What’s a “good” miles/kWh?

[user 1485]

So I only have a slight idea what I’m doing driving an EV, and my dash is telling me 4.6 mi/kWh so far (600 miles). Miles wise I’m probably pretty close to even city/highway. Is that good? Bad? Like I said I’m new to this so I’m still learning all the tips and tricks.

 

[johnnylingo]

That's pretty good. The rough rule of thumb is 4 mi/kWh Hightail and 5 mi/kWh city

Biggest thing to remember is those numbers don't take in to account climate control. The A/C tends to knock those numbers down 5-10%. The heat is even worse, especially in the models without heat pump. On cold winter days I'll often get 3.5 mi/kWh on mixed city/highway driving.

 

[tbier]

That's pretty good. The rough rule of thumb is 4 mi/kWh Hightail and 5 mi/kWh city

Biggest thing to remember is those numbers don't take in to account climate control. The A/C tends to knock those numbers down 5-10%. The heat is even worse, especially in the models without heat pump. On cold winter days I'll often get 3.5 mi/kWh on mixed city/highway driving.

This is my experience as well. Depending on season and where you love you can expect those number to drop .5 M in the winter and go up .5 in the summer.

As a certain retired southern Californian on the forum will point out, you can average 6 m/kWh if you stay below 45, never drive up more than a 3 degree incline, live in a moderate climate, have a light tailwind, and never use the HVAC. But he's right 6mpkWh is doable and helps by keeping a lower cycle count on your battery.

 

[user 1485]

Cool, thanks! I don't want to get too crazy with maximizing my MPE (miles per electrons? haha), as part of the reason I picked the e-Golf is because it is still fun to drive. But good to know I'm heading down the right path, so to speak.

See you all out on the roads!

 

[msvphoto]

Our average for the past 6000 miles is 4.3 mi/kwh. Mostly city miles. Central coast beach town climate. Climate control for comfort only when needed. We drive pretty much normally as we would in our ICE cars.

 

[RonDawg]

My average on the eGolf has been about 4.5 miles/kWH. But I live in a hilly area and the elevation difference between home and work is over 1000 feet. If I lived in a flat area, say where the "certain retired Southern Californian" does, I could probably achieve another mile/kWH.

On my 2012 Leaf, getting even 4 miles/KWH is considered good. Usually it's in the mid-3 range for a car that supposedly prioritized aerodynamics over looks.

 

[JoulesThief]

6.1 to 6.6 miles per kwh. Almost all city Blvds. 110 miles or more capable on a full charge with 7 to 10 left in the tank. 2015 SEL e-Golf. I drive in D mode, and shift to D1 or D2 to slow down. Conserve momentum. It's a great urban crawler, mine hardly ever sees freeway use, that's what the TDI is for.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

We have a 2017 SE, and with 3 drivers, we are averaging 5.7 miles / kWh over that last 900+ miles.

 

[2016golfse]

I average 4.6 to 4.7 miles per kWh in hilly San Francisco stop and go driving with 3-4 people in the car.

 

[JoulesThief]

We have a 2017 SE, and with 3 drivers, we are averaging 5.7 miles / kWh over that last 900+ miles.

That is damn good, IMHO. Remarkable, for certain.

 

[BlueThinker]

6.1 to 6.6 miles per kwh. Almost all city Blvds. 110 miles or more capable on a full charge with 7 to 10 left in the tank. 2015 SEL e-Golf. I drive in D mode, and shift to D1 or D2 to slow down. Conserve momentum. It's a great urban crawler, mine hardly ever sees freeway use, that's what the TDI is for.

6.6 m/kwh is impressive. The best I could do was 6.2 m/kwh in a city commute. For driving a highway, that is what you need to use D2-D3 frequently to slow down for a traffic. Have you tried that before?

 

[YeGolf]

Today on highway 30 miles. I was driving mostly 50-55mph with some stop and go. My average was 6.1m/kWh without AC and 95% of the road is flat.
Usually I drive 65 mph with cruise and the average is in 4.5 - 5.1 range without AC.

