Something wrong with predicted range?

[dlb92]

So I've been to work 3 times and I have had to use gas for 3.7 miles of the 29 mile trip. (Actually the hybrid batter is running during most of those 3.7 miles so myford says I only go 2.2 miles on gas)

 

Each time I get back from the trip it says I used 0.0 gallons of gas.

 

My starting range on the myford battery readout said 467 now after 3 trips (11.1 miles) it is 436.  That is a drop of 31 miles and my gas gauge remains the same 3/4's full.

 

Can anyone explain this?  What sorcery is causing this?

 

This kind of thing is why it would be nice to know exactly how much gas is in the tank.

 

Here's my theory:

So my thinking is it is measuring the miles per gallon you get on the short distance you travel and calculating the range based on that.

So if I average 44mpg on 10.5 gallons of gas that gives me a 467 mile range.

If I drive a little more poorly and go 41mpg on 10.5 gallons of gas that gives me a. 436 mile range.

So despite the fact I'm using only a few mLs of gasoline during the trip it is playing havoc on my total range prediction.

Edited August 14, 2013 at 03:05 AM by dlb92

[murphy]

The distance to empty prediction is based on how the car has been driven in the past.  If there are multiple drivers it can be less accurate.  It's nothing more than a sophisticated guess.

[dlb92]

I got a 95/100 on my driving score today, used 0.03 gallons of gas, and including the use of electricity I achieved 111 MPG equivalent with the adjustment equation for gas use and efficiency loss.  It's 29.3 miles to work and back and I used the battery for 28 of those miles.

So it cost me less than $1 to get to work and back and I save about $2.50 in gas each time.

If I were just to drive to work and back I wouldn't have to fill up with gas for 18 months.  Thats a little crazy maybe I feel ok using the AC from now on :).

[TX NRG]

 

This kind of thing is why it would be nice to know exactly how much gas is in the tank.

 

So despite the fact I'm using only a few mLs of gasoline during the trip it is playing havoc on my total range prediction.

I've read most of the manual and nowhere does it say you have to wait until your Energi's fuel gauge gets to near "E" before adding gas. So if not knowing the exact amount of gas left in the tank is causing undue stress for you, just plan to fill up sometime after you get to half a tank, which at your current rate might be around the 9 month mark, and you'll never worry about running out of gas or exactly how many mLs are left in the tank. ;)

[dlb92]

I'm not really stressed..its more of a  challenge--how long can I go.  I use 115.2 mL of gasoline per trip to be exact lol.

[dlb92]

So I drove to work and back like normal, windows up 75 degrees with climate and radio on.  I used 0.12 gallons of gas versus 0.03 gallons with windows down and no AC.

 

So I guess I have to decide if its worth 32 cents a day or $83/year to be comfortable, lol.

[CombsAuthor]

So I drove to work and back like normal, windows up 75 degrees with climate and radio on.  I used 0.12 gallons of gas versus 0.03 gallons with windows down and no AC.

 

So I guess I have to decide if its worth 32 cents a day or $83/year to be comfortable, lol.

I would think in that Florida heat it would be a no-brainier. It's a good number to know and it's worth it in Texas for sure.

 

On a similar note, I'm really impressed on how quickly the air conditioner kicks in and cools down the cabin.

[larryh]

Monitoring the energy consumption used by climate in hot weather, I observe for the first five minutes AC uses about 5 kW to cool down the passenger cabin, and then about 0.5 kW thereafter to keep it cool.  So the initial cool-down takes about (5/60) hrs * 5 kW = 0.42 kWh.  Then if your one-way commute is 25 minutes, it will consume another (20/60) hrs * 0.5 kW = 0.17 kWh.  The total energy consumed is about 0.6 kWh for a on-way commute.  So, assuming 1/3 efficiency for the ICE, that would require 0.6 kWh * 3 / (33.705 kWh/gallon) = 0.05 gallons of gas.  The round trip commute would then require about 0.1 gallons of gas. 

 

Since it is cooler in the morning and you can park in a garage shaded from the sun, climate should require less than 0.6 kWh to go to work.  At work, you could significantly reduce the energy consumption for climate by parking in the shade.  You could also tint your windows, but you would never recover that cost.

 

However, to maximize EV range, AC may be required to keep the battery cool.  If you let the battery become too warm, you may consume more gas than without using AC.

Edited August 16, 2013 at 09:46 AM by larryh

[Russael]

I can't wait to see how effective the heater is with the car.  Winter is coming... if it can warm up the car almost as fast as the A/C can cool it down, then I'm going to be a happy camper.  I'll be able to pre-condition while here at home so going to work isn't going to be a huge deal, but coming back from the office, depending on how cold it needs to be before it kicks the ICE on, may have me wind up using gas for a mile or two.  Winters here in MI typically go below freezing at night (usually upper 10's to low 20's F, and might reach freezing during the day.  Last year we had some days that went to negative numbers.  That was cold. :)

[dlb92]

Winter is coming...

 

lol