[pvevstv]

Trip: R/T, Santa Fe, NM to Del Norte, CO, 343 miles
Elevation Changes SF-Del Norte: 7000' to 8500' to 7800' (reversed on return)
Temp 65 to 85 degrees F
Speed: 45mph
Wind: Calm from SF to Del Norte, strong headwind on return
Charge: Full before beginning
Energy Used for Battery Conditioning on trip: 0 kWh
A/C: No
Screen: No
Radio: No
Tire Pressure: Ask
Windows: Open on return
Transmission Setting: "L" for entire trip
Cruise Control: About 25 percent of trip
Number of Times Mechanical Brake Used in Forward Driving: 0
Road Conditions: Rural; little traffic

Photos:
1. Start @ 2,317 mi. Note: 438 mi. max range after 2,300 miles of use is based on consistently getting 400 miles/charge around town.

2. Halfway @ 2,488 mi., averaging 6.1 mi/kWh, which would be the avg. for trip

3. On the Road, 266 mi traveled @ 45 mph.

4, 5. Back in Santa Fe @ 2,660 mi, 343.2 miles traveled, 30+ miles left in battery.

 

[borkbork]

while that is impressive, i'd prefer to not spend 6 hours on that trip... in the words of sammy haggar (sort of), "i can't drive 45!"

 

[pvevstv]

Borkbork, I know what you mean about not being able to drive 45 mph on a Bay-Area commute where average speeds of 5 to 30 mph are more likely. But we certainly enjoyed our day trip in open country with the smell of drying hay wafting through the windows, able to hear the calls of birds in the wetlands as we whipped almost silently down the road at 45. In fact at that speed it didn't seem a particularly long trip, even though compressed into a single day.

But I must set the record straight about our 6-hour cruise lest you--or Sammy Hagar--be tempted to join us next time: It took considerably more than 6 hours. It was 4 up and 4 down. Sammy would be chewing his cell phone by the time we pulled into Tomasita's in Santa Fe to recharge ourselves and the Bolt @ 40a under the solar canopy. (I'm topping it off here at home as I write, with 220v/12a wind power using the charger that came with the car).

 

[surgeonFWW]

Only the White BoltEVs can attain that range. The Kinetic Blue ones can get only 290 miles!

 

[faimui]

If everyone drives like this, all the gas stations will be out of business.

Kudos to a well driven trip. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Dyefrog]

Impressive commitment to hypermiling. Not sure I could hold out that long.

 

[surgeonFWW]

Obviously there is a balance between range extension maneuvers and utility. No one wants to drive 45 mph when our road-sharers are driving 70-75 mph. In WV, there are NO CCS DCFC Stations (only Tesla Supercharger Stations). We often need/use extended range techniques to get to the next nearest DCFC. I have found that driving 60 mph on the Interstate is detrimental to neither my trip planning nor to other road-sharing vehicles.

We did utilize a 55 mph segment on a recent 240 mile on-a-single-charge road trip from within Virginia (1000 ft. MSL) over mountain ranges (2500 MSL) to home (500 MSL). We started with a 280 mile expected range. We drove 55 mph in the morning, low-volume traffic, for peace of mind, and to include some A/C use. We saw first the expected and then the minimum ranges fall below our distance-to-home as we finished the 1500 foot (over 60-80 miles) climb. We regained that 40 mile reserve as we descended 2000 feet over the last 100 miles, and were even able to drive at 70 mph for the last 45 miles. We ended with a 39 mile expected range. Some construction and some traffic delays (none below 50 mph) and two toll-booth stops were encountered. Our trip took us only 25 minutes longer than it would have without the range-extending slowdowns.

Balance and planning - the hallmark of the EV traveler (as opposed to the EV commuter).

 

[Moonburn]

Wow, truly amazing!
My driving mostly entails a 1000' / 4.5 mile descent from my home to my office and the return climb. I get 5.2 miles/kWh under these conditions, or 330 miles of range. Most of the steep terrain is a 2 miles stretch, with a short portion of 20%. No conditioning, AC or heating, tires 38 PSI.

 

[pvevstv]

SurgeonFWW got my intention exactly. I didn't do this experiment because I'm advocating we drive our Bolts at 45 mph where traffic is flowing at 85. That could result in the Mother of all Rear-Endings, also known as The Cardashian. No, what I wanted to know was, just how slow do I have to go if I wanna get home and all the local folks have to offer is 110? (And up in the SW corner of the San Luis Valley--Amish country--you're lucky to get that. But they're a friendly folk and would gladly offer up a buggy or a bike in exchange for your Bolt--Borkbork would blow a gasket!)

