ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2012 and older => Topic started by: protomech on January 03, 2013, 08:20:54 AM
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I have commuted on my 2012 Zero on a handful of cold days here (cold in AL is mid 30s F) and I see some odd energy gauge behavior. When I leave in the morning (garage temp mid 50s), I see more or less expected usage of energy bars (5-6 miles per bar @ 45-55 mph). Typically two bars and a bit consumed when I park at work, 12 miles away from home. When I leave work in the evening (bike sits outside uncharged in mid 30s ambient temperature), the energy gauge will often start one or two bars lower (7-8 visible bars when switched on) and drop rapidly over several miles (typically 1 bar every 2-3 miles).
I returned home today @ 26 miles on the bike with 3 visible bars. No loss of power in the cold, but it appears to deplete energy at approximately twice the rate as in the fall (temps 50-60s) when I would return home with 7 visible bars.
I switched the bike off, plugged in, gave it a minute or so, then switched it back on. The bike then showed 6 visible bars of energy remaining .. or about what I was seeing when I commuted in 40 degree weather.
I'm guessing the bike uses a combination of cell temperature, ambient temperature, pack voltage, and coloumb counting to give a prediction for range. Perhaps voltage is dropping much more quickly than the bike expected when the temp drops below 40?
What worries me is not knowing whether the rapid fall is simply due to the cell temperature drop, and once the bike has compensated for this if the remaining bars are good for 5-6 miles apiece.. or if they will also continue to deplete at the rate of 2-3 miles per bar. Need to do some testing..
I did expect to see some range reduction in the cold - around 20-25% - but not 50% reduction in range. I think the energy gauge may be somewhat pessimistic due to the temperature delta between the morning and evening commute - I would suppose that I would see consistent range if I did a single trip leaving from the semi-heated garage, instead of allowing the bike to cold soak.
What are other people seeing? (starting a new thread specifically for the energy gauge display behavior)
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Nothing quite as thorough, but I can concur based on this evening's ride that the gauge read lower after letting the bike sit outside for the duration of The Hobbit showing (temp dropped from 45F to 35F). I had eight bars when I parked at the theater parking lot and only six was left when I got back on it. I just saw this post an hour after i got back home and it looks like, on the interim, my 2012 Zero S ZF9 gauge has 9 bars of energy on it after being plugged into a reg 110V outlet in our attached garage.(Could 3 bars be regained in just over an hour...?) At any rate, on other cold days (upper 30's) I usually end up one bar less than on warmer commutes which are 10.6mi round trip.
Brr... I need heated gloves.
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Cold temperatures do 2 things:
1) reduce the total energy the batteries can put out and
2) shift the discharge curve lower, meaning the batteries read lower. But will also go lower before they are out of energy.
I've done about 1000 miles in the last 2 weeks in cold 30 degree night 45-50 degree day and range appears to be almost half at night than during the day, but then again, how many of us really want to go 100 miles when it's 10 degrees below freezing? I'm usually looking for an excuse to pull over and start charging/warming my hands on the headlight. ;)
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Terry,
Stop by a drug store and pick up a package of heating pads. They stick on your skin and usually provide heat for 10 hours. I got caught in Vegas on a naked bike and temps dropped from a relatively balmy 50-60 degrees on my way to Vegas to 20s-30s on my way home to LA! I didn't bring enough cold weather clothing so I bought some heating pads. They dont require and power and are activated as soon as you expose them to air. I stuck them on my feet, hands thighs and anywhere else I was feeling cold. Worked like a champ and I swear it saved me from hypothermia!
Jose Soriano
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Half range seems to be what the range indicator is predicting, extrapolating out from 26 miles @ 3 bars remaining should put a full charge commuting range (with a midday cold soak) at approximately 32-35 miles .. and I typically see 70-80 miles in non-aggressive riding during the non-winter months.
On the other hand.. a couple weeks back I rode nearly 50 miles with temps in the 30s, the last 18 of which were with the energy gauge completely empty and the fuel icon blinking (and all but the first 12 starting from a cold soak). There was definitely significant energy left in the battery in that particular ride, but does it damage the battery to discharge below 0 bars?
Perhaps a better question for Zero.
