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[MorbidBBQ]

What are you guys seeing in watts per mile?



I'm at 161 watts per mile on my 2013s.
I'm about 200 lbs with gear.
I have the high speed spool/belt, low torque.
Typically ride on county roads about 60mph.
<5% travel with passenger
~20% travel with givi luggage top box.

I'm changing the spool to stock, and wonder if that will decrease my efficiency/range measurably.

[Killroy]

As it has been discussed before, motorcycles in general have very poor drag coefficients that are roughly double that of cars and more like a buses at ~.6 to .7 according to this http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/motorcycle-fuel-economy-fuel-thought?image=2. 

Naked bikes like the Zero are going to be really bad too. 

Power required to overcome aerodynamic drag increases exponential, so it will be very sensitive to speed. 

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I get between 90 and 100 Wh/mile average, and about 110-120Wh/mi on the highway when I'm commuting without concern for range effects (I plug in at work after 40-45 miles so I often just go really fast because I can). I spend a lot of time making small aerodynamic improvements, though, like windscreens and so on, and I use a throttle lock to avoid spending tons of energy when the winds change; it actually levels out Wh/mi usage very effectively.

[Electric Terry]

Around town in Santa Cruz where there aren't any speed limits over 25 mph anywhere in town, I have a 15 mile loop I make each morning that I get between 40 and 50 wh/mile.  I have experimented by doing this loop many times each day for 3 days in a row and I can get almost 250 miles on a single charge.

I have a highway route I take regularly that I average about 80-85 mph the whole way and I get between 160-180 wh/mile for about 50 miles range before plugging in to fast charge back up to do the 50 mile return trip.

So on a full charge I get anywhere between 50 and 250 miles range depending on the route and type of riding with between 40 wh/mile and 180 wh/mile.  I don't worry about range too much ever because I always know if I need more to get to my destination all I need to do is slow down and I can increase my range by up to 5 times if needed.

[ctrlburn]

2013 S   
Per the App: 128 Watts per mile
Stock pulley - no cases or windscreen.
Slightly more rider weight 
75% country/highway 55/60  <5% highway @70  remainder is city
FLAT country.

So maybe increase range going back to stock pulley?

[domingo3]

2016 FXS
Per the App: 88 Watt hours per mile.
I weigh about 175 lbs and the bike is completely stock with no windscreen or other attempts to be aerodynamic.
Average speed is about 35 mph, but depending on traffic, I may do some short sprints at double that speed.  I ride a regular commute that is well within my range, so I don't normally make any efforts to keep my speed down in the name of efficiency.
As Terry said, the biggest variable is speed.  Going over 55 mph or so, I see a very sharp increase in power consumption and consequent decrease in range.

I'd like the point out, the proper unit here is watt hours per mile - the amount of energy consumed per mile. 

[MorbidBBQ]

Thanks for the feedback guys.  I just discovered another wrench in the calculation.  My app doesn't account for the high top speed gearing.  The mph on the app is ~<10% than mph on the speedo. 

That means I may have gotten a higher miles/watt-hour than indicated.

Does anybody know how either are calibrated, or where the measurements are taken from?  Engine rpm, rpm of front/back wheel?  GPS/Magic/Accelerometer?

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Thanks for the feedback guys.  I just discovered another wrench in the calculation.  My app doesn't account for the high top speed gearing.  The mph on the app is ~<10% than mph on the speedo. 

That means I may have gotten a higher miles/watt-hour than indicated.

Does anybody know how either are calibrated, or where the measurements are taken from?  Engine rpm, rpm of front/back wheel?  GPS/Magic/Accelerometer?

Whenever someone performs a gearing change or changes the rear wheel size, they need to log in to the MBB and change the settings that help it calculate the speed. I can't remember right now but it's relatively straightforward once you're in there.

A dealer can do it for you if they understand how it changed.

[laramie LC4]

wow, looking at these numbers makes me shake my head. 

i ride my bike like i and my numbers look much better than everyone else's.

i think we need to also post your current cost per kWh from your utility company and average gas price. that is what get's you your numbers.

my current settings in the app are; electric rate is set @ $0.014 per kWh and an average gas price of $2 per gallon. both are actually a little high at this time of year.

my current numbers are 50 Average Watt Hrs per Mile.

i ride my bike like above as much as possible within the confines of rational safety of others and myself.

something is obviously off. your cost must be much higher for power and gas?

thoughts?

laramie 

[domingo3]

The energy usage per mile should have nothing to do with the rates you enter.  Those rates should only effect the cost per mile and money saved versus gas.

I think the other guys' energy consumption is higher because they have larger, heavier bikes than the FXS.

I share your curiosity about why you are so much more efficient than me (50 vs 88 Wh/mi).  I go full throttle whenever there's nobody in my way, but there's moderate traffic and slow drivers are abundant, so I don't go that fast on average.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I moderate my throttle usage because I know that going faster often means a longer charge time, and I'd rather ride a little longer going slower than ride faster for a shorter period per day.

Seriously, the way drag goes up with speed, if you need to budget your charge time, you'll appreciate this. A Zero traveling more than even 150 miles per day has to mind charge time more than anything else.

[AsherEscher]

2016 FXS 6.5
Per app: 57 Wh/m
odo 1408 mi
since June 2016
rider + gear 150#
temps 90F - 30F (so far)
ungaraged
100% city
99% stock
I get just about one mile per percentage point (a little less at low temps).

[domingo3]

I just noticed a discrepancy in the reported Wh/mi on my 2016 FXS.  In the app, it says 88 Wh/mi.  On the dash, it says 53 Wh/mi.  I've never reset the trip odometer on it, so they should be the same.  I haven't tried to keep track of the total KWh that I have used, but the numbers the app reports for charge cycles and total KWh seems about right and those numbers combined with the odometer calculates to the figure I see in the app.

Does anyone else see this discrepancy?

[laramie LC4]

The energy usage per mile should have nothing to do with the rates you enter.  Those rates should only effect the cost per mile and money saved versus gas.

that make sense, my current cost per mile is $0.007. that went up from $0.004 after that track day.

I think the other guys' energy consumption is higher because they have larger, heavier bikes than the FXS.

once again makes sense.

I share your curiosity about why you are so much more efficient than me (50 vs 88 Wh/mi).  I go full throttle whenever there's nobody in my way, but there's moderate traffic and slow drivers are abundant, so I don't go that fast on average.

and see i feel i'm not very efficient at all. my normal commute to work is 7 miles. i can use up to 14% of my charge. granted most is 40+mph, but still...

maybe somethings a little wonky with the app?

laters,

laramie 

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The dash Wh/mi usually reads low, at least on the S platform - I add 20% to that to get what the aggregated result is likely to be via MBB/app.

I'm not sure whether it's about the type of sensor measurement used for the different indications, a corrective factor, or an estimation algorithm. I know I heard a knowledgeable explanation once, but I wasn't able to get the right notes down on the spot. I'll see whether I can get the right person's attention to explain it.