Would I have to limp in at 17 miles an hour? That's the average speed at which I'm getting 400 miles per charge around town. Or could I drive 45, which, granted, doesn't win you Daytona (unless everyone else crashes), but it isn't creeping, either. And here we have the answer. I'm just feeling out the limits of this fine piece of rolling voltage.

I built up to it. The previous week, I charged up and drove from Santa Fe (7000') to Albuquerque (5300') then across the Jemez Mountains (9000') and back to Santa Fe. After traveling 140 miles over the Jemez, that's when the middle-number miles left finally hit 238, where the car is rated. That gave me courage. On that trip I drove at least 55 on the highway, a bit slower through the mountains. So I was pretty sure I could get up to Del Norte and back.

But you always have a contingency plan. My friend has a AAA card and she was prepared to ask them to stop by with a 75,000-watt generator for a quick charge in Amish country if necessary.

 

[Ajampam]

SurgeonFWW got my intention exactly. I didn't do this experiment because I'm advocating we drive our Bolts at 45 mph where traffic is flowing at 85. That could result in the Mother of all Rear-Endings, also known as The Cardashian. No, what I wanted to know was, just how slow do I have to go if I wanna get home and all the local folks have to offer is 110? (And up in the SW corner of the San Luis Valley--Amish country--you're lucky to get that. But they're a friendly folk and would gladly offer up a buggy or a bike in exchange for your Bolt--Borkbork would blow a gasket!)

Would I have to limp in at 17 miles an hour? That's the average speed at which I'm getting 400 miles per charge around town. Or could I drive 45, which, granted, doesn't win you Daytona (unless everyone else crashes), but it isn't creeping, either. And here we have the answer. I'm just feeling out the limits of this fine piece of rolling voltage.

I built up to it. The previous week, I charged up and drove from Santa Fe (7000') to Albuquerque (5300') then across the Jemez Mountains (9000') and back to Santa Fe. After traveling 140 miles over the Jemez, that's when the middle-number miles left finally hit 238, where the car is rated. That gave me courage. On that trip I drove at least 55 on the highway, a bit slower through the mountains. So I was pretty sure I could get up to Del Norte and back.

But you always have a contingency plan. My friend has a AAA card and she was prepared to ask them to stop by with a 75,000-watt generator for a quick charge in Amish country if necessary.

Thanks for sharing your interesting experiment. It really illustrates what it would take to extend the range - can come in handy for all of us when we are in a bind and need the extra mileage to get to a charging port. After all, even the best laid plans may fail at times...

 

[Dimitrij]

Only the White BoltEVs can attain that range. The Kinetic Blue ones can get only 290 miles!

Wonder what would happen if you transplant a white Bolt driver into a Kinetic Blue one, or vice versa

 

[surgeonFWW]

Continuing the thread: I read somewhere (maybe here on the Forum) that 50 mph was best speed for range/time balance. I think I misinterpreted that statement somewhat. I thought you did not get any better range by going slower. I now know that going slower MEANS more range. The speed/range curve is not linear, however. It is curved (hyperbolic?). Parasitic drag caused by air resistance increases with the square of vehicle velocity.

Slowing down from 50 mph to 45 mph does not increase range as much as speeding up from 50 mph to 55 mph decreases it. Slowing from 50 to 45 gains you more range than slowing from 45 to 40 will. Similarly, speeding up from 70 to 75 hurts your range more than speeding up from 60 to 65 did.

On "balance", 50 mph seems a good speed at which to aim. However, on the Interstate, this causes lots of swerves and quick slowdowns for the people overtaking you. I have found that "planning" for 60 mph is both practical and safe.

I "like" (and learn from) all other's comments.

 

[Dimitrij]

On "balance", 50 mph seems a good speed at which to aim. However, on the Interstate, this causes lots of swerves and quick slowdowns for the people overtaking you. I have found that "planning" for 60 mph is both practical and safe.

EV's are not much different from ICE or hybrid cars in terms of mpg(e) vs. speed. And I remember it was decades ago that the speed of 55+/- mph was determined to be a workable compromise between the need to get places and the need to do it economically and cleanly. In Europe the trucks are limited to 56 mph (90 kph) for that reason.

 

[GaryK]

Awesome trip, congrats! We need some kind of altitude adjustment though
I'm at 5k feet and I know it makes a diff...