Driving in "L" on freeways?

[bobpenn]

I keep my Bolt in the "L" mode always. But when driving on an LA freeway yesterday with no traffic (not common!) I would tend to coast a bit when I was driving on flat surfaces. So I switched to "D" and the experience felt more like a "normal" drive on the freeway, rather than have the regenerative breaking slowing me down.

But ... other than that feeling of coasting, I was wondering how this affects total range. I tried to see if accelerating in either mode showed a difference: it didn't seem to. But coasting was different. With D you do regenerate a bit on the coasting, but you don't slow down, so you don't have to re-accelerate very much to maintain speed.. In L you certainly slow down more, and regenerate more, but it feels like you need to accelerate harder or more often to maintain speed, possibly countering the increased regeneration?

So after that long winded story, I ask: what are people doing about driving in L. Is it only for stop and go, or have people found that it's just as efficient with freeway driving?

Thanks.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Using L or B for freeway driving doesn't cost range if you go to the extra effort of keeping the pedal in exactly the right position at all times. It doesn't really add range, though, and it's easier to use D or E for that kind of driving. Remember that coasting is always more efficient than using Regen.

 

[boltage]

Think of D and L as just different mappings of accelerator and brake pedal positions to how much acceleration / deceleration you get.

 

[dandrewk]

This has been brought up numerous times. Through driver testing, driving in "L" is more efficient in city/urban highway driving. On highways with fast moving traffic, no difference. The only time "D" has proven more efficient is descending from a long grade. In all cases, the differences are very small.

(obligatory PSA): Do not ever drive/coast in "N", as it is inherently dangerous.

 

[Anonymous]

I keep my Bolt in the "L" mode always. But when driving on an LA freeway yesterday with no traffic (not common!) I would tend to coast a bit when I was driving on flat surfaces. So I switched to "D" and the experience felt more like a "normal" drive on the freeway, rather than have the regenerative breaking slowing me down.

On the LA freeways with no traffic, I always drive in L and I use cruise control set for the "flow of traffic" so there is never a slow down! It automatically factors in regen as needed.

I get the best of both worlds: regeneration and a speedy trip with good energy savings!

 

[phil0909]

On the LA freeways with no traffic, I always drive in L and I use cruise control set for the "flow of traffic" so there is never a slow down!

What is the flow of no traffic?

 

[SeanNelson]

With D you do regenerate a bit on the coasting, but you don't slow down..

That can only be true if you're going down a hill. Any regeneration will inevitably harvest energy from your momentum, and if gravity isn't supplying at least an equivalent amount of energy then you will slow down. It won't be nearly as dramatic as "L" mode, but it will happen.

 

[LeftieBiker]

There is now a device available called "LeafBox" that remaps the accelerator output to let the car coast with zero regen in D. It's supposed to be very nice, and save 10% on power consumption on secondary roads (not freeways). I may get one. It makes more sense to me than using L (B on my Leaf).

 

[boltage]

There is now a device available called "LeafBox" that remaps the accelerator output to let the car coast with zero regen in D. It's supposed to be very nice, and save 10% on power consumption on secondary roads (not freeways). I may get one. It makes more sense to me than using L (B on my Leaf).

Wouldn't you get the same effect by just pressing the accelerator slightly to where it uses no power but also has no regeneration?

 

[SparkE]

There is now a device available called "LeafBox" that remaps the accelerator output to let the car coast with zero regen in D. It's supposed to be very nice, and save 10% on power consumption on secondary roads (not freeways). I may get one. It makes more sense to me than using L (B on my Leaf).

Wouldn't you get the same effect by just pressing the accelerator slightly to where it uses no power but also has no regeneration?

Yes, but the young whippersnappers want everything handed to them on a plate these days. Cruise control! Lane exit alert! Auto braking!

In my day, you had to be awake while driving! Use your foot to control the speed of the vehicle. Back in my day, to get to school I had to drive through the snow everyday - uphill - BOTH WAYS!

 

[LeftieBiker]

Heh. It's a little more difficult than that to constantly modulate the accelerator pedal for zero regen, for mile after mile after mile, while also using it to accelerate. That's too much work for me, and I've picked apples for a living. Driving an EV with no automatic regen can be a little unnerving at first, but then it feels like the vehicle is floating through the air. I briefly owned a Zero SR (piece of junk, but fast), and I programmed the custom mode for virtually no regen. It was great, the three times I actually got to ride the bike...

 

[Anonymous]

On the LA freeways with no traffic, I always drive in L and I use cruise control set for the "flow of traffic" so there is never a slow down!

What is the flow of no traffic?

Typically it is the speed limit + 5 MPH

"No traffic" is a euphemism in Los Angeles!

 

[phil0909]

On the LA freeways with no traffic, I always drive in L and I use cruise control set for the "flow of traffic" so there is never a slow down!

What is the flow of no traffic?

Typically it is the speed limit + 5 MPH

"No traffic" is a euphemism in Los Angeles!

And "there is never a slow down" is a fantasy!

 

[Robaroni]

I keep my Bolt in the "L" mode always. But when driving on an LA freeway yesterday with no traffic (not common!) I would tend to coast a bit when I was driving on flat surfaces. So I switched to "D" and the experience felt more like a "normal" drive on the freeway, rather than have the regenerative breaking slowing me down.

But ... other than that feeling of coasting, I was wondering how this affects total range. I tried to see if accelerating in either mode showed a difference: it didn't seem to. But coasting was different. With D you do regenerate a bit on the coasting, but you don't slow down, so you don't have to re-accelerate very much to maintain speed.. In L you certainly slow down more, and regenerate more, but it feels like you need to accelerate harder or more often to maintain speed, possibly countering the increased regeneration?

So after that long winded story, I ask: what are people doing about driving in L. Is it only for stop and go, or have people found that it's just as efficient with freeway driving?

Thanks.

Bob, good question.
I'm still getting used to the 'D' and 'L' but right now I'm using 'L' a little more. We live out in the country and I have one stop sign between our house and town which is 8 miles away. I think in 'L' you have to be a little more aware of your foot position on the pedal, if you get it just right it's pretty good.

What do the guys who go 350+ miles on a charge use? Using the 'L' I didn't get great range but it's hard to tell as I need more miles under my belt. One thing I can tell is that 'L' really saves your brakes, I went 80 miles and only tapped the brakes a couple of times. Going around a corner in 'D' you need to use the brakes if you can't reach the paddle but again, I'll have to get more road time in to tell.
Rob

 

[boltage]

From what I can tell, miles per kWh and therefore estimated range is highly dependent on highway speed (given normal economical driving (avoiding hard acceleration and braking) otherwise, without extreme hypermiling) and whether you use the heater (and AC to a lesser extent).

 

[LeftieBiker]

From what I can tell, miles per kWh and therefore estimated range is highly dependent on highway speed (given normal economical driving (avoiding hard acceleration and braking) otherwise, without extreme hypermiling) and whether you use the heater (and AC to a lesser extent).

This (highway speed having the biggest effect) is very true of the less aerodynamically slippery cars like the Bolt and Leaf. It's less true for better-shaped cars like the Tesla S and 3. Likewise, heatpump-equipped cars don't use much if any more power for heat in chilly-not-frigid Winter weather than for A/C, which isn't much. Frigid, windy weather is the worst for EV range, of course.