Factors affecting range

[lalettan]

Hi, What are all the factors affecting range. Example : any accessories, driving speed, usage of audio, climate control. Charging habits etc.

Thank you

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[Inkedsphynx]

Any use of power in the vehicle (Infotainment, seat warmers, climate, network, etc etc)
Wind speed (both natural wind speed and speed of wind due to your rate of travel, which can differ based on drafting conditions)
Humidity (raining or not, humid air is denser than non-humid air)
Road conditions
Elevation change
Rate of accelleration
Overall speed
Temperature
Payload (and whether you're towing)
Aerodynamics of the vehicle and any modifications you've made (rack on the roof? RTT over the bed? etc)
Tires
Ride height (You'll lose 10-20% in Standard vs Low at speed)

Probably missing plenty of others. The real answer is - more factors than you can account for.

 

[frostbit3]

The biggest two that I've noticed is speed and wind. If there's a 20MPH head wind it can make a massive difference in efficiency. I haven't seen a noticeable difference with using anything in the vehicle or how quickly I drive, it's mainly just came down to head wind or lack thereof and how fast i'm going. 65MPH is much more efficient than 75MPH.

 

[Joe schmoe]

I don't yet have a Rivian, but I've been driving a Tesla for 8 years now.

Biggest factor -by far- is wind resistance followed by rolling resistance. Both correlate with speed (slowing down dramatically increases range).

As noted above, wind matters, effectively increasing or decreasing your speed so if you're stretching range you need to pay attention to it.

Rolling resistance is affected by tire pressure and the road surface. My Tesla is dramatically affected by very heavy rain with standing water on the road surface-it can literally double my watt hours per mile.

Cold weather affects range, because the car need to heat the battery and also the cabin. Using the heated seats and less cabin heat helps, but the battery is going to use what it needs for heat and you can't control that.

AC affects the range in hot weather a bit, but not nearly as much as the heat.

Accessories like the radio are trivial and can be ignored, same with the lights.

You can extend range by "drafting" behind large vehicles. There are obvious safety issues with that, but you still get some help at a surprising distance behind the truck.

 

[racekarl]

The top 3 in order are:
1. Speed
2. Speed
3. Speed



EV drivetrains are about 90% efficient, which means that aerodynamic drag is the main variable force that needs to be overcome. Drag increases with the square of velocity (doubling your speed quadruples your drag), so more speed means way more drag and therefore less range.

 

[lalettan]

Will adding Cargo Cross bars affect range ?

 

[Redmond Chad]

Yes, the cargo bars will affect range. Hard to say exactly how much though - depends on where they are in the aero profile. It could be something minor like 3%, but double that wouldn't surprise me at all. Triple would be surprising, but possible.

This thread is (almost exactly) a decade old, and so obviously it's about a different car...but in it I tried to put some numbers on the various factors (speed, temperature, wind, elevation, etc) that affect range, so it can give you a rough idea.

Cliff notes: yeah, what everyone says above. How fast you go is the biggest factor (but remember that a headwind acts as if you are going that much faster). Elevation can be a big hit IF you go a long ways up and don't come down before your next charge. Temperature does matter, but even if you turn climate control off and suffer in the cabin, most cars use as much on the battery pack (at least at highway speeds - if you are stuck in a huge traffic jam, the hours spent running HVAC matter more than miles traveled. But it will still last for many hours).

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