Now at 82 Mile Range

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by David Towle, May 28, 2019.

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  1. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    I set ACC at 5 mph over the speed limit. I stay in the far right hand lane except when passing someone who is going even slower, and if I do that I speed up to traffic speed during the pass, then back to +5mph after I am back in the right hand lane. The only other time that I venture out into the faster lanes is if traffic is moving the speed limit, which is to say not very often.

    I don't look down on people who drive 10-20 miles over the speed limit (yes I know it's practically everyone) but if they are looking down on me for driving the speed limit in the far right hand lane there's not much I can do for them. I do think it's unsafe to drive the speed limit in the faster lanes if traffic is moving faster so I don't do that. But there is nothing unsafe about driving the speed limit in the far right hand lane because people expect slower cars there, they may not like it but they expect it, that's the difference.
     
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  3. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    You're equating "5 mph over the speed limit" with "driving the speed limit," but to real speeders both are the same. I set my ACC for 5 mph BELOW the speed limit and look for a semi truck to follow (but not too close). If I'm "stuck" behind a semi, no one has cause to look down on me.

    I have lots of experience ignoring down-lookers from hypermiling my Insight for 20 years. In the early days, when I was a total mpg fanatic, I loved it when I came up behind a car going even slower than me. I'd follow the slow car and say my motto out loud, "Nobody can out-slow me!" I should add that I didn't have a long commute, so I wasn't ever late for dinner. With this technique I managed to get my Insight's lifetime gas mileage (including Michigan's dismal 45 mpg winter months) up to 64 mpg.
     
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  4. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    Actually I think people do notice, though certainly not all of them. I don't see the need to unnecessarily anger people which is more likely to happen if you drive under the speed limit as opposed to a few mph over, which will annoy people but presumably less likely to actually boil over. We're dealing with often irrational behavior and thinking so it's not a perfect science but I think mine is a good compromise. And yes driving behind a truck is one way to deal with the irrational behavior and I have done that many times, although I never attempt drafting :eek:

    Also ACC seems to mostly run about 1 mph under the set speed, and also if it's like any car I have ever driven the speedometer reports about 1 mph fast (haven't gotten around to checking that yet with GPS and mileage posts). So effectively I am probably going about 3 mph over the speed limit. I know, next thing I will be smoking and drinking :D
     
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  5. Richard_arch74

    Richard_arch74 Active Member

    That's about the maximum I'm getting (62 miles actual range).
    I have to be driving surface streets with some stopping at stop signs. Maximum speed 45m/hr. Relatively flat terrain. Smooth roads (for Michigan). To get 82 miles actual range I bet you have to be going downhill, hypermiling, and maximum speed of 35m/hr with lots of opportunities to regen.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
     
  6. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    I am not convinced that stop signs and stop-and-go traffic increase mpg even though that is commonly reported. I think it's all because of the slower speed that will always be concurrent with those driving situations. Regenerative braking wastes energy, just not as much as friction brakes. Now there may be a little bit of pulse-glide phenomenon going on during stop and go driving, but I would think not enough to offset the losses from regenerative braking.
     
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  8. HagerHedgie

    HagerHedgie Member

    It’s all about average speed. I think the clarity take such a hit at higher speeds simply because it’s just so efficient and the aero losses are that much more noticeable. If you could set up a test loop and just go 25 to 35 miles an hour continuous, I’m sure 80 miles will be no problem 100 might even be attainable
     
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  9. HagerHedgie

    HagerHedgie Member

    The wind is brutal on efficiency , especially on the highway. I don’t have much experience with the clarity yet on long trips except for one brutal winter day with single digit temps and 30 mph cross winds. Direct drive was useless. I got 37mpg on the guess o meter going 75mph.
    I remember one trip in my Prius that I got my worst mileage ever. I would normally get 48-50mpg on that route. It was a strong 30+mph headwind, temps in the 40’s and I got 38 mpg
     
  10. HagerHedgie

    HagerHedgie Member

    As a chronic speeder I can say I never judge people going slow if they allow traffic to pass. The oeople that piss me off are the ones that hang out in the left lane all day, take 5 minutes to pass a truck and then only speed up when the right lane is clear.
    You may be getting looks of envy. People are jealous of your patience.
     
    2002 likes this.
  11. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    There are now laws in some states that make it illegal to drive slower than the flow of traffic in the fast lane. I read the statement about it for one state I forget which but you could tell they had wrestled with the dilemma of punishing people who were obeying the speed limit, but at the same time they couldn't ignore the proven hazard that it causes in the faster lanes where people are not expecting it. So they felt the best compromise they could come up with was to at least single out the far left lane (not including HOV lanes).