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I'll let you guys do the cold weather testing. When the temperature drops below 40 degrees, I prefer to ride something that actually makes heat and I will therefore warm up one of my IC motorcycles (preferably one with grip heaters) and ride that instead of my Zero. IC may be inefficient, but I do appreciate how it makes excess heat that can be used to warm me up while riding and warm my hands up when stopped. ;) Sort of reminds me of a wood-burning fireplace, instead of central heating. :o
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Combined heating & power systems are ideal for combustion efficiency - in cold weather, particularly when you have a heated passenger cabin, ICE (speaking generally) is as good as or better than electric powered by grid fossil fuels. Natural gas furnaces are more efficient for heating than grid fossil fuels + transmission + electric central heat. Electric heating via hydro is very clean, of course, but grid power is very very fungible.
Also mid 30s are about as low as I want to ride. I have zero desire to deal with ice.
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Just got back from a 32 mile round trip on my ZF6, temperatures from 24 to 32 degrees, bike left parked outside for three hours. Used six of eleven bars, fine bars left at end. Really can't say I noticed any change in the range or battery level indicator.
Longer report on the "coldest ride" thread.
-Karl
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This isn't as cold as some but here is the data from my ride yesterday.
Starting temp = 52 deg. Destination temp unknown but noticeably colder at 1000' higher and wind coming down from the higher mountains. Cold with my wind proof motorcycle jacket on.
2012 DS ZF6
Taken from my GPS:
40 miles round trip
26 mi total paved highway @ 30 -32 mph
14 mi total dirt, sand, & rock.
Elevation gain / loss 1000'
Total moving ave.= 17 mph
Ride out with 15 lbs front & rear. Return ride with lowered to 6.5 lbs front which increased rolling res for 13 mi of pavement.
7 bars showing at destination (20 mi).
4 bars showing at finish.
On charger overnight total = 4.3 KWH
Notes: With several miles of soft sandy wash road it was little twitchy going in with 15 lbs front. At my destination I lowered the front to 6.5 lbs for the return trip, which gave me very good sand handling. Lacking an air pump I knew this would cost me some mileage on the highway going back. How much I have no idea, but I didn't have any handling trouble on the highway at my 30 to 32 mph speed. I couldn't feel any indication that the front tire was so low, even on one very tight switchback. Note: Tires Kenda K270's, 5.1" x 17 rear, 4.6" x 17 front.
Trikester
Oops - I forgot to say I let the bike sit in the bright sun for about an hour before starting my ride. It had been sitting out all night and the low just before sunup was 40.
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Quick update.
It seems like the energy gauge will recalculate when the bike is switched off for a few minutes.
I rode in this morning, 12 miles @ 27F. 9 bars visible when I parked, 8 bars visible when I left in the evening @ 33F. Again the bars dropped off very quickly. I stopped with 3 bars visible at 18 miles total to double check my route (unexpected detour).
Switched bike off, pulled out phone, poked around for a couple of minutes. Switch bike on.. and the gauge is now showing 7 bars instead of 3.
Less than amused, but kept riding. At around 25 miles I was down to 2 flashing bars, then 1, then 0 at around 27 miles. Again, pulled over, switched bike off for a minute.
7 bars visibile now, though again they quickly fell. I arrived home @ 33 miles, 31F with 3 bars visible.
Switched bike off once again, then back on a few minutes later. 6 bars visible.
Go figure..
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The effect you have is really enormous!
I have done SOC calculation for a while for Solar Systems, it is really not an easy task.
It is important to recalculate sometimes. If you only add up data you will have good results in the beginning but than all small errors add up. It will become chaotic!
It is most likely if your system is in idle mode for a time you see the battery voltage in a situation where you can estimate the SCO (temperature etc has to be in account)
Now, your SW has to decide who is right and make maybe some between.
Why act your system so extreme? Maybe the algorithm is in an environmental situation that was not tested enough. Likely you have to wait for a certain time before the values are exact and now you have the temperature falling from warm to cold at the battery, wrong timing!
It is really a hard job to make it work at all circumstances. Up to now I am happy what Zero has done but yours is too extreme.
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I can confirm what everyone is saying. When terry and I rode through the ice and snow up at Newcombs, my bikes gauge read empty after just 3 or 4 miles, but when stopped and power cycled the gauge would give an accurate reading.
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When I realised I was not actually out of power, I just rode with the gauge reading empty for the rest of the way.
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When I realised I was not actually out of power, I just rode with the gauge reading empty for the rest of the way.
