Car and Driver Test Drive at 75mph - 190 miles

[lukestuke]

Car and Driver recently took the all-electric 2017 Chevrolet Bolt for a spin, and with the climate control set to maintain a temperature of 72 degrees on a warm sunny day, the Bolt EV achieved a range of 190 miles while on cruise control at 75 mph!

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-test-review

 

[omar]

Saying the cabin temperature was set to 72 degrees doesn't mean anything unless we know what the outside temperature was!

 

[Anonymous]

What color is that? I don't like it - not orange enough, looks to golden for my liking. I was hoping for brighter orange.

 

[wrcfocus]

What color is that? I don't like it - not orange enough, looks to golden for my liking. I was hoping for brighter orange.

I agree also. I'm going to check out a Cruze in person this weekend of the same colour before I make a decision.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Saying the cabin temperature was set to 72 degrees doesn't mean anything unless we know what the outside temperature was!

Exactly. Even without running the climate control, air is much denser at 35F (e.g. October in Michigan) than at 75F (e.g. October in SoCal). Driving at a steady 75MPH, the difference will be very noticeable, since air resistance is your main enemy.

 

[Aidan]

Saying the cabin temperature was set to 72 degrees doesn't mean anything unless we know what the outside temperature was!

Everytime I think I'm getting my knowledge straight about electric vehicles I read something like this and realize I would have never thought of the outside temperature ....so much to get my head around

 

[SeanNelson]

Saying the cabin temperature was set to 72 degrees doesn't mean anything unless we know what the outside temperature was!

Exactly. Even without running the climate control, air is much denser at 35F (e.g. October in Michigan) than at 75F (e.g. October in SoCal). Driving at a steady 75MPH, the difference will be very noticeable, since air resistance is your main enemy.

The much bigger issue is power consumed by the climate control system. At an outside temperature near freezing, you're going to loose a lot more power to heating the cabin to 72° than you are to increased drag.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Saying the cabin temperature was set to 72 degrees doesn't mean anything unless we know what the outside temperature was!

Exactly. Even without running the climate control, air is much denser at 35F (e.g. October in Michigan) than at 75F (e.g. October in SoCal). Driving at a steady 75MPH, the difference will be very noticeable, since air resistance is your main enemy.

The much bigger issue is power consumed by the climate control system. At an outside temperature near freezing, you're going to loose a lot more power to heating the cabin to 72° than you are to increased drag.

Yes. But my point was that even without climate control, outside temperature makes a difference.

Tony Williams did a lot of work quantifying the Leaf's efficiency and range over a wide array of conditions. At 75MPH, the Leaf gets 3.0 miles/kWh when the outside temperature is 70F. If the temperature drops by 40 degrees, the car only gets 2.7 miles/kWh. That's a 10% difference. Applied to the Bolt, that translates to about 20 miles of range, which is significant.

 

[oilerlord]

[ If the temperature drops by 40 degrees, the car only gets 2.7 miles/kWh. That's a 10% difference. Applied to the Bolt, that translates to about 20 miles of range, which is significant.

Brian, perhaps in theory, but in the real-world, that's not even close. Here's a graphic that correlates with what is actually happening with my car in 30F weather:

You can google all the data you want, but until you drive an EV in the cold, you won't have an appreciation for what happens to an EV's range in cold temperatures. For me, (and others) it's like someone flipped the range kill switch. At -15F, I fully expect my car to lose up to 50% of its range, as shown above.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Oilerlord,

You failed to specify vehicle speed. I specifically mentioned 75MPH, since that is the subject of this thread. At that speed, aero drag on a Leaf is very noticeable. And no, I didn't simply google all of my answers. I have been driving a Leaf since 2012. And Tony Williams based his data off of empirical data collected from many Leafs.

Yes, climate control is the larger source of energy use.

But speed kills because of aero drag. Drag which is much worse with colder (i.e. denser) air.

Will the Bolt see a 10% drop in efficiency at 75MPH from 70F to 30F, without climate control? I don't know for sure, but it is highly likely.

 

[oilerlord]

My apologies. Reading your post again, you were noting only the affect that denser (colder) air has on drag. With (only) that in consideration - I'd agree that losing 10% of range is probably about right. No doubt Tony WIlliams knows his stuff. He's careful to replicate his SoCal test loop among a several different EV's. I'd love to see him do one of his tests in the dead of a Minnesota winter.

With that said, and all variables considered - cabin heat on, seat heaters on, falling temperatures, etc, I believe the graph I posted to be a reasonable "average" range guide as temperature drops. It certainly jives with what I've been experiencing as winter approaches. I think people that buy EV's do need to realize this going in - especially those that experience winter like I do. At the very least, it would reduce the number of "what's wrong with my car's range" posts that are going to populate this board.

I think EV's should come with a temperature adjusted EPA range label. While all cars are affected by temperature, simply quoting 238 miles of range on the Bolt isn't really telling people the whole truth. While I'm sure 280 miles may be possible at 55MPH @ 72F, it could very well be 120 miles of range at 80MPH @ -15F.

