Just leased a 2019 e Golf. Loving it so far. Would love to hear how everyone here uses settings/modes/features to extend range. The salesperson briefly went over everything and I’ll look at the manual in more depth but figured everyone here knows what really works.
Tips for range on 2019 E Golf
- Thread starter evnewbie
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Sparklebeard
***
The eco modes aren't strictly necessary to extend range, though they can be handy if you're not the type to want to actively manage your driving style for efficiency. They effectively just throttle down your acceleration and your accessories like climate control.
Ive found the best range when driving smoothly and steadily, using D mode to coast around as much as possible, and then using the shifter to bump up the regenerative brake, then only touch the brake pedal when coming to a complete stop. I used to drive trains, so my driving style naturally has shifted to seeing the red light up ahead and just taking my foot off the gas real early, and rolling up to the stop smoothly. General rule is if I see the red light ahead, I probably dont need to touch the accelerator pedal at all.
Taking off smoothly, trying to keep the power meter under the 50% mark seems to work well. If its safe to do so, back off the accelerator when going up a hill; if you don't mind losing some mph on the uphill, but then regaining it on the downhill you'll see the impact of hilly roads lessened. Accelerating up a grade is probably the most energy intensive driving.
I'm not sure if this is your first EV, but one trap people sometimes fall into is overestimating the effect of the regenerative brake on battery level. As a rule, unless you need to use the brake to slow down, using regen will waste more battery than just coasting around, since there are efficiency losses during the regen. Try to think of regen brake strictly as a brake that just so happens to give you a bit of a boost. Regen then speeding up again will always cost more energy than just maintaining speed.
Try to keep as little 'stuff' in the car as possible, added weight will reduce range. Likewise, make sure your wheel alignment is good all the time. Misalignment will hurt your range too. Check your tyre pressure on the regular, too. Low pressure = low range.
A/C and Heating are obvious range killers, so try to use the pre-heat/pre-cool function through car-net while plugged in before driving on a hot or cold day.
If you're doing 70 on the freeway, consider dropping to 65 (if safe to do so). It will make a surprisingly big difference. Each 5mph above 70 seems to significantly reduce range. It feels like the sweet spot is about 55mph, maybe 60 to 65 on the 36kWh models. They seem to handle freeway speeds better than the 24kWh models.
If you really want to push the range, consider taking surface streets. Most of the time though, just drive it like a car and plug it in overnight and have a fresh battery every day
(For longevity, you may want to set the car to only charge to 80% by default. If you need a full charge you can press the "Charge now" button and have it go to 100)
Ive found the best range when driving smoothly and steadily, using D mode to coast around as much as possible, and then using the shifter to bump up the regenerative brake, then only touch the brake pedal when coming to a complete stop. I used to drive trains, so my driving style naturally has shifted to seeing the red light up ahead and just taking my foot off the gas real early, and rolling up to the stop smoothly. General rule is if I see the red light ahead, I probably dont need to touch the accelerator pedal at all.
Taking off smoothly, trying to keep the power meter under the 50% mark seems to work well. If its safe to do so, back off the accelerator when going up a hill; if you don't mind losing some mph on the uphill, but then regaining it on the downhill you'll see the impact of hilly roads lessened. Accelerating up a grade is probably the most energy intensive driving.
I'm not sure if this is your first EV, but one trap people sometimes fall into is overestimating the effect of the regenerative brake on battery level. As a rule, unless you need to use the brake to slow down, using regen will waste more battery than just coasting around, since there are efficiency losses during the regen. Try to think of regen brake strictly as a brake that just so happens to give you a bit of a boost. Regen then speeding up again will always cost more energy than just maintaining speed.
Try to keep as little 'stuff' in the car as possible, added weight will reduce range. Likewise, make sure your wheel alignment is good all the time. Misalignment will hurt your range too. Check your tyre pressure on the regular, too. Low pressure = low range.
A/C and Heating are obvious range killers, so try to use the pre-heat/pre-cool function through car-net while plugged in before driving on a hot or cold day.