There must be a better way. This seems like a design flaw to me.
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At least I have a bike. With no real number of Blammo bikes out there nobody can find brammo flaws so they will remain perfect forever... Until they have thousands delivered and being tested by riders. Tell me more about zeros flaws when you have thouroughly tested the brammo up a mountain over a mile high in sub freezing weather. Seriously, I would love to know. Especially curious about the water cooling and transmission fluid viscosity and if the cold has any effect.
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Apparently the Empulse has integral battery heaters that operate when the bike is charging. I haven't heard if they also work when it is running. The cooling system only serves to cool the motor (to my knowledge) and the question about the transmission oil is interesting. All transmissions that I am familiar with are used on IC motorcycles, which tend to get pretty hot during normal operation, compared with the ambient air temperature. The lube specified and the design of the transmission most likely takes that into consideration and is likely designed to function best when hot. Most IC transmissions tend to shift hard and be kind of "clunky" when cold and oil-bath clutches can stick and operate slowly until their oil warms up, too. Hopefully, all of those factors were taken into consideration when the Empulse gear box and clutch were developed.
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I do experience the same "lower range" problem, which is unfortunately normal -some of you may remember discussing this topic a few months ago in a different thread.
Cold weather is not a good friend of Lithium batteries (whatever the manufacturer states in the operating temperature specsheet), on top of it, when riding, because of the windchill effect temperature drop + (our batteries are enclosed in an ALU case, which is even worse in this application/riding environment) are far lower that in stationary mode. + the effect on the electronic control system going crazy -Zero has not build it with military grade components- be patience, the summer is around the corner ;D or do as Richard does
Take a look at the windchill chart below
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/windchill.html (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/windchill.html)
Battery heaters? Mmmm...Lithium batteries do not like to be charged when hot, I guess this is for really low-ambience temperatures.
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It would be interesting to calculate how much power a heater would draw to bring the cells up to optimum temperature and see if the benefit you would gain by doing so would actually exceed the power used by the heater. I suspect its a close run thing in all but the coldests (i.e. electrolyte freezing point) temperatures.
It would make no sense to fit battery heaters as standard to a bike where the vast majority of riders have no intention of riding below freezing on a regular basis. Don't forget that those of us on this forum are generally enthusiasts and so probably have unusual riding habits.
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Take a look at how the Empulse modules are being built:
http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2013/01/fiscal-cliff-bill-extend-electric-motorcycle-tax-credit/ (http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2013/01/fiscal-cliff-bill-extend-electric-motorcycle-tax-credit/)
(http://hellforleathermagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Brammo-battery.jpg)
The Empulse and the Enertia Plus both have these cell heaters. Those can't be very expensive. I don't think it would make sense to heat the batteries with the cell heaters unless you were doing so from the grid, which the Brammo bikes will do. BrammoBrian says they reduce charge rate and begin heating the cells if they are below 10C / 50F, so it's possible their particular cells really do not like charging in the cold.
Nevertheless, seems like a good and inexpensive solution.
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Ah, yes, more weight. Shall we start a pool on the when our electric bikes hit the 600 pound mark?
Trikester @like.emlight.now ;D
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Thin copper heating elements are probably not a major contributor to the Empulse's bulk OR cost.
I think you could build a 20-25 kWh touring bike at 600 pounds today. With some drag reduction it could give Tesla Model S type touring capabilities on a bike (ride for 2-3 hours, charge for 0.5 - 1 hour). Cost (and therefore volume) would be prohibitive.
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"Thin copper heating elements are probably not a major contributor to the Empulse's bulk OR cost."
I disagree. Let's throw out some WAG numbers here. Let's assume those heaters are at least 1$ea. Let's assume they use 9 per module. 7 modules per bike (I think?), 63 total. Guess another $20 (at least, could be much more) in connectors wiring and such. That is $83 materials cost. Maybe another $20 labor for installation. Plus the hardware to control the thing. Plus the NRE of designing the hardware/software. I think you are looking at over $100 more like $200 to have battery heaters @ cost. By the time it gets marked up to the customer it is probably closer to $500. Don't get me wrong, it is an awesome feature for those that need it. It adds costs and complexity for those who don't. I bet if it was a $300-$500 option, the majority of purchasers would not opt for it.
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I would buy it because I need it to be able to ride all year long. Although I wonder why they are so silent about it. This would be a nice feature against Zero (I assume they don't have heated cells).
