So who's all about that hypermiling?

[shrspeedblade]

Like mentioned above by some other Volt owners, I tend to hypermile a bit (the car basically encourages you to) especially to avoid using gas. I look forward to not having to "worry" as much about my electric range (except for running out LOL!) but will still probably be pretty efficient with the 3 especially on trips.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for being able to drive like a hooligan and still be more efficient than I was when hypermiling with my Civic HX at 50mpg!

 

[omgwtfbyobbq]

I think it it MUCH more efficient to be, like, 1 car length back. I have the 2000 Honda Insight and it has the instant readout too. With drafting that close I have gotten 93.5 MPG from SF to LA and back on one 10 gallon tank. Wonder how many truckers will be upset by all the Teslas set to cruise 1 length back, pulling down their MPG

-Randy

I'm not surprised truckers would think a car drafting behind them would hurt their MPG, but there's either no detectable difference, or a slight boost for them. I wish someone would explain it in terms of stock car racing.

Drafting (aerodynamics) - Wikipedia

 

[Zaphod]

Efficiency and all that is last of my reasons I am getting a 3. I think I am actually going to shoot for the highest Wh/mile!

 

[mongo]

Rather than "limiting my speed" so I can make it to the next supercharger I said

"F it, and dropped 4500 on a credit card to upgrade from 60D to 75D"

That's all I have to say on the subject.

Went to Vegas as a 60D. Came back as a 75D.

Huh, I thought what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas...

 

[McRat]

I currently drive a Gen 1 Volt and I do some moderate hypermiling -- particularly on trips where doing so will mean the difference between being able to do the whole trip on battery only vs having to burn some gas.

If I get a Model 3 there will be less incentive to drive efficiently since it's already so efficient and since there'd be no risk of burning gas. But I would hope that I'd retain at least some of my efficient driving habits.

The Volt is the perfect platform for learning how to maximize efficiency. It's an EV with 'training wheels' that allows you exactly measure how efficient you are. Not by the 'guess-o-meters' that are on ICE/Hybrid/BEVs, instead you know when the battery is 100% depleted and the miles you covered. Applying the same techniques learned in a Volt to conventional hybrids and BEVs will yield similar results. And you don't fall for the inflated MPG meters that exist on some cars.

It's actually fun in a way. You aren't doing it for hours which is boring, you are doing it for 40-70 miles depending on which year car.
It's possible to reach 70+ miles in a 2016+ Volt on a mix of congested freeways and surface streets without impeding traffic. Exceeding the EPA number is easy. There is a customer loop we do that is 58.x miles per map miles. The game is to see how many kWh's you have left when you get back to base.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Yep.

'Hypermiling' as a practice is mostly centered around optimizing ICE efficiency and reducing pumping losses. An EV has mostly deprecated the entire business. Driving slow(er) and reducing brake use is better described as such directly.

I don't think that is strictly true. Hypermiling techniques, such as gentle acceleration and anticipating slowing or stops, to avoid or reduce braking, work perfectly well on EVs. Just accelerating gently at low power makes a big difference in efficiency in my S. (Not that I don't like to play with the Tesla acceleration at times!) Having experience with such things is helpful when trying to stretch the range even if it isn't necessary most of the time.

 

[T34ME]

Someone can drive efficiently (aka "Hypermile") is most situations, including on the highway. One of the nice things about EVs, compared to ICEs, is that a driver can see the full benefit of things like slowing down or safely (10+ car lengths) following a semi. ICEs also see a fuel efficiency benefit, but because engine efficiency decreases as load decreases, some of the gains in drag reduction by driving slow or safely drafting are offset by somewhat lower engine efficiency.

For example, if the LR Model 3's EPA rating is with Sport wheels, a car with Aero wheels could see an extra ~20 miles of highway range. An owner who is OK with driving 55mph in the right lane could also see a ~50-70 mile increase in range.

I fall somewhere in between. I drive the posted speed limit, let regen brake the car when practical, let TACC accelerate for me, opt for 18" wheels with LRR efficient tires, and use the aero wheel covers. I expect to get a minimum of 15% more range than the guy in the TM3 going 75/80 mph with 19" wheels and "sport" tires. My goal is to get 250/260 range (under optimum conditions which is most of the time in SoCal) with my standard battery TM3.

 

[AlanSqB]

Can’t wait for the “Did Tesla intentionality put inefficient tires on the 3 to reduce range?” articles after we start seeing 350-400 mile runs regularly on the LR with LRR tires and some hypermiling.

I may consider getting LRR for it but I’m really just not sure I want to go back to that hard and noisy ride. My LEAF is like a new car with its new set of “cheap” tires. I lost a ton of range, but the ride is much nicer.

 

[Zythryn]

Drafting behind semis is just asking for all kinds of trouble. Dirt and rocks from the road are thrown up by the semi wheels and damage your paint more than normal. It's dangerous, its annoying to the truck driver. Please don't do it. ...

All a matter of moderation.
Those are just your feelings. I have seen more damage from rocks behind vans and pickup trucks than semi trucks.
And to gain the benefits of 'drafting' a truck, you can be 8-10 car lengths back.
l would not think being 8 car lengths behind a semi is dangerous or annoying to the driver.
Being 1 car length behind? Certainly, but not 8.

 

[jerry33]

The trick is to know when to apply power and when not to. It helps a lot if you don't have a real winter and also have a commute that you can use different routes for morning and evening.