If you're doing 70 on the freeway, consider dropping to 65 (if safe to do so). It will make a surprisingly big difference. Each 5mph above 70 seems to significantly reduce range. It feels like the sweet spot is about 55mph, maybe 60 to 65 on the 36kWh models. They seem to handle freeway speeds better than the 24kWh models.
If you really want to push the range, consider taking surface streets. Most of the time though, just drive it like a car and plug it in overnight and have a fresh battery every day
(For longevity, you may want to set the car to only charge to 80% by default. If you need a full charge you can press the "Charge now" button and have it go to 100)
(edit: Sparklebeard beat me to a reply, and we seem to be on the same page, so I'm not changing anything, just adding my voice...)
Welcome!
What's the primary use of the e-Golf for you? Is it your primary mode of transportation? Do you have a commute? Long, short? Do you plan on longer-distance travel? What is the climate like where you live?
Set up your Car-Net app as soon as possible. I find it useful, as is the web portal.
Use the e-manager (in the center stack touchscreen) to set up charging profiles. The way the e-Golf charges is, as soon as you plug it in it will charge up to the "minimum charge" level (which you will set), and then it will wait until your departure time is approaching before it charges the rest of the way. It knows the charging rate of the EVSE that it's plugged into, obviously, so it tries to time it so that it reaches the desired charge level at the set departure time.
Both of my profiles (home and work) are set to a minimum charge of 70%, and then a 90% charge by departure time, with climate control activated on both. I bought my car, so I have incentive to extend the life of the battery as much as I can. Not charging to 100%, and not using DC fast charging any more than necessary, are the two best ways to do so. If there's a chance that you will want to keep the car at lease-end, I'd suggest you do the same, provided, of course, that charging to 90% and not using DCFC suits your use of the car.
As for driving, there are lots of opinions about what regeneration level to use. I'm not a fan of one-pedal driving, so I only use "B" when I'm coasting down a steep hill and want to recover as much juice as possible. When I'm not in traffic, I usually keep it in non-regen Drive. Conservation of momentum is the best way to squeeze as many miles as possible out of a charge.
Use adaptive cruise control. Live adaptive cruise control. Love adaptive cruise control.
I never drive in anything but Normal mode. If I were to plan a long trip, I would consider Eco.
--Chris
Welcome!
What's the primary use of the e-Golf for you? Is it your primary mode of transportation? Do you have a commute? Long, short? Do you plan on longer-distance travel? What is the climate like where you live?
Set up your Car-Net app as soon as possible. I find it useful, as is the web portal.
Use the e-manager (in the center stack touchscreen) to set up charging profiles. The way the e-Golf charges is, as soon as you plug it in it will charge up to the "minimum charge" level (which you will set), and then it will wait until your departure time is approaching before it charges the rest of the way. It knows the charging rate of the EVSE that it's plugged into, obviously, so it tries to time it so that it reaches the desired charge level at the set departure time.
Both of my profiles (home and work) are set to a minimum charge of 70%, and then a 90% charge by departure time, with climate control activated on both. I bought my car, so I have incentive to extend the life of the battery as much as I can. Not charging to 100%, and not using DC fast charging any more than necessary, are the two best ways to do so. If there's a chance that you will want to keep the car at lease-end, I'd suggest you do the same, provided, of course, that charging to 90% and not using DCFC suits your use of the car.
As for driving, there are lots of opinions about what regeneration level to use. I'm not a fan of one-pedal driving, so I only use "B" when I'm coasting down a steep hill and want to recover as much juice as possible. When I'm not in traffic, I usually keep it in non-regen Drive. Conservation of momentum is the best way to squeeze as many miles as possible out of a charge.
Use adaptive cruise control. Live adaptive cruise control. Love adaptive cruise control.
I never drive in anything but Normal mode. If I were to plan a long trip, I would consider Eco.
--Chris
JoulesThief
***
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2015
- Messages
- 2,576
Biggest range increase... having a will of hardened steel to not use the immense amount of torque available to accelerate. That, and coasting, maintaining momentum, looking as far ahead as possible and moderating the throttle far in advance so that you minimize changes in throttle position, minimize slowing down and maximize keeping your speed as constant as possible for as long as possible.
