Wow! Google maps is only 2D; is there any EVs that incorporate topo into their range calculators?
Which, for our American friends, is a Skoda branded VW Jetta.
I believe due to US emission standards (which are very strict for cars not fitting through the “light truck” loophole) the US version will have slightly worse mileage.
Looking at the VW website, the EPA estimates for the Jetta are 29 MPG in the city and 42 MPG on the highway.
I believe Tesla includes elevation changes in its range estimate. ABRP (A Better Route Planner) linked above also includes elevation in its planning.
Yes, mine does at least. It’s not super accurate, but it’s good enough.
Oh, another great thing about electric cars in the mountains: no need to use the brake pads. The regen “brakes” are plenty enough to keep your speed reasonable.
That’s why I brought this up.
Somebody is shamelessly making up shit to cover their buyers regret. (Or to justify destroying the planet to save a buck)
I’m expecting we’ll replace our aging Honda Fit with an EV, when the time comes. We may have another couple years on it, and by that time the whole scene will have changed. Charging stations are a half hour drive away, which makes me hesitant. Meanwhile we hope to get some solar going but how much, given the exposures we are working with, is unknown. It’s evolving.
Our 4WD F150, though, isn’t going anywhere soon. It’s not a ‘look at me driving a truck’ truck; we use it for truck things. Hauls a horse trailer, carries gravel, firewood, dirt, hay, and we live on a steep gravel road in snow country. I’ll wait.
As already answered by @Pleonast, it does. My wife and I were driving back home across a mountain pass Saturday, and we were talking about how, as we approached the crest, the estimate of charge remaining at our destination was higher than the current state by a few percent. And yes, we really did regain that amount of charge. Accurate enough for me.
You guys are talking about different gallons.
The trick is simply to always start at the top so one is permanently driving downhill.
Based on that, the 42 MPG that the EPA estimates for the VW Jetta translates to about 50 MPG using UK gallons.
Thanks! That explains it.
They are building a train for a mine in Australia that does just that. Goes downhill loaded generating electricity and uses that charge to power the train back to the mine empty. Supposed to save 82 million liters of diesel a year. Brilliant!
Just for clarification, is that using US gallons or Imperial gallons? Imperial is 20% larger than a US gallon. So the highest rated gas car in the US, the Mitsubishi Mirage is rated at 43 mpg highway, which would be about 52 miles per imperial gallon.
@Novelty_Bobble 's figures are well in the realm of modern performance - the cite above quotes over 70mpg for the dinky Peugeot 208, and 61 for the selfsame Skoda Ocatavia, so real world 58/60 isn’t anything to be surprised about.
(Oh, to be using litres/100km!)
There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch - but there are some pretty hefty discounts if you design properly.
But school is uphill…both way…in the snow, too!
If the stuff you want to haul is at the top of a mountain, you’re just consuming its potential energy. No free lunches involved. Heavy train goes down, light train goes up. If you can capture enough of the potential energy on the way down, you can pay for the trip up, or most of it.
It is UK gallon, 4.54 litres.
My previous car was the 2.0 diesel Octavia mentioned and indeed, taking it to Austria
last xmas, freezing cold, with 4 adult-sized people, roof box and crammed with ski gear and luggage, on winter tyres and doing 75-80 with cruise control as much as possible and with as many bits of equipment turned on as possible…62 mpg on the way there and 61mpg on the way back.
Taking that as a benchmark I think my current petrol car will likely be in the low to mid 50’s