Driving the "sweet spot", sorta

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hobbit

hobbit

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Competent Prius drivers spent a lot of time learning how to optimize the car's running range for best
efficiency, mostly by trying to stay within the engine's best BSFC performance. I have some writeups
about that, since I could instrument several of the critical parameters. Do we even need to think about
such things in a Kona? Maybe not, but I've been exploring it anyway:

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/ev/sweetsp.html

Somewhat related to my comment on FSD over in Tesla-land, being gentle also helps being *predictable*
on the road as well as leaving more time to *predict*.

_H*
 
hobbit said:
Competent Prius drivers spent a lot of time learning how to optimize the car's running range for best
efficiency, mostly by trying to stay within the engine's best BSFC performance. I have some writeups
about that, since I could instrument several of the critical parameters. Do we even need to think about
such things in a Kona? Maybe not, but I've been exploring it anyway:

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/ev/sweetsp.html

Somewhat related to my comment on FSD over in Tesla-land, being gentle also helps being *predictable*
on the road as well as leaving more time to *predict*.

_H*
Click to expand...
Your research and advice can be very useful for Kona drivers who discover the charging station they were counting on is broken and they must try to stretch their charge to the next-closest charging station. Your developed excellent hypermiling skills with your Prius and you've been able to transfer them to your Kona(s). Do you ever let loose and have fun driving your Kona?

I drove two gen-1 Honda Insights for 20 years, always seeking to maximize the distance between fill-ups. I could get 85 mpg on a tankful, or even 100 mpg when I was willing to drive below 20 mph. I had the manual transmission version that gave me more flexibility and more control over power usage than the CVT version.

When my MINI Cooper SE was delivered, I cast off my hair-shirt driving habits. My MINI offers way less than half the range EV a Kona can achieve (EPA 110 miles vs 258), but I drive it like I used to drive my Honda CRX Si--fast.

I know I can slow down and go as far as 177 miles in my MINI if I need to, but that's not much fun. I'm so glad MINI didn't put a 200-mile battery in my car because that would make it heavy and less fun to drive.

I take few long trips in my MINI, so I'm willing to stop twice as often to charge rather than use up energy every day hauling around a heavy battery I don't need. It's certainly not good for use as a long-distance commuter car. I have a Honda Clarity PHEV for long trips that don't include showing off my MINI when I reach my destination.
 
I've made the Kona scat a handful of times, mostly just brief show-offs when I have a new passenger and
we're talking about it. I actually prefer the "orbital mechanics" mindset and third-derivative calculations, as I'm
not really a G-force junkie. I do remain somewhat concerned about the gearbox, although maybe babying it
is self-defeating and pushes its failure out beyond warranty??

Traffic often does trend a little slower on uphills; I don't mind matching that. I can often tell when someone
behind me is on cruise, as they come rocketing up and only realize to correct at the last second, likely with
an assist from the yuppie button's "aft photon torpedoes". It's amazing how I have to do so many other peoples'
driving for them...

_H*
 
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