"Power availability display" drops a bit at high speeds

[vartego]

Hi guys,
I'm new here, I bought my 2016 eGolf brand new 11 months ago, done 40K km already
(Background:I commute to work 160 kms a day, averages: speed 80kmh, 18kWh/100km, and I take it easy with the throttle,
the car is charged twice daily, at home and at work (via a normal 220v "home" socket)
I charged it 10-15 times randomly with a fast charging station.)


I have a question regarding the Power availability display (PWR) in left bottom corner in the Instrument Cluster.


A few days ago I noticed that when I go over 110 Kmh, the PWR needle starts moving/dropping upwards
(like in, less power, attaching a photo http://imgur.com/a/noJKK)

even if the battery is full and all seems fine
It does not feel like the car is really losing power (as when the battery is actually low and the PWR drops slowly towards the red zone).
When I slow down to around 100 Kmh it gets back to max.

Anyone else experienced this? or should I go to the dealer to check it ?


Thanks in advance

 

[forbin404]

Hi guys,
I'm new here, I bought my 2016 eGolf brand new 11 months ago, done 40K km already
(Background:I commute to work 160 kms a day, averages: speed 80kmh, 18kWh/100km, and I take it easy with the throttle,
the car is charged twice daily, at home and at work (via a normal 220v "home" socket)
I charged it 10-15 times randomly with a fast charging station.)


I have a question regarding the Power availability display (PWR) in left bottom corner in the Instrument Cluster.


A few days ago I noticed that when I go over 110 Kmh, the PWR needle starts moving/dropping upwards
(like in, less power, attaching a photo http://imgur.com/a/noJKK)

even if the battery is full and all seems fine
It does not feel like the car is really losing power (as when the battery is actually low and the PWR drops slowly towards the red zone).
When I slow down to around 100 Kmh it gets back to max.

Anyone else experienced this? or should I go to the dealer to check it ?


Thanks in advance

That's really a secondary meter when the battery is low. I've never seen it move when going 60MPH (100KPH)

I see you were pushing 9 constantly, that might be the reason, the car is telling you are draining the battery too fast.
I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[RonDawg]

Well no wonder the needle is no longer on max, you're going over 140 km/hr (87.5 MPH for us Americans and Brits)! Like forbin, I've never seen it either, but then I rarely exceed 70 MPH/110 km/hr.

Cue the JoulesThief lecture on the eGolf's proper cruising speed in 3...2...1...

 

[forbin404]

Well no wonder the needle is no longer on max, you're going over 140 km/hr (87.5 MPH for us Americans and Brits)! Like forbin, I've never seen it either, but then I rarely exceed 70 MPH/110 km/hr.

Cue the JoulesThief lecture on the eGolf's proper cruising speed in 3...2...1...

Read it again, he's going 110, the 160 is the commute.
I drive a lot at 75 (And watch the energy needle creep visibly) but I have never looked at the power meter unless I'm at the red zone)

 

[JoulesThief]

I've only seen it going over 60 mph up the Camarillo Grade on highway 101 in Southern California, on a 85F + day. I've only seen it twice, I did it again the following day to see if it could be duplicated. You are discharging the battery too fast, and it is generating too much heat, so it reduces the electrical power available to protect the battery. Do what you want, I drive now in a manner that I never see that needle drop off of full power, unless I drive the car to less than 18 miles of range left on the battery. That's not a good needle to move off of full power, it means remaining capacity is too low, or you are heating up the battery too much with too much throttle application, if there's more than an 1/8th of battery charge left.

IMHO, it's operator error, and it's not good for the battery. Figure out yourself how to solve the problem, so it doesn't happen. If 100 kph solves the problem, then there's your sign.

 

[RonDawg]

Read it again, he's going 110, the 160 is the commute.

But he posted a photo where the speedometer needle is clearly somewhere between 140 and 150 km/hr (87.5 and 93.75 MPH). The OP could very well be operating the car with the accelerator pedal "floored" for a considerable time before taking that photo.

 

[forbin404]

I was able to duplicate this going less than 55!

I was curious at the '8' in the OP picture.
So at a freeway onramp.