Or would it only mean that their cells are lower grade than Zero's cells?
So my question: why is it not listed on the Brammo spec sheets?
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Probably 8 per Empulse module, 7 modules per Empulse. Probably 11 per E+ module, 2 modules per Enertia Plus. They can mostly spread the expense of the hardware/software design effort across both the Empulse and the Enertia Plus, though I expect the up-front design effort is non-trivial. Marginal cost to
It sounds like the cell chemistry Brammo uses has a sufficiently restrictive storage/charge temperature that normal motorcycle usage would require cell heaters, where most Zero owners do not require cell heaters in daily operation. However, even if the bike is stored (http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=1977.0) in cold conditions, below 20F the Zero BMS disables charging (or possibly higher? (http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2430.msg11256#msg11256)). If temps are below 20F and charging is disabled for a sufficiently long period - perhaps a week for pre-2012 bikes, perhaps a month or more for 2012 - then the bike battery could be damaged by over-discharge. Maybe the Zero BMS is smart enough to disconnect all drains when the battery SOC reaches a certain point as a battery preservation effort?
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1. heaters not on Brammo spec sheet => they might be needed for the Brammo battery tech than the Zeros
2. keep it simple, please. Zero has been thus far successful to keep the whole package simple, no heaters, no gears, no liquid cooling => the beauty is in a well working simple package !
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I would buy it because I need it to be able to ride all year long. Although I wonder why they are so silent about it. This would be a nice feature against Zero (I assume they don't have heated cells).
Or would it only mean that their cells are lower grade than Zero's cells?
So my question: why is it not listed on the Brammo spec sheets?
It might be related to which Brammo's target market appears to be, the well-heeled IC sport bike rider who is intrigued by electric. They have to reduce the number of weaknesses the Empulse has relative to IC bikes, and downplay the ones they can't yet get around. Modern IC bikes don't generally have starting or refueling problems in cold weather, so Brammo perhaps simply made sure that the Empulse didn't, either. No need to call attention to it :)
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I Live in Arkansas. I have a ds9. I ride at 25 and up and the colder the slower I go. I have not rode below 25. My bike stays under a carport in the cold plugged up. If it gets colder than 20 I have outside a pump house that temperature does not get below 30 that I put it in. Last Thursday I rode to my brothers it was 35 it is 25 miles to his house I rode at 60 and 70 I had 6 bars when I got there. I plugged into outside plug was there 2hours. Rode 30miles back had 9bars to start home I had 3bars.
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We've had warmer temperatures here recently. 40 and 50+ degrees. I haven't seen any of the inaccurate energy gauge behavior when the bike does a cold soak above 40F.
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Flashing triangle this morning on my ride in to work flash.flash,pause,flash,flash,flash, pause, repeat. Went out and checked at noon, no more flashes. Talked to Zero about what was happening and they tell me it is a connection problem. I asked about the warmer noon time temp explaining why the problem went away. They asked me about charging and temp. Upshot is that you are not to charge the bike if it is below 20 degrees. This is in the manual. I missed it and have been leaving it in the garage charging when it is down to 10 degrees. Hard to ride in the winter when you can't charge overnight.... I may build a ramp to move the bike into the basement during the winter.
I wonder it this is common knowledge and I was just out of the loop? If not, we need to get the word out.
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There was some talk about this problem, but in the Who's taken the coldest Zero ride? thread so not really easy to find and not really finished!
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2430.msg11123#msg11123 (http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2430.msg11123#msg11123)
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Warmer temps sure were nice while they lasted. Yesterday dropped down to 35F midday, back up to 37 when I went home but still saw the vanishing bars. Arrived home with 1 flashing bar left @ 26 miles. Used 3.9 kWH to overnight charge (150 Wh/mile), but that may include a pack balance .. so battery used was probably 3.0-3.2 kWh.
Edit: It was raining yesterday. I use more power in the rain, so 150 Wh/mile is reasonable for me @ 45-55 mph.
The overall wall power usage doesn't bother me, I'm more concerned about seeing a > 50% range reduction according to the energy gauge with temps in the mid 30s.
I guess I just need to get off my butt and contact Zero support, verify that nothing is wrong.
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Sorry but I don't ride my bike at the moment, too much salt on the street that eat my aluminum.
