[Amp-e]

After 6 years and 5 months of driving a Chevy Volt, I finally got a 2019 Opel Ampera-e. As Chevy is not in Europe anymore, I had to choose an Opel. In the Volt I always drove in L. In the ampera-e I am not decided yet. Also it takes 1 more step to get it to L, unless I am missing something. Only driver 30 km so far. This weekend will go for a longer trip and will try out the DC fast charging. I am setting up my ODB2 reader and hope to learn much more here on the forum.

Paul

 

[surgeonFWW]

Welcome aboard. I have learned a lot from this forum (and continue to do so) and I hope you will, too. I have had my blue Bolt (LCTRCBLU) for 17 months now, and still love it each time I get behind the wheel.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Shifting into L has become habit for me, it's just two back-taps on the gear handle instead of one. I really love the one-pedal driving mode, it's intuitive, smooth and seamless.

 

[DaV8or]

Shifting into L has become habit for me, it's just two back-taps on the gear handle instead of one. I really love the one-pedal driving mode, it's intuitive, smooth and seamless.

Me too. I wish they could change the software so that the user could define the default for either D, or L on start up. I would much prefer to tap once to get to L and then shift to D if needed. It should be a choice in vehicle settings.

 

[Dimitrij]

Me too. I wish they could change the software so that the user could define the default for either D, or L on start up. I would much prefer to tap once to get to L and then shift to D if needed. It should be a choice in vehicle settings.

For once, I disagree. I positively do not want another switch to hunt for while driving.

Also, too much choice sometimes tricks you into choosing for the sake of choosing only. I remember years ago there was onto me a 21-speed bike, and I did experience borderline compulsive shifting issues … never knew if I was in the optimal gear. Now I have a folding commuter bike with three speeds - 1st uphill, 3rd downhill, 2nd on level road, easy choice.

After 6 years and 5 months of driving a Chevy Volt, I finally got a 2019 Opel Ampera-e. As Chevy is not in Europe anymore, I had to choose an Opel. In the Volt I always drove in L. In the ampera-e I am not decided yet. Also it takes 1 more step to get it to L, unless I am missing something. Only driver 30 km so far. This weekend will go for a longer trip and will try out the DC fast charging. I am setting up my ODB2 reader and hope to learn much more here on the forum.

Paul

Congrats and pix please …

I am sure you already knew, but here is goes again just in case - to attain a high charging rate at DCFC, the SoC should be well below 80%, so maybe you would drop until 50% and then assess the max. charging rate. Also, your winter km/kWh or Wh/km is going to be a lot lower than in warm weather, although if your winters are mild, so you may not see a drastic difference.

FINALLY: The declared range of 520 kM is probably too optimistic … I have now driven kEVin for over $29K miles and can say that the EPA figure of 240 mi (390 kM) is dead accurate in typical real -life driving, taking in consideration seasons, weather conditions, driving speeds, terrain etc. of course.
.

 

[Terry Hancock]

L even charges your car, on the super highway, with every down slope. And it does not slow down your cruise, you can see on the right side of your trip meter, that lots of juice (25 to 50 KW pos.) is going in with every bottom of a downhill. Thus, to get all charge possible, you use L. The flipper and brake are the next stages. L also allows for that single pedal driving that most owners seem to love.

Just put it in L and forget all the theories, especially those that governed past driving practices in ICE or hybrid

*Also, the L does a smooth stop of its own. Need more, use your flipper. Last, use your brake. That sequence becomes automatic as time goes by.

 

[Boxster1971]

Me too. I wish they could change the software so that the user could define the default for either D, or L on start up. I would much prefer to tap once to get to L and then shift to D if needed. It should be a choice in vehicle settings.

I also disagree - system works fine as is and is best for most drivers.

 

[Sean Nelson]

I wish they could change the software so that the user could define the default for either D, or L on start up. I would much prefer to tap once to get to L and then shift to D if needed. It should be a choice in vehicle settings.

For once, I disagree. I positively do not want another switch to hunt for while driving.

I also disagree - system works fine as is and is best for most drivers.

He's talking about a setting in the options menu that you'd change once and then the car would use "L" as the default mode instead of "D". It's not something you'd have to do each time you use the car or shift modes. People who were happy with "D" mode wouldn't even have to go into the settings menu since the car would be delivered from the factory with it as the default.

I really can't see why that kind of ability to change the default mode would inconvenience anyone, and it would surely "convenience" those of us who always use "L" by giving us a way to set the car up so that we don't always have to be double-tapping the gear shifter.

 

[GregBrew]

He's talking about a setting in the options menu that you'd change once and then the car would use "L" as the default mode instead of "D". It's not something you'd have to do each time you use the car or shift modes. People who were happy with "D" mode wouldn't even have to go into the settings menu since the car would be delivered from the factory with it as the default.

I really can't see why that kind of ability to change the default mode would inconvenience anyone, and it would surely "convenience" those of us who always use "L" by giving us a way to set the car up so that we don't always have to be double-tapping the gear shifter.