 

[roundpeg]

The EPA doesn't require any car to be rated for mileage in extreme weather conditions, so why EVs? The other issue, speed, is the same for EVs as for ICE cars. It's also the same for airplanes, or anything else that has to contend with the laws of thermodynamics, meaning everything in our earthly realm. Most drivers of ICE cars neither know nor care what kind of penalty they are paying for increased velocity, but it's the same energy given up to heat through drag and friction and it is not a linear relationship (I believe it's a cube root). The lesson of EVs it seems is the way they constantly feed back efficiency to the driver. Now the driver can see in real time that 75 MPH is way less efficient than 65. It was always true, but now they know.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

The EPA doesn't require any car to be rated for mileage in extreme weather conditions, so why EVs? The other issue, speed, is the same for EVs as for ICE cars. It's also the same for airplanes, or anything else that has to contend with the laws of thermodynamics, meaning everything in our earthly realm. Most drivers of ICE cars neither know nor care what kind of penalty they are paying for increased velocity, but it's the same energy given up to heat through drag and friction and it is not a linear relationship (I believe it's a cube root). The lesson of EVs it seems is the way they constantly feed back efficiency to the driver. Now the driver can see in real time that 75 MPH is way less efficient than 65. It was always true, but now they know.

It's more than knowledge, though. With an ICEV, lower efficiency means maybe you have to stop for a 5-minute fill-up at 350 miles instead of 400 miles. In a BEV, it means you need to stop and find a place to charge after 190 miles instead of 238 miles. That charger will be harder to find than a gas station. And the one you do find might be L2, which takes 9 hours to charge! Or maybe 2 hours to give you enough to get to the DCQC you intended to stop at.

Of course, that scenario depends on taking a long trip. In daily driving, even 190 miles should hold most people over until they get back home. I don't know about you, but for me I only really drive 75MPH when I'm on a long trip. Most of my road trips are 250-300 miles, with the vast majority being on the highway at about 70MPH.

 

[SeanNelson]

The lesson of EVs it seems is the way they constantly feed back efficiency to the driver. Now the driver can see in real time that 75 MPH is way less efficient than 65. It was always true, but now they know.

The same is true for the Prius C hybrid that I drive. You can see the fuel efficiency displayed on the dash, and you see a lot of complaints in the forums about poorer results at high speeds or in winter.

 

[roundpeg]

It's more than knowledge, though. With an ICEV, lower efficiency means maybe you have to stop for a 5-minute fill-up at 350 miles instead of 400 miles. In a BEV, it means you need to stop and find a place to charge after 190 miles instead of 238 miles. That charger will be harder to find than a gas station. And the one you do find might be L2, which takes 9 hours to charge! Or maybe 2 hours to give you enough to get to the DCQC you intended to stop at.

Of course, that scenario depends on taking a long trip. In daily driving, even 190 miles should hold most people over until they get back home. I don't know about you, but for me I only really drive 75MPH when I'm on a long trip. Most of my road trips are 250-300 miles, with the vast majority being on the highway at about 70MPH.

Well, yeah. The fill-up problem definitely sharpens the issue for EV drivers.

 

[roundpeg]

The same is true for the Prius C hybrid that I drive. You can see the fuel efficiency displayed on the dash, and you see a lot of complaints in the forums about poorer results at high speeds or in winter.

I don't doubt that weather is a factor, I was only responding to the point about the EPA not rating EVs (or any other type of car) for efficiency in adverse conditions.

 

[SeanNelson]

The same is true for the Prius C hybrid that I drive. You can see the fuel efficiency displayed on the dash, and you see a lot of complaints in the forums about poorer results at high speeds or in winter.

I don't doubt that weather is a factor, I was only responding to the point about the EPA not rating EVs (or any other type of car) for efficiency in adverse conditions.

My point was that your comment about people noticing the difference because the car gives them direct feedback on their efficiency is spot on.

 

[roundpeg]

I see, okie dokie!

 

[JupiterMoon]

Car and Driver recently took the all-electric 2017 Chevrolet Bolt for a spin, and with the climate control set to maintain a temperature of 72 degrees on a warm sunny day, the Bolt EV achieved a range of 190 miles while on cruise control at 75 mph!

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-test-review

Why do American cars always have to have so much chrome? It's just awful lol.

Does anything also agree that the Bolt should have upgraded wheels and suspension options? Like the BMW i3 with 20 inch rim upgrades, Chevy should also give this car a bit more pizzaz as an option.

 

[NomadMac]

Does anything also agree that the Bolt should have upgraded wheels and suspension options? Like the BMW i3 with 20 inch rim upgrades, Chevy should also give this car a bit more pizzaz as an option.

Not necessary.

The Bolt is already much better shod with 215/50R17 vs. the i3's 155/70R19 unless you're the person looking to ride around on bling wagon wheels.

Bigger rims, more weight. More expense. Less tire options. More rotational mass. Probably no perceived improved handling. No thanks.

Oh, and the grilles have been blacked out on other colors so there's less shiny bits.