But the last commuting rides I did, I was lightly covered with ice when arrived at work (10miles) so it must be around 32°F. I could see slightly more energy use at the display but nothing like you have. I can't test it more for you, but I believe there will be a mismatch in your system.
Maybe oxidation at a current / voltage sensor point?
But I think it is odd.
Do other folks agree with my experience? So let protomech know and he can decide to be sure there is a defect or otherwise we find out it is a design glitch. :-\
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I've been riding to work all winter so far on my '12 ZF6 with morning temperatures between 25 and 45. My round trip is 25 miles and I haven't noticed any real change in battery indication compared to warm weather. I almost always get back with 1 bar more than half a "tank", and I haven't seen a change worth reporting as the weather changes.
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I've been riding to work all winter so far on my '12 ZF6 with morning temperatures between 25 and 45. My round trip is 25 miles and I haven't noticed any real change in battery indication compared to warm weather. I almost always get back with 1 bar more than half a "tank", and I haven't seen a change worth reporting as the weather changes.
That's reassuring to read. :) Thanks.
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It dropped below freezing for the first time this Winter yesterday. Funnily enough i didn't take the bike out.
(http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm147/NoiseBoyPaul/P1180203_zpscfc952a8.jpg)
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I take it that the temperature outside was Zero. ;D
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That's what my bike looked like when I walked out of work Thursday ; )
45 degrees when I left Friday. 6 bars remaining when I got home.
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Today I test rode a DS in 41 degrees F.
The gauge read 50% charge throughout the ride, but after about 20 minutes my top speed was 41 mph after gradual deterioration. I don't know if this is because of the relative cold or because of an incomplete charge; perhaps it was a malfunction.
Although I am committed to the concept of electrics, I doubt I will purchase until performance is more assured.
For the cost it did not seem a very refined machine.
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Was it a ZF6? I havent experienced that on the ZF9 but it happened below 50% on the X. Its because the power available from each cell decreases when they get cold and low on charge. On a bigger pack like the ZF9 the load is spread across more individual cells so it is much less noticeable.
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Today I test rode a DS in 41 degrees F.
The gauge read 50% charge throughout the ride, but after about 20 minutes my top speed was 41 mph after gradual deterioration. I don't know if this is because of the relative cold or because of an incomplete charge; perhaps it was a malfunction.
I have a ZF6 and have seen similar cold performance, although not as dramatic. Maybe a top speed of 60ish at 1/2 charge at that temperature.
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Last night I got a chance to pin my ZF9 after a 35 degree F cold soak at ~70% SOC. I could hit a maximum of 75 mph in Sport mode, and it held that speed for at least a mile.
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Last night I got a chance to pin my ZF9 after a 35 degree F cold soak at ~70% SOC. I could hit a maximum of 75 mph in Sport mode, and it held that speed for at least a mile.
I just got a speeding ticket going 70 when it was 19 degrees out. I had just gotten onto the highway and was trying to jump in behind a truck for wind cover. passed an unmarked car in the process. I guess I'm saying I haven't experienced enough cold-temp performance degradation for my own good.
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Cold temp performance has been perfect for me. Went for a 60 mile ride in 28 degree weather and the battery gauge reading was accurate (similar to performance in 50-60 degree temps), performance was great! Had an estimated range of 80-85 miles. Didn't feel like going fast in the cold, but I'm sure it would have been a (icy) blast.
Seems like any anomaly in performance is on individual bikes. I've been riding in all temperatures and haven't seen much performance difference in different temperatures.
Slightly less range in cold temps, but when compared to similar speed runs at higher temperatures, there has been only very little difference.
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Seems like any anomaly in performance is on individual bikes. I've been riding in all temperatures and haven't seen much performance difference in different temperatures.
Yep, that seems possible.
I'm also typically seeing the anomaly only after the bike sits in the cold; when I start from my garage @ 55 degrees F there is very little range degradation.
Somewhat tempted to charge the bike to full, then let the bike sit overnight @ 25 degrees, then go for a ride and see if the indicated charge immediately plummets (as it does on the far end of my commute).
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Last night I got a chance to pin my ZF9 after a 35 degree F cold soak at ~70% SOC. I could hit a maximum of 75 mph in Sport mode, and it held that speed for at least a mile.
