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Climate control energy use experiments

2K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  wonderbolt 
#1 ·
I am a relatively new Bolt owner, living in the Houston area. I am currently fascinated by the impact that climate control has on the operating efficiency of the car.


My first week, I drove in relatively normal weather conditions (45-65F), and had an operating efficiency pretty close to 4 mi/kWh. I think that is pretty close to the normal predicted usage.


Last week, we had a cold snap, and actual measurable snow! (Awesome for a Colorado transplant). I was shocked when one of my 5-mile splits was under 2 mi/kWh (highway only in the cold).


I think for the last week or so, my operating efficiency was closer to 3.5 mi/kWh, using climate control. So on a full charge today, the car told me I had an expected range of 208 miles.


Just for a fun experiment today, I turned off the climate control. A bit chilly on a 55F day, but fine. At the end of my 21 mile commute, the car told me I had an expected range of 209 miles! The myChevrolet app reports operating efficiency at 4.4 mi/kWh today so far.


Is this in line with your experiences? What are the best variables to control efficiency?
I don't worry too much about range - the furthest I would drive in a work day is 150 miles.
I don't worry too much about carbon footprint, since I buy wind power.
But I still want to be able to manage efficiency as much as possible.
 
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#2 ·
Bolt owner in upstate NY. Over the summer it was common to see the estimated range on a full charge be 260 miles even with my normal spirited driving style. Now with below freezing temperatures and more wipers, less daylight, more headlights, and mostly keeping the cabin temp set at 72 and using the seat and steering wheel heater, I typically see estimated range from full of 75 - 80% of nominal (238) or about 180 miles. Once in a while I have even seen it predict only 175 miles on a full charge.
 
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