I know cold weather and driving fast use more battery, plus I had heavy passengers with luggage (about 450 pounds). This morning, my car showed 280 miles of range, but after driving 165 miles on the highway, the battery was almost empty. Is this expected for an EV? This was my first long highway trip. I wasn’t driving slow, but we didn’t use much heat either. Could that still be a factor?
Cold weather, high speeds, hills, and heating all eat up your range. Even the regen settings matter. Using the highest regen mode wastes momentum, while a lower setting lets you coast and save energy. Adaptive cruise control also helps with efficiency. You’ll figure out what works best after more trips like this.
@NicholasAdams
That’s helpful! I kept it in Eco mode all day. Maybe I need to adjust the regen settings. I haven’t tried cruise control yet.
Aeron said:
@NicholasAdams
That’s helpful! I kept it in Eco mode all day. Maybe I need to adjust the regen settings. I haven’t tried cruise control yet.
Eco mode is fine, but using the paddles to lower the regen to level 1 can make a big difference. I saw my energy use drop from 17 to 15 kWh/100km doing this.
@Dani
Wait, have I been doing it wrong? I thought max regen (or i-pedal) was the most efficient option.
Valen said:
@Dani
Wait, have I been doing it wrong? I thought max regen (or i-pedal) was the most efficient option.
Max regen is the strongest braking when you lift your foot off the pedal, but it can hurt efficiency if it stops the car too quickly, causing you to waste energy accelerating again. On level 1, it coasts more while still regenerating when braking manually.
Valen said:
@Dani
Wait, have I been doing it wrong? I thought max regen (or i-pedal) was the most efficient option.
Max regen is good for charging, but it slows you down quickly, so you lose momentum and waste energy speeding back up. A low regen setting lets you coast and usually saves more range overall. You still get regen when braking manually, so it balances out.
@Raven
The best setting is level 1 auto. It keeps regen low when there’s no traffic, but if the car senses a slower vehicle ahead, it increases regen to slow you down gradually.
Aeron said:
@NicholasAdams
That’s helpful! I kept it in Eco mode all day. Maybe I need to adjust the regen settings. I haven’t tried cruise control yet.
Cruise control is great for highways. It helps keep the car efficient. When planning trips, we look for chargers every 200 miles and aim for about 80% charge before continuing.
@NicholasAdams
Don’t forget rain or standing water on the road. That also reduces range a lot.
Yeah, cold weather, speed, and extra weight all drain the battery fast. Your car’s range estimate is based on your driving habits but can drop quickly when conditions change, like hills, wind, or low temperatures.
Highway driving with no regen, winter temperatures, and extra weight… those three together will always cut your range.
Does your car have a heat pump?
Jesse said:
Does your car have a heat pump?
I think it does, but I bought it used and I’m still figuring it out.
Jesse said:
Does your car have a heat pump?
I think it does, but I bought it used and I’m still figuring it out.
You can check under the hood to confirm.
Jesse said:
Does your car have a heat pump?
I think it does, but I bought it used and I’m still figuring it out.
How cold was it, and how fast were you going? Wind can be a big factor too. You might’ve been driving into a strong headwind without realising.
Jesse said:
Does your car have a heat pump?
I think it does, but I bought it used and I’m still figuring it out.
Look for a cold weather package on the car’s window sticker, or check the Carfax report if you have it. It usually mentions those details.
Jesse said:
Does your car have a heat pump?
If you have a heat pump, did you enable the cold weather settings?