    One ironic thing that I deal with is people who are nearing their exit and slow down way below the speed limit. I have no problem with people driving slower than the speed limit, but these are people who a few minutes earlier were blazing down the highway, then when they get within the last mile before their exit they pull in front of me and then slow way down. At least with ACC I'm not as bothered by it as much since I don't have to shut the cruise off like I used to.
     
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  13. Dustin

    Dustin Member

    Had to see what I could get the guess-o-meter up to. Mixed driving, mild to warm temps.
     

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  14. ringf4g4plugin guy

    ringf4g4plugin guy New Member

     
  15. ringf4g4plugin guy

    ringf4g4plugin guy New Member

    wow do not under stand how you get those kinds of mileage in sport mode and use zero gals fuel.
    I always run EV mode and generally get 44-46 miles before running out of battery, could you help me understand how sport mode does not use fuel?
     
  16. JCA

    JCA Active Member

    I strongly suspect Sport mode isn't the difference (either way). Normal/Sport/Econ mode just map the accelerator pedal differently. A light touch on the pedal in Sport mode bringing you to a particular level on the power meter is exactly the same as a heavier touch on the pedal in Econ mode bringing you to the same power meter level. *Personally* when I'm planning to use EV all day (i.e. most days) I drive in Econ mode, because for me being able to get max EV acceleration by feel (pushing the pedal to the detent) is more convenient than having to keep watching the power meter as I'm accelerating onto the freeway to make sure I don't go out of the blue region. For my foot position and size, it's not inconvenient to have to push farther. I totally respect that for others that personal preference is different.

    What I believe does make a difference in order is:

    1) Speed -- I can easily see a discharge and range difference when I drive 65 MPH on the highway portion of my commute vs 80, and more so when I am around town at 45-50. I suspect that 60-80 mile EV ranges involve a lot of 25-40MPH driving, and sub-40 mile ranges involve a lot of 70+ highway driving.

    2) Defroster -- see heat + AC below.

    3) Heat -- with no engine waste heat, the electric resistance heater is a big draw. I don't know the wattage, but I've seen references to Tesla cabin heaters drawing 4000 watts or more (a standard home plug-in space heater is 1500 watts, but a car likely needs 2-3 times that at least for initially heating from freezing). 3kW (3000 watts) would use 20% of our battery capacity in an hour's drive, enough to make a big difference in range.

    4) AC -- although much less of an impact than the heater (a heat pump cooling from 90 to 70 is MUCH MUCH more efficient than resistance heat raising temperature from 30 to 70).

    5) Ambient temperature. I'm sure this does make a difference, but it's hard to separate out from the heat/AC use.

    Tires, hills, wiper use, headlights, etc also slot somewhere in that list too.

    By the way, my normal commute day is 24 miles of ~75 MPH freeway and 15 miles of surface streets, and I see anywhere from 42 to 47 miles of EV range (both actual when I go farther and extrapolating from the miles remaining when I don't run out), mostly depending on how much traffic slowed me down on the freeway :)
     
  17. Dustin

    Dustin Member

    I mostly drive in ECON and can get some pretty decent EV range.
     
    hanman likes this.
  18. Walt R

    Walt R Active Member

    Interpreting your statement as "either ACC or standard cruise", you can switch this on the Clarity. Press and hold the following interval button for about 1 second until an indicator message appears in the cruise display. From manual page 413.
     
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  19. MajorAward

    MajorAward Active Member

    Don't know how I missed that, but thanks.
     
  20. JCA

    JCA Active Member

    Don't feel bad, I missed it the other way -- mine was in non-ACC mode when delivered, which is confusing because the display still says "ACC" next to the "Cruise Mode" box (and my 07 Civic has the same green box saying "Cruise Main" so I assumed it just meant that). I figured out pretty quickly that it wasn't adaptively slowing as I was closing quickly on the truck in front of me!
     
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  21. aaronj1159

    aaronj1159 New Member

    Yeah that I'm aware of. What I meant was something similar to the eco cruise that my Ford had that was reeeally soft with the gas pedal/regen/brakes going up and down hills etc. ACC is great for heavier traffic situations but I'd love something less aggressive with keeping that speed setting for my typical drive.
     
  22. MNSteve

    MNSteve Well-Known Member

    Driving a semi into a spectacular headwind in Kansas; speed 55 mph full throttle, realized I was getting under 5 mpg; time for a long nap.
     
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  23. When we picked up our travel trailer in Illinois, our first leg took us south into a strong headwind. I knew towing would significantly affect mileage - we normally get about 21 mpg in our Ford Flex, but I was shocked and dismayed to see about 8 mpg for the first tank. I swear I could almost watch the fuel gauge dropping as we drove! Good news is now with no wind, we see 11 or 12 mpg. Not great, but still a whole lot better percentage-wise.
     

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