Real world range

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vader

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Ok, so I have read my fair share of reviews on the SE. One common thing I keep reading is the range. A lot take the lazy way out and just quote the EPA range. Some swear black and blue they only get 90-100 miles (144-160 km). Some actually do tests (like insideevs for example) and get a lot more. Edmunds and carwow both quote 150+ miles.

I keep responding to posts querying anyone who quotes sub 100 miles range. Now I get that temperature plays a part, but I can't get anywhere near that in the real world. By this I mean taking the SE to the track and thrashing it would still net me more range.

For reference, can people post their real world range please. I will kick it off:

4 months average 12.4kWh/100km = 233km (145 miles).
Best between charges: 10.5kWh/100km = 275km (170 miles)
Worst between charges: 14.5kWh/100km = 199km (124 miles)

You can read the average from the trip computer, or just calculate distance from percent battery and distance traveled since last charge.

Max temp 40C
Min temp 17C
Air con set to 23, on all the time. Mid mode, with occaisional sport mode.

Predominantly city travel, 40% highway at 80-100kph, 60% non highway 0-60kph
 
Not being an owner yet, I'm glad to see your experience is better than the EPA estimates! I would also like to see data like this from the colder temp and USA interstate speed folks. (interstate speed probably averages 70 - 80mph (112kph - 130kph), and you will still get passed at those speeds!) It will be good to log this in one thread.

And for F/MPH crowd, I added to vader's numbers:

Max temp 40C (104F)
Min temp 17C (62.6F)
Air con set to 23 (73.4F), on all the time. Mid mode, with occasional sport mode.

Predominantly city travel, 40% highway at 80-100kph (50mph - 62mph), 60% non highway 0-60kph (0-37mph)
 
I only have had mine in below freezing temps. Like 10-20°F (-12.2 to -6.6°C) on average. One day it was 32, but that's rare. Mostly city driving (like 70-80%). My calculations are roughly 100 mile range. I'm not a total lead foot in the winter, but not slow either. Will be sub zero Fahrenheit only next week. Not the best to answer this I think lol
 
Lately, it has been 10-25F. Most of my driving lately is suburban surface streets (typically 30-45MPH). I drive in GREEN mode lately for traction (it reduces my tendency to have fun ;) ). Heat is set to 65F in the car. I am averaging about 2.5 miles/kWh. That nets a range of under 75 miles.

My range is currently so low because heat takes a disproportionate amount of my energy. I do preheat the car when I'm about to leave, even when it is sitting unplugged in a parking lot. I don't need more than 30 miles most days, so I err on the side of comfort. And below freezing, the heat pump doesn't seem to help much.

A month ago, during the January thaw, I was getting over 3 miles/kWh and 90-100 mile range. The only difference is outdoor temps were in the 30-45F range, so the heat pump was highly effective.
 
I forgot to mention my average is 3.2mi/kWh

Today's drive was lousy at 1.9
First time I saw 60% power max too. I was driving lousy. It was colder and even our ICE was sluggish this morning.

I set my heat to 65 and 60. Green or Mid mostly with some sport
 
2000 miles on the ODO. 45-75F, 70/30 city/highway, Mid/Sport, full regen, 3.8-3.9 m/kWh.
Foot to the floor: far too often.

GOM says about 90 miles on a 100% charge, but 3.8 m/kWh would yield at least 105 miles (28.X kWh usable). I can honestly say I never once tried to drive economically, so take that into account.

If you can, charge the car prior to travel in cold weather (30-90+ minutes), and pre-heat the cabin. Smart EVSEs are great for this.
 
So the cold seems to do 2 things. Firstly, denser air and secondly heating appears to be far less efficient than cooling. Well at least below freezing when you probably need the resistive heater element. Anyone else out there from warmer climates?

@polyphonic you should ignore the GOM, it is the only thing I don't like about the MINI. Mine hasn't ever gone above 180km (111 miles), and regularly sits at 160-170 after charging (100-105 miles). You would have thought it would have learnt by now. A base value should be the current charge / avg economy. This isn't rocket science ;)
 
vader said:
@polyphonic you should ignore the GOM, it is the only thing I don't like about the MINI. Mine hasn't ever gone above 180km (111 miles), and regularly sits at 160-170 after charging (100-105 miles). You would have thought it would have learnt by now. A base value should be the current charge / avg economy. This isn't rocket science ;)
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I agree that ignoring the GOM makes sense when trying to come up with meaningful numbers. However, I disagree and believe a GOM is rocket science.

How many past drives do you take into account? How do you compensate for temperature that may vary greatly after leaving the garage? How conservative must you be to prevent drivers from running out of charge? What can you do to adjust for impossible-to-predict changes in elevation? How quickly do you respond to changes in speed? You don't want the GOM to be going up, down, up, down every time you press and release the accelerator pedal. How do you predict a possible switch from the heat pump to the resistive heater? The rare, skilled GOM programmer must in high demand these days. I'd sure love to talk with one of them someday.
 
insightman said:
I agree that ignoring the GOM makes sense when trying to come up with meaningful numbers. However, I disagree and believe a GOM is rocket science.