 

[Maximilien]

The trick is to know when to apply power and when not to. It helps a lot if you don't have a real winter and also have a commute that you can use different routes for morning and evening.

View attachment 247982

Is that 182kw/mi a round trip or just one way? How fast were you driving?

I once got into "disagree" war with a TMC member here because he probably thought I was lying for 250 kw/mi (currently 260's because I like quick drag on stop light entrance to highway) and 300 for Model X. Some people also think I drive 55mph when in fact I drive 65-70mph on highway.

I bookmarked this in case ppl argue with me and will show I am not alone for getting 240 ~ 265 kw/mi.

 

[jerry33]

Is that 182kw/mi a round trip or just one way? How fast were you driving?

I once got into "disagree" war with a TMC member here because he probably thought I was lying for 250 kw/mi (currently 260's because I like quick drag on stop light entrance to highway) and 300 for Model X. Some people also think I drive 55mph when in fact I drive 65-70mph on highway.

I bookmarked this in case ppl argue with me and will show I am not alone for getting 240 ~ 265 kw/mi.

As the lifetime average shows, that's going to be one way--although about half the miles are trip miles. How well I do really depends on the traffic and stoplights. If everything works okay, then the round trip can be 215 Wh/mi, if not 235. Commute speeds are up to 65 mph, although the average speed for a round trip will be much slower. Fifty miles in 90 minutes is typical for a round trip, so say 30-35 mph as an average speed for the commute. Note that I wouldn't do as well if I just retraced the morning commute--probably 240-245. The evening commute is slightly longer so the round trip is almost exactly fifty miles.

Note that some TMC members do better than I do.

 

[T34ME]

Can’t wait for the “Did Tesla intentionality put inefficient tires on the 3 to reduce range?” articles after we start seeing 350-400 mile runs regularly on the LR with LRR tires and some hypermiling.

I may consider getting LRR for it but I’m really just not sure I want to go back to that hard and noisy ride. My LEAF is like a new car with its new set of “cheap” tires. I lost a ton of range, but the ride is much nicer.

I replaced the OEM tires on my Prius Plug-In with Michelin EnergySaver A/S LRR tires. They are quieter and better riding than OEM and my range went up by 10%. This is a common experience with this particular tire on the Prius fora. NOT ALL LRR TIRES ARE CREATED EQUAL.

 

[jerry33]

I replaced the OEM tires on my Prius Plug-In with Michelin EnergySaver A/S LRR tires. They are quieter and better riding than OEM and my range went up by 10%. This is a common experience with this particular tire on the Prius fora. NOT ALL LRR TIRES ARE CREATED EQUAL.

That's correct. However, there only limited choices in Tesla size tires, and I haven't found anything better than Michelin Primacy for summer and Nokian WR-G3 for winter (If I lived where there was a real winter instead of only a few ICE days I'd use R2 or XIce these should also be very LRR though I haven't actually used them on my Tesla).

 

[Maximilien]

As the lifetime average shows, that's going to be one way--although about half the miles are trip miles. How well I do really depends on the traffic and stoplights. If everything works okay, then the round trip can be 215 Wh/mi, if not 235. Commute speeds are up to 65 mph, although the average speed for a round trip will be much slower. Fifty miles in 90 minutes is typical for a round trip, so say 30-35 mph as an average speed for the commute. Note that I wouldn't do as well if I just retraced the morning commute--probably 240-245. The evening commute is slightly longer so the round trip is almost exactly fifty miles.

Note that some TMC members do better than I do.

When you said "some TMC members do better than I do," a thought crossed my mind: It seems like EV created another sport - Hypermiling

I thought I was good at this until I hear some of you getting 220 wh/mi or less.

 

[jerry33]

When you said "some TMC members do better than I do," a thought crossed my mind: It seems like EV created another sport - Hypermiling

I thought I was good at this until I hear some of you getting 220 wh/mi or less.

Check out this thread.

Note that I don't like the term hypermiling because it implies unsafe driving just to get better results. That's not what I do, so I prefer the term effective driving.

 

[jsmay311]

When folks on Tesla forums talk about Wh/mi, I'm never sure if they mean the battery-to-wheels efficiency number displayed by the car, or the plug-to-wheels number that includes charging losses (like the EPA efficiency rating). (?)

 

[jerry33]

When folks on Tesla forums talk about Wh/mi, I'm never sure if they mean the battery-to-wheels efficiency number displayed by the car, or the plug-to-wheels number that includes charging losses (like the EPA efficiency rating). (?)

The consistent way is to quote the one in the car because most folks don't have a way (or the inclination) to measure the other.

The EPA rating is done by doing full charges to where the car won't drive anymore and then charging. That's very hard on the battery so only those who have a very good reason to do so, such as litigation, would do it that way.

 

[T34ME]

That's correct. However, there only limited choices in Tesla size tires, and I haven't found anything better than Michelin Primacy for summer and Nokian WR-G3 for winter (If I lived where there was a real winter instead of only a few ICE days I'd use R2 or XIce these should also be very LRR though I haven't actually used them on my Tesla).

The Michelin Energy Saver tire is available in 18" size, but not in 19", I checked. The Prii folks found that the Michelin Primacy did not perform as well for range when compared to the EnergySaver. I am talking about 18" tires for the Model 3 here. YMMV.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Just stay the hell out of the left lane please..