Lately, I've been doing some driving efficiency testing on my free time. And I've discovered some new things. When I first started driving the car, I thought freeway driving was killing my range. But now as I have been driving to the airport, a 30 mile round trip, a couple times a week, I have been noticing that the freeway isn't all that bad. Using cruise control, I am able to get around 4.9 miles/kilowatt hour on the way there and around 5.9 m/kh on the way back. This translates to great range as after I plug in, the car registers a maximum range of 127 miles. And this isn't with super efficient hypermiling, just normal everyday driving.
Now one day, as I live in LA, I decided I would go to the Apple Pan for lunch, a 34 mile round-trip. The problem was, I only had a 37 miles left on the charge, with no charging stations anywhere around my destination. But since I knew I had been getting great range, I decided to go for it. I just rolled down the windows instead of using the air conditioning just to be safe. And living in the valley, this meant taking the 405 over the Sepulveda pass. Going up the pass, my range quickly went from around 35 to 20, and I started to worry. The cars battery hit 20% and the car asked me if I would like t turn off all unessential devices such as the radio and clock etc. But then on the way back down, in low gear, I quickly regained my miles. By now I was regenerating battery while going 70 mph. I ended at my destination with 35 miles of charge left. I couldn't believe it, a 17 mile trip while using 2 miles of charge. But on the way home, the San Fernando valley being at a higher elevation than LA, I quickly started to loose battery life again and the car even helped me save even more battery by reducing propulsion power once I got down to 10% of battery life. I made it home fine with an average of around 6 miles/kilowatt hour for that entire charge.
So the moral of the story is you can get incredible range out of this little car if you want, and downhill is always much better than uphill. Yet, this car continues to amaze me and put a smile on my face.
Very nice post! Now we can recognize a Spark smile of your face!
ReplyDeleteI am a volt owner and I say use of the A/c and Radio are minor. Can you do a comparison run while enjoying the comforts provided? Also one could argue the drag you impart on the car with the windows open would by far decrease the Range.
ReplyDeleteThank you and please keep the blog updates coming and please do them more frequently. I usually don't leave a comment, but am reading them all. Do you have any thoughts on the fact that these first Spark Ev's do not come with DC fast charge ability and are not retrofit-able? Will only L1 and L2 charging fit all your needs?
ReplyDeleteI just purchased this car and a week in, I drive 10 miles city driving and end up with MORE mileage than I started...it's pretty interesting. Freeway mileage does tend to kill the mileage more quickly but it's OK I guess.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is this thing is so quick in midrange, I can't help myself most of the time and keep blowing other cars away for fun...especially the douchebags in fast cars.
Time will tell how well this thing does in the crappy LA summers. I, for one, refuse to deal with hot climates while in my car.
Ohh Wow good experiment guys. i like your experiment, i am inspire to your blog information please update your next blog in your another experiment.
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Hello, I have a 2016 Spark (it is 2021 currently) and find the same experience with my Spark EV, to this day, and wonder how yours has held up. Also in LA I find racing it on the 405 more fun than..most things lately. Cabin-fever due to pandemic makes the lure of those empty LA roads at night impossible to resist.
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