 27, 2009
5,089
184
Colorado
#1
OK, let's start a fun contest for the biggest and smallest Wh/mi with a screen shot for evidence. The 5 mile Energy screen has the least averaging, so let's use that as a standard. For the largest positive number, we should have two categories, normal driving and spirited driving; the difference will have to be on the honor system. For the smallest (most negative) number, I think one category is enough.

Also, let's do the Biggest Projected Range. For that, let's require a full 30 mile average (no resets and small baselines). This really means that you are trying for the 30 mile average closest to 0 but positive. When the average is negative, the projected range just equals the rated range, but when you get down near 0 but positive, the projected range gets wonderfully (but unrealistically) optimistic. I know that I have seen over 20,000 miles, but don't have a picture to prove it...

For the first entry, I will submit in the Biggest/Normal Driving category, driving up the road to my house and up my driveway in Pagosa Springs at ~25 mph. The grade starts about two miles out at 5-10%, then rises to 10-15% for the last mile, with the last 50 yards at 18%. With that I got 1,630 Wh/mi.

Big Wh-mi.jpg


I will keep this first page updated:

Biggest/Normal: 1,863 Wh/mi - Cottonwood
Biggest/Spirited:
Smallest:
Biggest Projected Range: 32,274 - dadaleus
 
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#2
WOW.

I was going to start a bit similar thread because we drove up to Big Bear yesterday in my S and I was surprised how much extra energy it used going uphill. I haven't kept good records, but I could swear it chewed up battery quite a bit faster than it did in the Roadster. This could be the extra weight of the car, plus we had two adults, two kids, an 85lb dog, and a trunk and funk full of stuff (fairly light, but still) in the car.

I got 19.1 kwh used to go up 7,200 feet over 28.3 miles, or 673 wh/mi. So no where near your peak. Looks like the worst of the trip rolled off my graph before I got a picture, but I had quite a bit of time at almost 900 wh/mi still on the graph when I got to the top.

I was actually a bit nervous, because this was a total 133mi drive and I hadn't been saving energy on the way since I thought I had plenty of battery, even in standard mode. But we made it with 27 rated (ideal) miles left. Whew! Next time I'll know to keep my speed down a bit more on the way or put a little extra range charge on it before I leave.

BB Range.jpg


I'll take a pic on the way down too. If the S follows the Roadster's behavior, I should get a nice huge projected range.
 
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#3
dadaleus said:
I was going to start a bit similar thread because we drove up to Big Bear yesterday in my S and I was surprised how much extra energy it used going uphill. I haven't kept good records, but I could swear it chewed up battery quite a bit faster than it did in the Roadster. This could be the extra weight of the car, plus we had two adults, two kids, an 85lb dog, and a trunk and funk full of stuff (fairly slight, but still) in the car.

I got 19.1 kwh used to go up 7,200 feet over 28.3 miles, or 673 wh/mi. So no where near your peak. Looks like the worst of the trip rolled off my graph before I got a picture, but I had quite a bit of time at almost 900 wh/mi still on the graph when I got to the top.

I was actually a bit nervous, because this was a total 133mi drive and I hadn't been saving energy on the way since I thought I had plenty of battery, even in standard mode. But we made it with 27 rated (ideal) miles left. Whew! Next time I'll know to keep my speed down a bit more on the way or put a little extra range charge on it before I leave.

I'll take a pic on the way down too. If the S follows the Roadster's behavior, I should get a nice huge projected range.
Click to expand...

Yup, people don't realize how much energy is needed and you get back going up and down mountains. Here is a spreadsheet that I did.

Screen Shot 2012-10-07 at 2.24.53 PM.png


This is for a lightly loaded Model S. You were probably 5-10% more than this in weight (250-500 lb), meaning 5-10% more potential energy. This shows that every 1,000 ft is same as 6 rated miles. Your 7,200 and 5% is worth 45 rated miles right there, just for the climb.
 
#4
How's this? (Sorry for really bad pic):
35274 Range.jpg


In fact, right after that it very quickly showed a 95,225 projected range! Really wish I had a picture of that but it was too quick. I was getting excited that I might have enough range to make it to the moon (238,900 miles), and Elon had actually stumbled on an even better engine design for SpaceX! Just have to find a way to go downhill the whole way there.