 

[johnnylingo]

At 18,000 miles, my lifetime average is 4.3 mi/kWh. Driving has mostly been on highway, with speeds somewhat limited by traffic and road conditions. Minimal use of climate control.

So far after 2 weeks with my 2018 i3 I'm only at 3.5 mi/kWh. Ouch.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

You have to learn how to coast in the i3, and you have to work at it.

 

[JoulesThief]

6.1 to 6.6 miles per kwh. Almost all city Blvds. 110 miles or more capable on a full charge with 7 to 10 left in the tank. 2015 SEL e-Golf. I drive in D mode, and shift to D1 or D2 to slow down. Conserve momentum. It's a great urban crawler, mine hardly ever sees freeway use, that's what the TDI is for.

6.6 m/kwh is impressive. The best I could do was 6.2 m/kwh in a city commute. For driving a highway, that is what you need to use D2-D3 frequently to slow down for a traffic. Have you tried that before?

Being retired, I strive to avoid rush hour work commute traffic at any cost. The risk of accidents skyrockets during commuter hours. So, that, I am sure helps my miles per kWh. I just prefer to use "D" mode, and if I need to brake, I down shift to D1, then D2. If that avoids using the tail lights, so much the better. I don't ride anyone else's ass when driving, and I don't like being tailgated myself. I leave plenty of space and time between myself, and the car in front of me, as well as plenty of reaction time to slow down. That's just me, YMMV.

 

[YeGolf]

Being retired, I strive to avoid rush hour work commute traffic at any cost. The risk of accidents skyrockets during commuter hours. So, that, I am sure helps my miles per kWh. I just prefer to use "D" mode, and if I need to brake, I down shift to D1, then D2. If that avoids using the tail lights, so much the better. I don't ride anyone else's ass when driving, and I don't like being tailgated myself. I leave plenty of space and time between myself, and the car in front of me, as well as plenty of reaction time to slow down. That's just me, YMMV.

I think using brake is the same as using any D a B more, as far as you are in green recuperation zone. Or I'm wrong ?

 

[cattlerepairman]

About 5000 miles/8000 km on my 2018 e-Golf. I am rarely challenging the range these days so I have little incentive to skimp on crew comfort or go extra slow.

I am doing 100-120 km/h (62-75 mph)on the four lane highway, about 95 km/h (60 mph) on the rural highway. I also drive in the city, stop-and-go to relatively speedy through traffic.

A/C is on, normal mode. I am getting somewhere around 14-15 kWh/100 km (4.1-4.4 miles/kWh). Good enough for me!

 

[JoulesThief]

Being retired, I strive to avoid rush hour work commute traffic at any cost. The risk of accidents skyrockets during commuter hours. So, that, I am sure helps my miles per kWh. I just prefer to use "D" mode, and if I need to brake, I down shift to D1, then D2. If that avoids using the tail lights, so much the better. I don't ride anyone else's ass when driving, and I don't like being tailgated myself. I leave plenty of space and time between myself, and the car in front of me, as well as plenty of reaction time to slow down. That's just me, YMMV.

I think using brake is the same as using any D a B more, as far as you are in green recuperation zone. Or I'm wrong ?

Pretty much, although stepping on the brake pedal does activate the brake lights, some slight current draw there.

 

[tbier]

I think using brake is the same as using any D a B more, as far as you are in green recuperation zone. Or I'm wrong ?

This is true unless you are near a full charge. On my 2017, until I have used 2-3kWh (from a 100% charge) it will only go into the green regen 2-3 marks. So pushing on the breaks will much more quickly apply the pads without maxing out regen.

 

[finamore123]

Hello all,

Ive had my 2016 E-golf for the last month an I've been enjoying it. I have a question about what is a good miles/kWh? While driving,

the infotainment center will show me that im averaging 7.3-7.8kWh? a few weeks ago it was between 6-6.8kWh.. Im wondering what this means since I'm new to EV, I haven't been able to figure it out..

I also recall that after I charged it was at 4.3? but the whole way home it just rose up to about 7.8kWh. Im usually driving on the freeway.

Any help would be appreciated!