I gained some insight on how preconditioning (for Supercharging) while driving plays into estimated Arrival SOC and the Energy > Trip graph.
We were crossing one of America’s “Level 3 Charging Deserts,” the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. Driving from Tuba City, AZ to Blanding, UT Supercharger (173 miles of rolling hills) under clear skies and about 30F.
Starting SOC was 95% and the car estimates 17% arrival SOC. After driving for less than a mile, it dropped to 13%. With 172 miles to go with no viable chargers inbetween this was less buffer than I was comfortable with, so I limited speed to the 55-65mph limit. The updated Energy > Trip showed no changes for the first half but consistently raised consumption for the second half.
When we got to the halfway point, the preconditioning message came on. Since we were still >1hr away, to stop it I canceled the nav to the Supercharger and used a nearby landmark. Voila! The arrival SOC went back up to 17%. When we were 30min away, I changed the nav back to the Supercharger to start preconditioning.
It’s cool that the estimated Arrival SOC and Energy > Trip graph factor in preconditioning, although I wish it was more explicit. Had I known that 4% was earmarked for preconditioning (which could be canceled if needed), I wouldn’t have stressed or slowed down! Ideally the Energy > Trip graph would be annotated to break out driving vs. preconditioning estimated consumption for us EV enthusiasts doing long trips.
We were crossing one of America’s “Level 3 Charging Deserts,” the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. Driving from Tuba City, AZ to Blanding, UT Supercharger (173 miles of rolling hills) under clear skies and about 30F.
Starting SOC was 95% and the car estimates 17% arrival SOC. After driving for less than a mile, it dropped to 13%. With 172 miles to go with no viable chargers inbetween this was less buffer than I was comfortable with, so I limited speed to the 55-65mph limit. The updated Energy > Trip showed no changes for the first half but consistently raised consumption for the second half.
When we got to the halfway point, the preconditioning message came on. Since we were still >1hr away, to stop it I canceled the nav to the Supercharger and used a nearby landmark. Voila! The arrival SOC went back up to 17%. When we were 30min away, I changed the nav back to the Supercharger to start preconditioning.
It’s cool that the estimated Arrival SOC and Energy > Trip graph factor in preconditioning, although I wish it was more explicit. Had I known that 4% was earmarked for preconditioning (which could be canceled if needed), I wouldn’t have stressed or slowed down! Ideally the Energy > Trip graph would be annotated to break out driving vs. preconditioning estimated consumption for us EV enthusiasts doing long trips.