How many past drives do you take into account? How do you compensate for temperature that may vary greatly after leaving the garage? How conservative must you be to prevent drivers from running out of charge? What can you do to adjust for impossible-to-predict changes in elevation? How quickly do you respond to changes in speed? You don't want the GOM to be going up, down, up, down every time you press and release the accelerator pedal. How do you predict a possible switch from the heat pump to the resistive heater? The rare, skilled GOM programmer must in high demand these days. I'd sure love to talk with one of them someday.
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I am guessing this is a tongue in cheek response - maybe US humour is different to Oz. Currently my thoughts are that they employ a random number generator and take off a few miles/km every time someone on the radio says "but..umm" . I just use the battery bars with approx 30km per bar. I have never come close to running out. I did laugh the other day though - the GOM said 30km range. I had a 70km round trip, and when I got home, I had 16km left :)
 
vader said:
I am guessing this is a tongue in cheek response - maybe US humour is different to Oz.
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Not much different, just the spelling of "humor."

vader said:
Currently my thoughts are that they employ a random number generator and take off a few miles/km every time someone on the radio says "but..umm".
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I laughed at that.

vader said:
I just use the battery bars with approx 30km per bar.
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That's the smart way to do it. The GOM in your head is at least as good and probably better than the one on the instrument panel. You have information the GOM does not have.

vader said:
I have never come close to running out. I did laugh the other day though - the GOM said 30km range. I had a 70km round trip, and when I got home, I had 16km left :)
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If it was easy for MINI to create an accurate GOM, the GOM would be accurate, but it's not accurate--hence my claim that it is rocket science. It would be fun if MINI (or Bimmercode) provided a way for people to take a stab at programming their own GOM.
 
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idrw said:
See what edmunds got in their testing.. The Cooper SE and the Taycan hit it out of the park!

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-range-and-consumption-epa-vs-edmunds.html
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They got pretty much the same as I am getting. Had my longest trip yesterday (after saying I had only ever done 120-130 per day). 146.8km, predominantly on the highway (100kph - 62mph). I had 40% battery left at the end, meaning a projected empty range of 146.8/0.6 = 244km (152 miles). I dropped my wife in to work this morning (mostly city driving) - I didn't bother recharging last night. I am now on 173.2km (108 miles) with 30% remaining. This increased the range to 247km (154 miles). So the city component was around 264km equivalent range - (173.2-146.8) / 0.1 . The temperature yesterday evening was a chilly 25C, so the aircon was working less. I am guessing the little MINI likes warmer climates.
 
“Chilly 25C” lol! Yes I know it is your summer. But even in summer, 25C (77F!) is never chilly to me. That is hot. Now when it gets to 25F, it starts to be chilly!

All EVs prefer the warmer whether. The SE tolerates colder weather better than most due to the heat pump, but it still suffers.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
Today in my northern hemisphere hometown it was so cold (14 F/-10 C) that only 5 of the 10 E-Power bars were illuminated on the Instrument Cluster's Performance Display, indicating only 50% of the normal power was available. With 100% charge, the GOM estimated 73 miles (117.5 km) of potential range. I was surprised because at a much colder -21 F (-29.4 C) in Minnesota, @Puppethead had 7 E-Power bars and 75 miles (120.7 km) of GOM-predicted range.
 
Oof, I haven't seen less than 6 illuminated and we've had highs in the low teens lately. I usually start with 8 so, but if I drive too fast it does drop to 7 and a couple days ago to 6 but it was 11 F out. I'm still getting 3.2kWh average or so but one day I only got 1.9 and that's the day it dropped to 6 very briefly. If I drive far enough or the like it does all come back.
 
Let me add I am not concerned about power when it is cold out. I know our ICE always have struggled in the sub freezing temps too. I tend to drive slower by nature when it's cold. My last Mini felt better than some in the cold, but it still felt frozen for a short while. At least with the electric, I don't feel sluggish off the line. Much like I don't worry if I hear more creaks in the car when cold especially on a bumpy road. This is the worst time of year for driving here and it will pass I hope in a few weeks. I'm already tired of avoiding snow (thank goodness they clear fast here LOL)
 
In snow when the traction is iffy, the SE's anti-wheel slip feature robs me of (OK, protects me from) the acceleration I'm used to. It feels like the car is being slowed by thick mud, but the steering isn't affected as if by thick mud. If I keep pressing the accelerator, my MINI will occasionally find a bit of traction here and there and surge forward for a second. I'm sure this kind of driving doesn't help my real-world range (he said to bring the post a bit closer to the thread topic).
 
Well that's a relief! Been seeing the < 100m range postings around the web.

When Evvie finally gets here c. 3/12/21, we'll see how she does at 4500'. High desert. Hot summers. Cold winters. Sometimes furious wind, 60 mph.

I got an Alpine White roof to reflect some of the heat. Sun is hot here when it's out, even in January. My solar oven cooking can attest to that.

Will be heading to Tahoe, <30m away, but 2500'+ elevation gain and will report.
 
Eventually recharged (because I have a longer trip the next day). 221km (137miles) with 11% remaining. This gives 248km (154miles) range. Fairly consistent across freeway and city driving, although I must admit in the city, I tend to hit it pretty hard from the lights :)

@Brooks Rogers - my back of the coaster maths says that 2500' elevation should consume about 3kWh in addition to normal driving, so that shouldn't be an issue. On the way back, you will probably use very little. WIll be interesting to see how you get on.
 
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