I just got a speeding ticket going 70 when it was 19 degrees out. I had just gotten onto the highway and was trying to jump in behind a truck for wind cover. passed an unmarked car in the process. I guess I'm saying I haven't experienced enough cold-temp performance degradation for my own good.
Hey, Swiftsam, does that count as the first speeding ticket ever for an electric motorcycle? I think you should frame it and put it in a museum!
I rode in in mid-20s weather this morning and had no trouble hitting 89 on the speedo, but I discount that by 5-10%.
--Karl
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Terry (offthegrid) Hershner got a ticket in Texas last year for doing over 90. :o
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It seems Zero is not the only one with a cold range estimation problem.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/automobiles/stalled-on-the-ev-highway.html?pagewanted=all (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/automobiles/stalled-on-the-ev-highway.html?pagewanted=all)
Tesla’s chief technology officer, J B Straubel, acknowledged that the two East Coast charging stations were at the mileage limit of the Model S’s real-world range. Making matters worse, cold weather inflicts about a 10 percent range penalty, he said, and running the heater draws yet more energy. He added that some range-related software problems still needed to be sorted out.
Tesla does have a pretty decent range estimation page here:
http://www.teslamotors.com/goelectric#range (http://www.teslamotors.com/goelectric#range)
Range loss from dropping from 50F to 32F (HEAT ON) at the following speeds:
55 mph, 7.4%; 60 mph, 6.8%; 65 mph, 6.0%.
With heat off, range loss from dropping temperatures is 2-3% typically.
Range loss at 32F (NO HEAT) for increasing speed:
50 -> 55 mph, 8.0%; 55 -> 60 mph, 8.0%; 60 -> 65 mph, 8.0%.
Note these are cumulative, so 50 -> 65 mph is 22.1% range loss.
I'll edit this post in a bit with a better description of the trip and what Tesla's range estimation software seems to do.
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Apparently the blogger who did the test drive misled his readers.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100439335 (http://www.cnbc.com/id/100439335)
I'm more inclined to believe Musk on this one since they can measure the details of the car.
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I doubt anything in the story was fabricated - unlike say the Top Gear Tesla Roadster review. But I also don't doubt Tesla has their own side of the story.
So what went wrong?
1. Presumably, the driver did not charge overnight. Even a 1 kW 110V charge could have helped keep the batteries warm. Not charging at low SOC (33%) followed by a drop down to 10 degrees F resulted in a similar spook to my trip that prompted this thread.
2. The driver did not wait for a full charge at the Milford, CT charging station. His planned Stonington -> Groton -> Milford route is around 135 miles. With 185 miles indicated, I can see how he thought there was sufficient buffer. Nevertheless, if he knew ahead of time that he was not planning to charge overnight then an extra 15 minutes here could have saved him a ton of grief.
3. The Newark and Milford, CT Supercharger stations are a stretch for the 85 kWh Model S in cold weather. The 60 kWh Model S would have little chance of making the trip in the best of circumstances - I imagine Tesla eventually plans to build a midpoint station. Tesla's optimistic range indicators did it no favors here.
4. Either the driver was not adequately prepped for this trip with respect to points 1-3 or he neglected them. While the Supercharger is badass, a ~800 mile weekend trip in 10-30 degree weather is just four stops to charge is at the edge of the Model S's capabilities. Electing to not wait for a full charge and to not charge overnight is either operator neglect or education neglect. I guess we'll hear more about this soon.
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Google Maps (http://goo.gl/maps/4wKFx) approximation of his route. 100% guessing as to the delivery subdivision location, but figure it's about 100 miles from Newark. Letters correspond to the locations on the map.
A Maryland suburb, near Washington DC
0 miles into trip. Car delivered with full charge. 30 degree temps, heat on, drove at "normal highway speeds" toward Supercharge station in Newark, DE.
B Newark, DE Supercharger station (~100 miles from suburb)
~100 miles into trip, ~50% SOC. Charge until full, 49 minutes. 242 miles range indicated.
C Levittown, NY (68 miles from Newark)
168 miles into trip. 157 miles range indicated. Climate control turned to low, cruise control set to 54 mph.
D Manhattan, NY (~134 miles from Newark)
234 miles. "After a short break". 79 miles range indicated. 73 miles to go to Milford, CT.
287 miles. < 10 miles range indicated. 20 miles to Milford, CT.
~300 miles. 0 miles range indicated. Car shuts off heater and informs user to "Recharge Now". Journalist presumably coasts on "fumes" into Milford, CT.