This! ^^^^

 

[LectricBill]

Oh the woe of double-tapping!

It's such a habit now, I don't even think about it.
Reverse out of my garage.
Double tap to go forward.

Until this thread, I had no idea what a burden it was!

[snark filter off]

 

[GJETSON]

I apparently do the double tap unconsciously now. Sometimes I drive off and think, "Oh! I didn't shift into L." I look down and , dang, I'm in L.

 

[DaV8or]

Oh the woe of double-tapping!

It's such a habit now, I don't even think about it.
Reverse out of my garage.
Double tap to go forward.

Until this thread, I had no idea what a burden it was!

[snark filter off]

I'm talking about adding an option to the driver via software. No need for new engineering. No need for added expense. If you love your double tap you can keep your double tap. All I'm proposing is a slight addition to one and zeros in the software.

It would not be a big deal for Chevrolet. Everyone here that loves the way it is, could keep it the way it is. Those of us that drive 90+% of the time in L could have what we want. Why is adding additional options for the owner at no extra cost a bad thing?

 

[Dimitrij]

He's talking about a setting in the options menu that you'd change once and then the car would use "L" as the default mode instead of "D". It's not something you'd have to do each time you use the car or shift modes. People who were happy with "D" mode wouldn't even have to go into the settings menu since the car would be delivered from the factory with it as the default.

The default setting on the shifter is neither D, nor L; it's P. This is definitely not a default I would mess with, and I think you'd agree.

Next: if you are in either of the forward driving positions (D or L), you just toggle between them … there is positively no way to make shifting from D to L and back less labor intensive.

That's why I thought dav8or meant changing the settings when the preferred drive mode is L, and to go D you'd need to mess with the screen.

I really can't see why that kind of ability to change the default mode would inconvenience anyone, and it would surely "convenience" those of us who always use "L" by giving us a way to set the car up so that we don't always have to be double-tapping the gear shifter.

I agree. I would personally love a default shifter position that plays the audio of Iliza Schlezinger reciting Khrushchev's memoirs with a fake Klingon accent.

 

[One1whaoo.]

Meanwhile back in reality, the D setting does regenerate energy, just not as much as L or the paddles.
The difference in recaptured energy between L and D boils down to how often you use the brakes when in D but wouldn't if you were in L.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Next: if you are in either of the forward driving positions (D or L), you just toggle between them … there is positively no way to make shifting from D to L and back less labor intensive.

We're not talking about making D/L shifting easier, we're talking about an option that can be configured in the settings menu so that when you pull back from "P" it goes directly into "L", thus saving those "did I do that second tap? Did I do it too quickly?" worries.

Sure, it's not that big a deal to do the second tap. But it's not that big a deal to provide the option, either.

 

[GregBrew]

We're not talking about making D/L shifting easier, we're talking about an option that can be configured in the settings menu so that when you pull back from "P" it goes directly into "L", thus saving those "did I do that second tap? Did I do it too quickly?" worries.

Sure, it's not that big a deal to do the second tap. But it's not that big a deal to provide the option, either.

Yup. "It's only software!"

My software folks had a real problem with the hardware folks saying that all of the time.

I suspect GM's feels the same...

 

[Amp-e]

You can see a picture of my Ampera-e in my garage. I am not allowed to post pictures yet...

 

[Amp-e]

Also, your winter km/kWh or Wh/km is going to be a lot lower than in warm weather, although if your winters are mild, so you may not see a drastic difference.

It is a lot lower in cold weather and part of it is because of the winter tires. My last trip I did 277 km and used 61 kWh. 91% was used for driving and only 9% for climate. Say I had the heating switched off and thus could have ~10% more range, I could have done 277 * 1.1 = 305 km. This is much lower than expected, my suspicion is that the rolling resistance of the winter tires is that bad and causing this low range.

 

[Amp-e]

I am sure you already knew, but here is goes again just in case - to attain a high charging rate at DCFC, the SoC should be well below 80%, so maybe you would drop until 50% and then assess the max. charging rate.

Thanks yes, I am aware. Fastned (a fast charging company) has a good page on this. As soon as I am allowed to post links I will share the link. (it is somewhere on support.fastned.nl)


From this page:

The charge speed is up to 50 kW at all of our chargers. In the charge curve below you can see the charge speed of the Ampera-e. On average the Ampera-e charges 100 km of range in 20 - 25 minutes. The Ampera-e charges fastest until about 55%. At this point the car will gradually reduce charge speed and as of 70% the car will start charging slowly.

 

[Dimitrij]

It is a lot lower in cold weather and part of it is because of the winter tires. My last trip I did 277 km and used 61 kWh. 91% was used for driving and only 9% for climate. Say I had the heating switched off and thus could have ~10% more range, I could have done 277 * 1.1 = 305 km. This is much lower than expected, my suspicion is that the rolling resistance of the winter tires is that bad and causing this low range.

What was the weather like during your trip? In the Netherlands (if you all still have the same kind of weather that I remember from the late 1990's-early 2000's) it rains quite often, and rain and snow do eat into your km/kWh figures.