But then it almost immediately switched to showing the "rated" range as the projected range. I think it must top out at 99,000 and then it reverts to the rated range.

Here's a clearer pic with a little lower range:
21000 Range.jpg


And here's my Wh/mi chart:
Wh mile way down.jpg
 
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#5
Top Ten Quote of the Year

dadaleus +1

In fact, right after that it very quickly showed a 95,225 projected range! Really wish I had a picture of that but it was too quick. I was getting excited that I might have enough range to make it to the moon (238,900 miles), and Elon had actually stumbled on an even better engine design for SpaceX! Just have to find a way to go downhill the whole way there.

Nominee for top ten quotes of the year.
 
#7
Jason, we go to Big Bear/Lake Arrowhead once or twice a year. I only see a few residential chargers there on PlugShare. Is there some where you stay that has more than a 120V outlet? I'm guessing in winter, 120V would barely keep the battery warm.
 
#8
mcornwell said:
Jason, we go to Big Bear/Lake Arrowhead once or twice a year. I only see a few residential chargers there on PlugShare. Is there some where you stay that has more than a 120V outlet? I'm guessing in winter, 120V would barely keep the battery warm.
Click to expand...

One of those you are seeing is mine. I have a NEMA 14-50 outlet there and have it listed for the public to use. Not many takers so far that I'm aware of.

There's also a guy in Running Springs that has his Leaf J1772 available. I've stopped by and tested it out and it works great--but of course requires patience. There's a pretty good Mexican / Pizza place right nearby. (Odd combination, but the Mexican food is actually pretty good.)
 
#9
Nice, now I see the description with your info. I may have to grab an hour of charge from you one day if we take the S up there.

El Jacalito is the only Mexican food I've had up there, didn't know there was a Mexican / Pizza place, but I love both of those, so maybe next time.
 
#12
dadaleus said:
How's this? (Sorry for really bad pic):
View attachment 10521

In fact, right after that it very quickly showed a 95,225 projected range! Really wish I had a picture of that but it was too quick. I was getting excited that I might have enough range to make it to the moon (238,900 miles), and Elon had actually stumbled on an even better engine design for SpaceX! Just have to find a way to go downhill the whole way there.

But then it almost immediately switched to showing the "rated" range as the projected range. I think it must top out at 99,000 and then it reverts to the rated range.
Click to expand...

OK, 32,274 miles is now the official biggest projected range! Congratulations! That is more than once around the earth at the equator!

Here is another entry for me in the Biggest/Normal category, 1,863 Wh/mi. Same driveway, but this time with 4 adults and luggage. I picked some people up at the airport in Durango...

Big Wh-mi2.jpg
 
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#16
Cottonwood said:
OK, 32,274 miles is now the official biggest projected range! Congratulations! That is more than once around the earth at the equator!

Here is another entry for me in the Biggest/Normal category, 1,863 Wh/mi. Same driveway, but this time with 4 adults and luggage. I picked some people up at the airport in Durango...

View attachment 10553
Click to expand...

Are you driving up a cliff??? I'm surprised you can get traction on something that requires that much power.
 
#17
dadaleus said:
Are you driving up a cliff??? I'm surprised you can get traction on something that requires that much power.
Click to expand...

Its 15% for the last few hundred yards, leading into a banked turn and a last push up 18% to the garage. The last 1,000 feet are asphalt where traction is not an issue. Climbing an 18% grade is like a continuos 0.18 g acceleration for the tires*; no big deal. Before the aspalt, it is gravel, and the traction control does kick in some climbing the gravel. The real question is how well will the S do when I put the snow tires on and try to come up the road in its normal, winter, packed-powder state. The banked turn is there so that I can maintain a little more momentum into the that last 18% pitch.

*Actually, the equivalent g force is sin(tan-1(slope%), equivalent g does not equal slope%, but for 18%, the error is small, sin(tan-1(0.18)=0.177, less than 2% error.
 
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