My Experience With EV Trip Planner

[2016golfse]

Made a trip from SF to Monterey and back, and wanted to post my experience with EV Trip Planner vs. actual:

Starting Point: 19th Avenue and Holloway Drive, SF, CA
Destination: Rosine's Restaurant, Monterey, CA
Vehicle: Nissan Leaf Beta
Payload: 550 lbs (4 passengers total)
All other values default
Route: I-280 to I-380 to Hwy 101 to Hwy 156 to Hwy 1 (no stops). I chose this route over I-280 to Hwy 17 to Hwy 1, since I wanted to avoid the large power drain in the Santa Cruz mountains.

EV Trip Planner Estimate: 118.3 miles traveled, 29.3 kWh used, 248 Wh/mile
Actual: 116.82 miles traveled, 24.2 kWh used, 207 Wh/mile (4.82 mi/kWh), Average Speed 39.77 MPH

Max speed is 63 MPH with AC on and adaptive cruise control. My average speed is significantly lower because we encountered a lot of congestion approaching Gilroy (Garlic Festival this weekend) along with some stop-and-go along the way. For the way back, there was stop-and-go on Hwy 156 only.

EV Trip Planner Estimate: 119.1 miles traveled, 29.9 kWh used, 251 Wh/mile
Actual: 117.44 miles traveled, 26.1 kWh used, 222 Wh/mile (4.5 mi/kWh), Average Speed, Average Speed 50.95 MPH

I generally use the Nissan Leaf Beta to provide a slightly conservative estimate of energy usage. Using this vehicle and keeping the speeds no higher than 63 MPH yields estimates that are ~10% too high, which is good.

 

[JoulesThief]

Pretty much matches my experience, though I keep my speed max at 55. This was back in 2016, over 3 different trips. There was about a 18 to 19% buffer, in my results.

Don't know what to attribute it to, other than better momentum conservation. I did very little regeneration with brakes or going up and down hills, on all three trips.

I was very happy with the results from that EV trip planner using the Leaf beta version, since I thought the e-Golf would have a considerably lower cD than the Leaf.

 

[uscpsycho]

I just some test routes. I guess the most important thing to understand is the total energy used predictions.

For example, if it says: Total Energy Used 4.7 kWh / 19 RM

What exactly does that mean? How many kWh do you have with a full charge? What is RM?

Probably noob questions but gotta learn somehow.

 

[Sparklebeard]

I just some test routes. I guess the most important thing to understand is the total energy used predictions.

For example, if it says: Total Energy Used 4.7 kWh / 19 RM

What exactly does that mean? How many kWh do you have with a full charge? What is RM?

Probably noob questions but gotta learn somehow.

RM is Tesla-speak for "rated miles" typically. The facelift e-Golf has ~32kWh of usable battery capacity when new, so for our cars you could imagine that a trip that is expected to use 32kWh would have RM of 125.

In essence, mostly ignore RM on that site because this calculator is not for our cars. In this case it would be based off the leaf's EPA range per kWh. Similar but not the same. You can use it as an approximation, though.

 

[chloe]

I just some test routes. I guess the most important thing to understand is the total energy used predictions.

For example, if it says: Total Energy Used 4.7 kWh / 19 RM

What exactly does that mean? How many kWh do you have with a full charge? What is RM?

Probably noob questions but gotta learn somehow.

RM is Tesla-speak for "rated miles" typically. The facelift e-Golf has ~32kWh of usable battery capacity when new, so for our cars you could imagine that a trip that is expected to use 32kWh would have RM of 125.

In essence, mostly ignore RM on that site because this calculator is not for our cars. In this case it would be based off the leaf's EPA range per kWh. Similar but not the same. You can use it as an approximation, though.

Good to know! Thanks

 

[Verbruggan]

Try this. While it is freeware for Germans, use Google Translate on your web browser. It works for USA. Just doesn't have charge stations. The terrain feature is GOLD.

https://www.goingelectric.de/stromtankstellen/routenplaner/

 

[Sparklebeard]

, use Google Translate on your web browser.

https://www.goingelectric.de/stromtankstellen/routenplaner/

Aber ich kann Deutsch

Thanks for the link! It looks pretty cool!

 

[Verbruggan]

, use Google Translate on your web browser.

https://www.goingelectric.de/stromtankstellen/routenplaner/

Aber ich kann Deutsch

Thanks for the link! It looks pretty cool!

What I like even more is I can make a trip on the website & if you scroll to the bottom of the page, the website offers a link for your trip to call back up on your web browser/ mobile device for 90 days.

And the terrain feature in Erweiterte Suche (Advanced Search) is particularly awesome.

 

[2016golfse]

Another reference point for EV Trip Planner, this time with a net 3600 feet climb to the scenic point of Mt. Diablo.

Starting Point: Stonestown Galleria, SF, CA
Destination: Mt. Diablo, CA
Vehicle: Nissan Leaf Beta
Payload: 300 lbs (2 passengers total)
Interior Temp: 78-degrees (AC on)
Exterior Temp: 85-degrees
All other values default
Route: I-280 to I-80 to Hwy 24 to I-680 to El Cerro / Diablo Rd / Mt. Diablo Scenic Blvd

Estimated Distance: 51.7 miles
Estimated Total Trip Time: 1 hr 34 minutes
Estimated Energy Used: 17.5 kWh
Estimated Efficiency: 340 Wh/mile (2.9 mi / kWh)

Actual Distance: 51 miles
Actual Total Trip Time: 1 hr 33 minutes
Actual Energy Used: 14.2 kWh
Actual Efficiency: 278 Wh/mile (3.6 mi / kWh)

 

[TwoCarsAWeek]

Range anxiety kicks in big time going up Mt. Diablo!
I did that one time going up with my 2016 eGolf SE from the tri-valley. By the time I reached the campsite halfway up the mountain, I only have 24 miles left to make the 30-mile trip home!
Laws of physics came to the rescue, I made it home with 34 miles left !