Greetings

S

Stephen Graff

New Member
I had always wanted an EV and came across a 2021 Mini SE with 17,000 miles. So far, so good, but I'm slowly getting used to the particulars of an all electric vehicle. Love driving it, but trying to understand how range works--especially how to accurately measure the range. I'm semi retired, don't have long daily commutes, and recently had Chargepoint Home Flex installed. Looking forward to hearing from others here. Happy New Years!
 
Congratulations on your new SE!

Re. range, ignore the guess-o-meter's (GOM's) estimated value, which is routinely pessimistic. Instead, press the button* at the end of the turn signal stalk to set the display to show % charge at the bottom right. You will typically get 1-1.5 mi/% (i.e., 100-150 miles total), but obviously it will depend on where and how you drive. With just a bit of experience, though, you will be able to beat the GOM.

*I can't remember if it is the top or bottom, but you'll figure it out.
 
Use the ABC method. Always Be Charging. I always charge as soon as I get home from every excursion. I'm always ready for the next one, even if it's unforeseen. In 2.5 years, I've only charged not-at-home less than a handful of times.
 
To measure estimated range, I find it easiest to use the trip odometer. I just reset it before a trip, and note the battery % using the display that @CuriousGeorge mentioned (if it’s not at 100%). Then after the trip, I get the estimated range (from that trip) with:
trip odometer / (start % - end %)
Also I think @GvilleGuy made an iOS shortcut that does the same thing for you. It used to be really easy to do this because the app would show the odometer reading at the time of each charge, but they pulled that functionality and now you can only see the current odometer.
 
The ChargePoint Homeflex can be hit or miss as the wifi/bluetooth component tends to fail prematurely leading to an inoperable EVSE. As for the amperage settings, I think ChargePoint revised the interface so it's non-adjustable after installation to reduce the risk of fire.

There are so many variables to range, but the main ones are tire compound (summer vs all season), city vs highway driving (brake regen & aerodynamic drag), ambient temperature (energy lost to HVAC and battery cooling), and driving style. The best way is to set certain checkpoints (i.e. 20% to get home) and map out nearby emergency public charging stations. I worked out the very conservative full range to be about 1/4 tank of an ICE MINI Cooper S, so that's 3 gallon at ~30MPG.

For long distance travel, the current F56 BEV is less than an ideal highway cruiser, but it is possible!
 
I'm new to all of this. Based on trips so far, I'm averaging about 4 miles per kwh, which should be about 115 miles in range, and the percentage aligns with that. I added air to tires and I rarely use the brake--I think I'm at maximum regen. GOM doesn't seem to be too far off. It takes miles off at the beginning of a trip but then adds them back and then some. The handling is great and the car is a lot of fun to drive.
 
2 years with my se
best car I have ever owned, driven, been in, or known about
enjoy it

I typically run 14 miles per 10% plus or minus a little
It dropped a little when I put on run-flats after having 2 flats.
Being conservative, 12 miles per 10% will assure uneventful excursions

Over time your driving efficiency will improve. Run green as able, coast when possible, keep the tires inflated, and avoid racing from lights and you will never have an issue. The efficiency suffers cruising 65-70 mph. It is stellar up to the 50-60 mph range foot driven rather than cruise control. I charge at home with a 240 circuit.One hour per 25% using a Grizl-E The car is used for commuting, in town errands, and excursions less than 50 miles away.
Have used rapid charging a few times and it is no big deal.
 
ghost said:
I'm sorry, but this is bad advice.

I agree w everything else that was said.
:D
Click to expand...

:)

In my experience, repeated, rapid accelerations have less influence on range than other factors such as overall speed (aerodynamic drag), outside temperature (power train efficiency), or use of cabin heating. Of course, that makes sense when you consider that regenerative braking allows recapture of some of that kinetic energy, which isn't true for the other cases.
 
@azausa or @vader under the Southern Cross had reported a few times that setting the limiter to the posted limit and accelerating briskly to that limit resulted in their best efficiencies. I notice the superior efficiency the once in a while that I use the limiter method, but it doesn't work well for the traffic conditions I most frequently encounter here.
 
I find using cruise control creates huge efficiency on freeways, when I combine it with using the steering wheel button to disengage when necessary (no ACC in my 2021 SE), and letting regenerative breaking work as much as possible. Since I get well over 5 mi/kWh in the summer I don't think I could be more efficient by not using cruise control.
 
CuriousGeorge said:
:)

In my experience, repeated, rapid accelerations have less influence on range than other factors such as overall speed (aerodynamic drag), outside temperature (power train efficiency), or use of cabin heating. Of course, that makes sense when you consider that regenerative braking allows recapture of some of that kinetic energy, which isn't true for the other cases.
Click to expand...

That's my experience exactly.

This also held true in my Fiat 500e. What I loved about the Fiat is that there was only one driving mode.... MODE PUSH! The brake pedal was a variable REGEN pedal, mechanical brakes operating only at less than 10kph.

If I don't use cruise control I end up going way too fast because EVs are just so smoooth...

Sadly, my mi/kWh dropped of noticeably (~10%) when I switched to sticky all-season tires (Conti extreme contact).
Happily, there are grocery stores near my home and work where I can charge quickly when I forget to plug in at home.

Stephen - Congrats and thanks for joining the community!
 
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