Getting "Weighed Down"

[FlufferMew]

So recently, I took a trip taking several heavy objects loaded up with me. This included things like a laptop bag with various electronics and a laptop, big iMac computer, and a few heavily packed bags of stuff. All together probably equalled the weight of a 12 year old or something I'm assuming. At least that's what it felt like to my weak arms. :roll: Well, I did notice a little bit of a change in my driving range assuming it wasn't just coincidence, meaning it just wasn't ideal driving conditions. Usually on my way home from this 60 mile trip, I have about 25-30% battery left, while this time I had more like 19%.

So have any of you guys noticed this when driving around with passengers or heavy loads in general? Is range really that easily effected? If that's the case, then I can see a lot of stuff on the FFE that I think are just dead weight in my opinion, starting with all the crap in the (basically) non-existent trunk. :lol: I'm thinking that any change in range caused by weight is only so noticeable right now, because the range on EVs is pretty low anyway.

It's probably less noticeable when you have something like 300 miles to play with. If not, I can see gyms advertising memberships with things like, "Stop driving for two! Join Jenny Craig and see a difference both on the scale, AND your electric bill!" Haha, maybe not, but I would totally be persuaded by an ad like that. :lol:

 

[WattsUp]

Check your tire pressure. The tires on the FFE are supposed to read 38 psi when cold (meaning, that should be the reading after you haven't recently driven, in the morning, etc.). This is quite a bit higher than the typical car.

I recently checked my FFE and found the dealer had only inflated them to 32 psi cold (which is the normal pressure for the gas FFE... hmmm). Although I was getting what seemed to be "normal" range previously, after I inflated my FFE tires properly, I noticed my car felt a little different and my range seemed to increase (though, arguably, only slightly). My average energy usage (reported on the MFM website) had been 257 Wh/mi forever. Now it is 241 Wh/mi, though I don't know if that is all attributable to increasing the tire pressure. Still, I think it is something worth checking.

In your case, I wonder if, with a heavier load, under-inflated tires might perform worse than properly-inflated ones. Perhaps that's what you experienced?

 

[FlufferMew]

Check your tire pressure. The tires on the FFE are supposed to read 38 psi when cold (meaning, that should be the reading after you haven't recently driven, in the morning, etc.). This is quite a bit higher than the typical car.

I recently checked my FFE and found the dealer had only inflated them to 32 psi cold (which is the normal pressure for the gas FFE... hmmm). Although I was getting what seemed to be "normal" range previously, after I inflated my FFE tires properly, I noticed my car felt a little different and my range seemed to increase (though, arguably, only slightly). My average energy usage (reported on the MFM website) had been 257 Wh/mi forever. Now it is 241 Wh/mi, though I don't know if that is all attributable to increasing the tire pressure. Still, I think it is something worth checking.

In your case, I wonder if, with a heavier load, under-inflated tires might perform worse than properly-inflated ones. Perhaps that's what you experienced?

Hmm, that's good advice! I don't know what PSI the tires read. So if they're inflated to only 32 psi, I'm assuming the car won't give you the "check tire pressure" tip, right? I still only have about 2500 miles on my car, but definitely worth having it given a look since range is so precious. Even a slight improvement helps.

 

[WattsUp]

Check your tire pressure. The tires on the FFE are supposed to read 38 psi when cold (meaning, that should be the reading after you haven't recently driven, in the morning, etc.). This is quite a bit higher than the typical car.

Hmm, that's good advice! I don't know what PSI the tires read. So if they're inflated to only 32 psi, I'm assuming the car won't give you the "check tire pressure" tip, right? I still only have about 2500 miles on my car, but definitely worth having it given a look since range is so precious. Even a slight improvement helps.

There was a discussion about this somewhere else here (or maybe it was on the MFM forums). Others have reported that the pressure has to get pretty dang low before the sensor gets unhappy. Also, the pressure has to remain low for a period of time. But, yes, apparently 32 psi doesn't trigger any warning on the FFE.