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Author Topic: A good range anxiety story.  (Read 791 times)

MostlyBonkers

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A good range anxiety story.
« on: June 26, 2016, 01:14:12 AM »

This morning I had the opportunity to test drive a KIA Soul EV.  It was a spur of the moment thing and I only had about three hours to get to Romford and back. I was keen to get there by 10am but wasn't ready to set off until about 9:10. I decided to take the quickest route which took me on the M25 and down the M11, 37 miles with most of it at 70-80mph.

I got to the dealership with 17% charge and only an hour at most to charge before having to head home.  After the test drive I was having a chat with the guy who keeps all the cars clean on the forecourt. He was fascinated by my Zero and kindly gave the headlight a wipe.  Whilst we were talking the charge indicator ticked over to 29%...

Needless to say, I didn't take the same route home! Thankfully I've discovered that using the shortest route on the Sat Nav is a great 'get out of jail free' card. The shortest route home was 26 miles and I made it with 3% charge left.  It took about twice as long as the outbound trip, my wife was miffed, but I enjoyed the ride.

The most important part is that I wasn't, not for one moment, anxious about getting home. I would have been bothered if I couldn't have plugged in at the dealership, but I had asked on the phone before I left.

The knowledge that I could charge for an hour probably encouraged me to go faster than I should have on the motorway. If I'd been sensible I could have easily found a route that was shorter and a little slower which would have got me there with at least 50% charge. The same route home would probably have been a little quicker overall, but I was in a hurry to get there for 10.

I don't think I've really suffered with range anxiety at all with my Zero. I've learnt another lesson today about range and motorway riding; don't underestimate how quickly the battery will drain at constant high speed. However, even arriving with only 17% didn't bother me. I know I can rely on the State of Charge my bike reports. I also know that at low speeds I can get one mile for every percent of charge. It's easy to make that figure jump to one mile to two percent by riding in a spirited way with more time spent above 50mph. Constant speeds of 75 and above take the ratio a little over 1:2. On my DS I can't really average more than 75mph due to motor temp. If I'm careful, I can manage around ten miles or so at 80. Over 80 the motor temp just goes up too quickly.

In summary, this is great news for any readers that still worry about getting range anxiety. You'll get a good idea of the range you can rely on for mixed and spirited riding, for me it's 65 miles. However, it's great to know that you can easily extend your range by slowing down a little. You're effectively carrying a big reserve you can rely on if you have miscalculated:  slow down and find the back route! :-)
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Electric Terry

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Re: A good range anxiety story.
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2016, 07:24:19 PM »

Great job getting home Bonkers!  And yes you are right, slowing down can make a huge difference.  Last weekend I did 236 miles on one charge, but the speeds were on local streets all over the Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Rio Del Mar areas.  No highway speeds.

It's good to know that you can get this range if you need it, by taking side streets instead of the highway.  I'm thinking the 2016 bikes with a powertank and the new energy and power dense ZF13 battery could get about 50 miles for each 20% if they had to.  So 250 miles total range potential.

In other words worst case scenario you are at 20% and have to go 50 miles you could do it.  Although getting a supercharger and then taking the highway is a faster option if you have it.
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MostlyBonkers

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Re: A good range anxiety story.
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2016, 07:59:43 PM »

Thanks Terry. Oh, to own a super charger... I'd love one! [Drool] :-)
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MrDude_1

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Re: A good range anxiety story.
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2016, 08:24:13 PM »

The problem comes when you're impatient.... like me.

The idea that I would ride at 26mph home is unacceptable to me. I would be screaming in my helmet.


Sure, maybe if I could pet a dog to calm down, I would be able to do it... but until then, I will have to pretty much charge to full before I go riding any distance outside of the inner urban areas.
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MostlyBonkers

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Re: A good range anxiety story.
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2016, 08:58:26 PM »

In the U.K. choosing the shortest route means travelling through the middle of towns, villages and on tiny country lanes. It's impossible to go fast and isn't boring.

In less populated areas I'm sure the shortest route will be the only route which might also be a fast road. Going slow would be very painful!

Good aerodynamics and quick charging are certainly the best way. :-)
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