The Range Remaining Feature

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BillThompsonMIEV

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Messages
137
Location
San Antonio, Texas
Hello out there. This is Post #3 from a new guy. I hope you don't mind my somewhat inane questions, but here is another one. Let me give the situation by an example. I return from a trip and the range remaining reads 25 miles, and I have four bars left. I decide to charge it using the Level one charger for five hours. The bars now (hypothetically) read as eight or maybe nine bars. I am presuming the range remaining will still read 25 miles, until I begin my next trip and then the range remaining will adjust based on the conditions and how I am driving. I guess in a sense I am saying that range remaining feature can be a little misleading until I lean its capabilities and its limitations.
 
Hi Bill,
As you charge the car, the Range Remaining will increase. In doing its calculation, the Range Remaining takes into consideration HOW you were driving prior to starting charging. For example, if you were leadfooting then the RR will result in a lower number than if you had been hypermiling. On the other hand, the Fuel Gauge merely counts Coulombs and adds bars at a fixed rate depending on which voltage and current level you utilize.

If you are a consistent driver and travel on level roads without great speed variations or headwinds/tailwinds, I think you'll find the Range Remaining display to be very accurate. As you drive, you'll realize that the internal computer is working its little heart out trying to keep up with you and provide you with a usable mileage lookahead - it's especially fun to watch the RR climb as you drive.
 
You will really like the RR meter once you get used to it and grow to trust it - I can't imagine how Mitsu could have given us a more valuable tool . . . . they could have made it flashier, used colors and bars I suppose, but it's simplistic display of what is currently happening is absolutely wonderful, IMO

It keeps track of all the energy put into the battery pack as well as all energy used from it, whether powering the car, climate control, headlights, wipers radio or any other accessory. It kept close track of what you did (how far you went, how fast and using what climate controls) with the last batch of energy before you recharged and used that information to compute a pretty good 'guesstimate' for you of how far you can expect go today on the new charge . . . . and then it continuously adjusts that number as you drive based on what is currently happening 'right now'

IMO, it's the single best piece of information in the car and once you learn how it reacts to what you do, 'range anxiety' pretty much becomes a thing of the past - If the RR meter says 25 and you need to make a 20 mile trip you can pretty confidently KNOW that you'll get home without incident . . . . true, you may still want to head out not using the heater or the A/C and 'featherfoot' it a bit just to be on the safe side, but you'll wind up coming back home with the A/C blasting without a worry in the world :cool:

In actuality, if you really needed to make a 25 mile trip and the RR said only 20, you could still do that by driving carefully, not wasting any energy, not driving faster than necessary and avoiding unnecessary starts and stops and you'd still get home OK. Once you've had your car a month or two, I predict your RR meter will become your best friend

Don
 
Well written and explained Don. I must agree, the more you get use to what the RR meter is telling you the more comfortable you get to trusting it. I had a 25 mile trip planned with 35 left on the RR meter. Was sweating it on the way back but made it with 8 miles left on the RR. Great tool!
 
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