Punched it, went to 10, (skidded a little) , and by the time I was going 50 my 'power' meter was in the same spot as the OP.
So basically if you hold the 'tachymeter' (Which it isn't) past the green zone for any amount of time you can see the power meter move downward.

Of course If I'm pushing the car that hard, I'm not usually looking down at the power meter to see that little teeny movement.

 

[JoulesThief]

I was able to duplicate this going less than 55!

I was curious at the '8' in the OP picture.
So at a freeway onramp.

Punched it, went to 10, (skidded a little) , and by the time I was going 50 my 'power' meter was in the same spot as the OP.
So basically if you hold the 'tachymeter' (Which it isn't) past the green zone for any amount of time you can see the power meter move downward.

Of course If I'm pushing the car that hard, I'm not usually looking down at the power meter to see that little teeny movement.

Exactly.... you are pushing the car hard, perhaps, IMHO, too hard. Form your own opinion, but pulling current at that level heats the battery up and reduces its max amperage output temporarily, to protect the batter. It's probably also protecting the electric motor also, which will be generating plenty of heat with that level of current consumption too, in the windings. Racing slot cars as a kid, this was nothing new, frying the windings and rewrapping the armature with new wire, rebuilding the electric motor.

 

[JoulesThief]

Read it again, he's going 110, the 160 is the commute.

But he posted a photo where the speedometer needle is clearly somewhere between 140 and 150 km/hr (87.5 and 93.75 MPH). The OP could very well be operating the car with the accelerator pedal "floored" for a considerable time before taking that photo.

It wasn't a considerable amount of time.

I've passed a 35 mph tandem tractor trailer going up Camarillo grade, probably took 8 to 10 seconds floored, 8% grade, and I seem to recall my needle lost more than his did. Just saying, flooring it and holding it there for a little bit, regardless of speed, will make that needle move. Done solely as an experiment, have not tried to move that needle ever since... IMHO, it's not good for the battery, the battery is passive cooled and slow to shed heat, so it's not good for it.

I've even noticed once, on a day trip to and from San Diego, CA, that getting off the interstate freeway and immediately stopping at a BMW dealership with a 24kwh DCFC handle will limit my recharging rate to 17kwh. If I drive surface streets near Crevier BMW for a few miles at 35 to 40 mph, the battery will take 20 to 21 kwh almost immediately, here in So California, in the heat of May/June.

 

[RonDawg]

It takes a considerable amount of time to hit 94 MPH in an eGolf 0-30 they're great, then power starts dropping off particularly after you reach 60.

 

[JoulesThief]

It takes a considerable amount of time to hit 94 MPH in an eGolf 0-30 they're great, then power starts dropping off particularly after you reach 60.

I think in my situation, pulling 3650 pounds up hill, 250 of it me, was already putting a pretty good electrical strain on the battery. I seem to recall I was showing somewhere between 6 and 7 on the gauge, and the instant miles/kwh gauge was reading between 1.2 to 1.6 miles per kwh on the Camarillo Grade. I'd say that was pretty taxing on the battery, before asking even more of it to pass a semi truck quickly, while going up hill. Max speed in the e-Golf is rated at 87 mph, if I recall correctly.

 

[Unbeliever]

It takes a considerable amount of time to hit 94 MPH in an eGolf

Especially since they're limited to 85-ish MPH. *grin*

 

[miimura]

If the PWR needle is dropping after 10 seconds of continuously flooring the accelerator, it's probably hitting a thermal limit in the drive inverter, not the battery pack.

 

[forbin404]

If the PWR needle is dropping after 10 seconds of continuously flooring the accelerator, it's probably hitting a thermal limit in the drive inverter, not the battery pack.

I noticed after 3 seconds, I wasn't even off the on ramp yet.

 

[mfennell]

The needle starts moving immediately once you hit high draw. I see it on an uphill merge onto the highway. While things certainly can heat up, I'm going with a basic algorithm controlling the needle, not a thermal sensor.

 

[JoulesThief]

The needle starts moving immediately once you hit high draw. I see it on an uphill merge onto the highway. While things certainly can heat up, I'm going with a basic algorithm controlling the needle, not a thermal sensor.

It could also be the electric motors windings heating up too, under such intense current flow and amperage, the wiring on the armature gets to an unsafe temperature. Tough to cool the windings.