Does anybody else think it would be a good thing to add MPGE (miles per gallon equivalent) to the energy chart? We are all used to thinking in WH/mile, but that means nothing to our ICE friends and relatives. A friend of mine just bought a new RAV4 hybrid and was very proud of his "high mileage" (41/38, I think it was). I didn't know what my MPGE was, so I looked up the formula. It's trivial: 33.7 / (WH per mile / 1000). The "33.7" is the EPA number representing the energy contained in a gallon of gasoline. My average WH/Mile so far is 291, which computes to 116 MPGE. Now that's a number that they can relate to! Most people know that our cars are fast (as I demonstrate whenever possible), but I don't think many of them appreciate their efficiency. It would be nice to be able to see it without using a calculator.
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MPGE display
- Thread starter FFR6288
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birdsquared
Fan-man (too old to be a fanboi)
It's a much easier calculation for us metric users - there is approximately 9 kWh in a litre of gas, so at 180 Wh/km, that's 2l/100km, and 135 Wh/km is 1.5l/100km, either of which are phenomenal, especially for a mid sized sedan, let alone one that is capable of supercar adjacent acceleration.
MPGE should DIE and would love to see the EPA abandon it. There is no way Tesla is going to support or display this backward crutch system.
Just for reference a gallon of gas contains about 34 kWh.
Just for reference a gallon of gas contains about 34 kWh.
UncleCreepy
Member
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
Users have requested to have both 'percentage' and 'range' to be displayed at the same time but this never occurs...
Ah, I see. This is one of those "let them eat cake" things that exemplify the attitude that many Tesla owners seem to exude. No wonder we have the reputation that we do among the unwashed non-Tesla masses!
My thought was just to provide (optionally?) a more commonly understood metric to showcase the efficiency of our vehicles. Everybody understands MPG!
Me: "My car gets 116 MPG."
Other guy: "Wow, that is great! Maybe I should look into those."
Or,
Me: "My car gets 291 watt hours per mile."
Other guy: "What hours per mile?? What the heck does that even mean? Damned arrogant Tesla owners!"
My thought was just to provide (optionally?) a more commonly understood metric to showcase the efficiency of our vehicles. Everybody understands MPG!
Me: "My car gets 116 MPG."
Other guy: "Wow, that is great! Maybe I should look into those."
Or,
Me: "My car gets 291 watt hours per mile."
Other guy: "What hours per mile?? What the heck does that even mean? Damned arrogant Tesla owners!"
So you want to tell someone that your 3 gets = to 116 MPG? Then just do it. Why do you need this displayed on the screen to tell someone when you know what it is? If so then go to the EPA website and show them on the screen. No need to try and tell someone your Wh per mile unless they want more technical info.
Even more impressive is to say something like: I start every morning with a full "tank" and it only cost me a few cents to a couple of dollars to top it off. Drive to work and back and haven't even noticed my electric bill increasing but I no longer have any gas bill.
roblab
Active Member
Yes, this is easy. I round it to "My car gets over 100 miles per gallon. Oh, and by the way, my gallon costs about $3, too. Sure, the car is somewhat expensive, but look at what it does!"
Then I list the acceleration, the four wheel drive, the great looks (Yeah, you, Bolt!), the quiet, the roominess, the freedom from maintenance every month or so. And I offer them a chance to actually drive one. Nearly always they leave promising to make their next car a Tesla. Smart people I run around with, what? Had a birthday party we went to, and all of the ten-year-olds were telling Mom and Dad, "You need to buy a Tesla!"
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
Well, this didn't get the overwhelmingly popular reaction I was hoping for!
The conversion isn't hard. Just divide 34,000 by your wh/mi and that gives you ~mpge.
.... but then expect to explain 'gallons of what?!'
Yanquetino
Member
Yeah, I'd guess that many EV aficionados object to anything about gasoline —including measuring energy efficiency in (ugh!) "gallons." However, I appreciate your goal of communicating in terms that gasmobile owners can wrap their heads around. It's not hard to accommodate them by beforehand calculating the formula your car. For example, to date my Model 3 averages 242 Wh/mi:Well, this didn't get the overwhelmingly popular reaction I was hoping for!
1 kW ÷ 242 Wh = 4.13 mi/kWh x 33.7 kWh/gallon = 139 MPGe
I thus always answer such questions with that result. Passersby are always impressed! NO gas car can match such efficiency.
That said, what I wish is that we could toggle an alternative readout to display mi/kWh instead of Wh/mi. It is what all other EV manufacturers use (like in my previous Nissan LEAF), which makes comparisons among brands much easier. I also think that most people are curious to know is how far they can go per [unit of energy] —rather than how many [units of energy] it takes to travel only 1 mile. And… its easier for my brain to grok the simplicity of smaller numbers instead of those in the hundreds.
Yea I have NEVER had anyone ask me what the MPG is. Almost always l am asked a general question like: How much does it cost compared to gas?.... but then expect to explain 'gallons of what?!'
If I answered: It is 116 MPGE then I would have to explain what that meant.
If I answered: To drive it costs me less than if you are paying 50¢ per gallon, then they get that.
Yanquetino
Member
That's a good answer! I often tell them that "fueling" an EV costs about 1/5th the price at the pump —but then also clarify that in my case I only pay at Superchargers when on roadtrips, and zero, zip, zilch at home… thanks to our solar array.
No, this is an opportunity to educate someone. An electric car requires a quantum shift in thinking. Trying to answer a question within the limitations of an ICE vehicle is dis-advantageous. Putting into terms that that an electric car is about is a better way to answer.
The cost of charging vs. gasoline (or diesel) is just one small part of the equation. There have been a couple of good examples so far.
And you will always get people that no matter what you tell them will never get it.
Someone mentioned the cost of the car. I always respond that once I factored in the savings of charging vs. gasoline, insurance, etc., my $40,000 car was the equivalent of a $27,000 car.
I also usually get the "how much does it cost compared to a gas car".
My answer is this:
"Well, I had a BMW 435 previously that I needed to put premium fuel into. On my regular commute to and from work, I calculated my daily cost of fuel as around $12 a day or so, to drive back and forth. With my model 3, that cost is around 3.50 a day. I have the performance version of the model 3. The SR or SR+ would be even cheaper on a daily basis, but I wanted a car that was faster than my tuned 435 and I got it with this car. Its both faster, more fun to drive, and cheaper to run on a day to day basis."
Yanquetino
Member
True, sadly enough. Perhaps the only thing that will reach such people is to get their butts in seats.
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