Battery "Breaking In"?

[Jeremy1026]

When I bought my e-Golf a year ago I was lucky to get 4.0mi/kWh carefully driving around town with 60˚F temperatures. Now, a year later, I'm able to consistently get 5.0+mi/kWh, even driving 60mph on the highway in 45-50˚F temperatures. Has anyone else noticed similar? I know that my driving style has gotten a bit more efficient, less braking, more coasting, and better use of re-gen, but I don't think my foot got ~20% more efficient. That seems a bit excessive.

For an example, according to CarNet this was my stats for my drive home from work last Thursday.

35 mins, 21.75 miles, 6.03 Avg mi/KWH
Avg Speed 37.28 MPH
Oct 19, 2017 at 4:39 PM EDT

On this day the high was 72˚, during the drive home it was closer to 60-65˚. Of the 21.75 miles drive, about 18 of them were on the highway with much of it being light to moderate traffic. This same drive last year probably would have been 3.6-3.8mi/kWh.

 

[JoulesThief]

Your foot and your driving skills got educated. The battery loses capacity, doesn't gain it. The e-Golf is very sensitive to efficient driving techniques and conservation of momentum. Good job that you're getting better miles per kWh. Head winds and tail winds, as well as changes in elevation will play major havoc with what you find you get mile per KWH on a round trip.

 

[Jeremy1026]

Your foot and your driving skills got educated. The battery loses capacity, doesn't gain it. The e-Golf is very sensitive to efficient driving techniques and conservation of momentum. Good job that you're getting better miles per kWh. Head winds and tail winds, as well as changes in elevation will play major havoc with what you find you get mile per KWH on a round trip.

Total capacity and battery/motor efficiency aren’t one in the same.

 

[miimura]

Given the same route and weather, it is completely your behavior that gives different efficiency results, not any change in the car.

 

[forbin404]

Given the same route and weather, it is completely your behavior that gives different efficiency results, not any change in the car.

as everyone said, your battery didn't 'break in' but you did

 

[cctop]

Driving the same hilly commute route every day I regularly vary between about 3.7 mi/kwh and 6.2 mi/kwh.

Some of that can be attributed to temperature change which doesn't vary immensely from day to day, so the real variables are traffic and my foot.

I get about 10% more on average by keeping regeneration in B mode, so I think a lot of it has to do with how soon and how hard I am braking.

 

[miimura]

Driving the same hilly commute route every day I regularly vary between about 3.7 mi/kwh and 6.2 mi/kwh.

Some of that can be attributed to temperature change which doesn't vary immensely from day to day, so the real variables are traffic and my foot.

I get about 10% more on average by keeping regeneration in B mode, so I think a lot of it has to do with how soon and how hard I am braking.

Braking is the most important part. Any time you use the friction brakes you are literally throwing away energy. If you have to slow the car for traffic, it's best to use regen to do it. If you can choose a route that has fewer mandatory stops or you can time the traffic lights so you slow well in advance and continue through the intersection without stopping, you can make big improvements to the efficiency.

 

[jack8trades]

How much efficiency would be lost by running extremely low tire pressures? For example, someone with legacy automotive skills, thinking all tires should have 32 psi.

Is it possible the OP originally had his tire pressures low, and later on adjusted them correctly?