E Milford, CT Supercharger station (~210 miles from Newark)
310 miles. 0 miles range indicated. Charged for "nearly an hour". Car probably at 75% SOC.
310 miles. 185 miles range indicated. Car departs for Groton, CT driving "slowly". Stop at Stonington, CT for dinner.
G Groton, CT (46 miles from Milford, CT)
389 miles, evening. 90 miles of range indicated. Overnight stay, no charging. Plan to return to Milford, CT in the morning.
389 miles, morning. 25 miles of range indicated. Temps now 10 degrees. After battery conditioning cycle, 19 miles range indicated.
H Norwich, CT (~11 miles from Groton)
400 miles. Charged at 6 kW J1772 station "for an hour". Drove towards Milford, CT Supercharger @ 45 mph.
447 miles. Ran out of charge near Branford, CT. Car shut down and coasts down an exit ramp. Tow truck dispatched. Tesla pulled onto flatbed (parking break would not release), towed to Milford, CT.
J Milford, CT Supercharger station (~71 miles from Manhattan)
462 miles. Charged for 80 minutes. 216 miles of range indicated. "Uneventful" trip back to Tesla dealer in Manhattan, NY.
K Manhattan, NY
533 miles. 124 miles of range indicated. Presumably journalist rents a car (ha!) or more likely scores another press vehicle to return home.
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A somewhat defensive update from the NYT:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/the-charges-are-flying-over-a-test-of-teslas-charging-network/ (http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/the-charges-are-flying-over-a-test-of-teslas-charging-network/)
I still think setting off for a ~130 mile round trip with an overnight cold soak w/o recharge at approximately 65% SOC (185 miles indicated) was a mistake, particularly given his previous experience with consuming range @ approximately 120% the indicated rate. 130 miles = expected to eat ~155 miles indicated range.
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Got a bit confused as to which thread this is in, all the gory details are here:
http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/most-peculiar-test-drive (http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/most-peculiar-test-drive)
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I'm continuing the Tesla discussion in a new thread, as I'm poking it more and more off-topic. Suffice to say that Tesla's range estimation also has trouble with a deep cold soak.
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2697.0 (http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2697.0)
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Zero has posted some guidance for cold weather and hot weather operation and storage of the bikes.
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/owner-resources/Guidelines-for-Hot-and-Cold%20Weather-Operation-SV-ZMC-012-050.pdf (http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/owner-resources/Guidelines-for-Hot-and-Cold%20Weather-Operation-SV-ZMC-012-050.pdf)
Cold weather operation of the motorcycle has no permanent impact on its battery pack/cells; however, the ridermay notice a temporary reduction in range due to the effect cold temperature has on the amount of energy the pack/cells can release. The colder the weather, the greater the effect; so that, as compared to operation in 80F/27C ambient, at 30F/-1C ambient, the rider could experience a temporary reduction in range of up to 50% [2011 Model Year] or 30% [2012-2013 Model Year].
In extreme cold weather the motorcycle may also experience a temporary reduction in power and, correspondingly, achieved top speed.
It is not recommend that the motorcycle be ridden while its battery temperature is below 23F/-5C. If it is, its battery needs to be put on the charger at a temperature above 32F/0C as soon as the ride is concluded. It is worth noting that the Battery Management System (BMS) will not allow the battery to be discharged below -22F/-30C, which the absolute lowest discharge temperature prescribed by the cell manufacturer.
Storage of the motorcycle for the winter in a non-heated garage is acceptable, as long as (1) the coldest temperature in the garage does not fall below -31F/-35C, (2) the battery is left on the charger continuously, and (3) the battery is initially topped off at a temperature above 32F/0C. Storage temperatures below -31F/-35C may result in accelerated permanent decay of the battery performance, and hence it is not recommended. Above this temperature, working as a system with the BMS, the charger will ensure the battery survives winter storage with no permanent damage, even if the temperatures dip well below freezing for weeks at a time. Note that, to prevent battery damage, the BMS will prevent the charger from charging the battery at a temperature below 32F/0C.
Again, as long as the battery was initially topped off by the charger above 32F/0C and remains on the charger through the winter at temperatures above -31F/-35C, the system will guard the battery from damage.
It's worth noting that my range has returned to normal after the winter FINALLY ended. Spring riding is so awesome.