I drive surface streets mostly. I see 6.0 to 6.3 miles per kWh on my owned from new 2015 SEL. I'm still showing a range of 115 miles on a charge, car showed 129 miles on a charge 3.5 years ago. I've not seen a loss of range on the battery in the past 18 months, for reasons unknown.
I try to charge up right before I drive, to full on the battery gauge, and leave shortly after charging is completed. It's worth an observed 3 to 5 more miles of range on the battery when recharged and then driven shortly thereafter in this manner.
I always try to leave at least 25 to 35% of range before recharging, running the battery all the way down is not good for the longevity of the battery.
Be the tortoise, not the hare. Slow and steady wins the MP KWH between recharges. Up to 45 MPH on surface streets and time it to it as many green lights in a row as possible, can net you 6 to 6.5 miles per kWh. Few have the patience to do what I do, but then few here are 60 years or older and retired already. YMMV, being conservative in techniques wins the miles between recharge contests.
Use your battery electrical power sparingly, and you'll go a lot farther on a kW of electricity than almost everyone else. Crack windows, skip the AC if below 45 mph.
I drive surface streets mostly. I see 6.0 to 6.3 miles per kWh on my owned from new 2015 SEL. I'm still showing a range of 115 miles on a charge, car showed 129 miles on a charge 3.5 years ago. I've not seen a loss of range on the battery in the past 18 months, for reasons unknown.
I try to charge up right before I drive, to full on the battery gauge, and leave shortly after charging is completed. It's worth an observed 3 to 5 more miles of range on the battery when recharged and then driven shortly thereafter in this manner.
I always try to leave at least 25 to 35% of range before recharging, running the battery all the way down is not good for the longevity of the battery.
Be the tortoise, not the hare. Slow and steady wins the MP KWH between recharges. Up to 45 MPH on surface streets and time it to it as many green lights in a row as possible, can net you 6 to 6.5 miles per kWh. Few have the patience to do what I do, but then few here are 60 years or older and retired already. YMMV, being conservative in techniques wins the miles between recharge contests.
Use your battery electrical power sparingly, and you'll go a lot farther on a kW of electricity than almost everyone else. Crack windows, skip the AC if below 45 mph.
Wow, thanks all! Lots of good stuff. I won’t worry so much about settings and definitely hear you on driving style. The good news is I already had a driving style conducive to that. It drives my girlfriend nuts when I coast in her Tiguan, all the more reason to now
Question about car net - how much does it cost per month after the trial is over? They barely mentioned it at the dealership.
Do you recommend any other apps for chargers besides charge point?
To answer a few questions:
Primary use is commuting. I’m in the Bay Area in Northern California, so never too hot or too cold but I’m on the South Bay and it can get hot during the summer so AC will be a factor.
I’m in an apartment building and don’t have a private garage. I do have access to a wall outlet in the lot but tbd if it will be in the way Of other drivers. There’s a free level 2 charger around the corner from me (charge point paid for by the city) so I will likely be using that a good bit after I get home from work.
Question about car net - how much does it cost per month after the trial is over? They barely mentioned it at the dealership.
Do you recommend any other apps for chargers besides charge point?
To answer a few questions:
Primary use is commuting. I’m in the Bay Area in Northern California, so never too hot or too cold but I’m on the South Bay and it can get hot during the summer so AC will be a factor.
I’m in an apartment building and don’t have a private garage. I do have access to a wall outlet in the lot but tbd if it will be in the way Of other drivers. There’s a free level 2 charger around the corner from me (charge point paid for by the city) so I will likely be using that a good bit after I get home from work.
miimura
***
By far the best app for finding charging stations away from home is Plugshare.com
Sparklebeard
***
Car-Net is $199 a year. It is expensive, but whether its worth it is entirely up to you.
Aside from Chargepoint and Plugshare apps you might like to get the EVgo app if you think you may need to use a fast charger every so often. Not ideal to use all the time, but living in an apartment it’s a good option to have. Bay Area is amazing for public charging though so you’ll be fine.
Aside from Chargepoint and Plugshare apps you might like to get the EVgo app if you think you may need to use a fast charger every so often. Not ideal to use all the time, but living in an apartment it’s a good option to have. Bay Area is amazing for public charging though so you’ll be fine.
cctop
***
Welcome evnewbie!
The two things that seem to affect range the most are driving speed and ambient temperature.
Read through this thread for a discussion on how speed affects range:
http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=927
Summary: max efficiency of the e-Golf is at 18mph. Going 55mph uses twice as much energy as 18mph, and going 80mph uses 3x as much energy as 18mph.
Those tests were done on a track driving at a constant speed. In practice I found that stop-and-go city driving was actually only 25-50% more efficient than highway driving.
Also, the tests were done using a 2015 e-Golf. I don't think the results would be significantly different for the 2019 model.
Regarding temperature, even in the mild weather of San Francisco my average efficiency of 4.4 mi/kWh in warmer months dropped to 3.0-3.5 mi/kWh in colder months. The temperature range in that time was maybe between 40-70 degrees Faranheit. Anecdotally, people who live in really cold weather report efficiency dropping as low as 2.0 mi/kWh. I found using the seat warmer dropped range 1-2%, while the resistive heater in the SE (not the heat pump in the SEL) dropped the range by about 10%.
The two things that seem to affect range the most are driving speed and ambient temperature.
Read through this thread for a discussion on how speed affects range:
http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=927
Summary: max efficiency of the e-Golf is at 18mph. Going 55mph uses twice as much energy as 18mph, and going 80mph uses 3x as much energy as 18mph.
Those tests were done on a track driving at a constant speed. In practice I found that stop-and-go city driving was actually only 25-50% more efficient than highway driving.
Also, the tests were done using a 2015 e-Golf. I don't think the results would be significantly different for the 2019 model.
Regarding temperature, even in the mild weather of San Francisco my average efficiency of 4.4 mi/kWh in warmer months dropped to 3.0-3.5 mi/kWh in colder months. The temperature range in that time was maybe between 40-70 degrees Faranheit. Anecdotally, people who live in really cold weather report efficiency dropping as low as 2.0 mi/kWh. I found using the seat warmer dropped range 1-2%, while the resistive heater in the SE (not the heat pump in the SEL) dropped the range by about 10%.
Sparklebeard
***
cctop said:
In my unscientific testing, the 36kWh models handle highway speeds a little better than the 24kWh models; I hypothesise a combination of more powerful motor probably being a little more efficient at high speed, and heavier vehicle momentum possibly helping counteract some of the effect of wind resistance.
I get slightly lower mi/kWh on local streets vs the 2016, but get higher mi/kWh than the 2016 on the freeway. (4.4mi/kWh on 2019 vs 4.0mi/kWh on 2016 for the same speed on the same freeway in the same ambient conditions)
If you drive and take 10KWh out of the battery, charging it will take approx 110% (11KWh).
This is due to charging losses.
So if you use regenerative braking and place energy back in the battery (charge), you immediately lose about 10%.
In summary, any time you can coast rather than take energy from the battery it’s better for range.
I throttle down towards the top of hills if nothing behind me, then roll down hill gaining speed.
The alternative is to hit the top of the hill at 65mph and control speed down the hill with regen and the associated loss.
As for the Eco modes, they also limit speed to 60mph and helps minimize losses due to aerodynamic drag. Unlike ICE, EVs are at their most efficient at really low speeds. I’ve seen 7mph quoted for a Tesla. Anything higher and wind resistance increases. So..... slower is better.
This is due to charging losses.
So if you use regenerative braking and place energy back in the battery (charge), you immediately lose about 10%.
In summary, any time you can coast rather than take energy from the battery it’s better for range.
I throttle down towards the top of hills if nothing behind me, then roll down hill gaining speed.
The alternative is to hit the top of the hill at 65mph and control speed down the hill with regen and the associated loss.
As for the Eco modes, they also limit speed to 60mph and helps minimize losses due to aerodynamic drag. Unlike ICE, EVs are at their most efficient at really low speeds. I’ve seen 7mph quoted for a Tesla. Anything higher and wind resistance increases. So..... slower is better.
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