OK. So, I'm 620 miles in and haven't reset my trip computer yet. My computed efficiency is approximately 38kWh/100 mi in the trip computer (center circle button on the wheel) so far - some local, some highway driving. I think I'll get better (lower) over time.
Fuel Economy of the 2021 Volvo XC40 AWD BEV. Compare the gas mileage and greenhouse gas emissions of the 2021 Volvo XC40 AWD BEV side-by-side with other cars and trucks
It varies a lot according to elevation change, not surprisingly. I get about about 50 kWh/100 mi. over 180 miles and 2200 ft. elevation gain, and about 35-38 coming back. Our Tesla gets low to high 20s over the same course.
It varies a lot according to elevation change, not surprisingly. I get about about 50 kWh/100 mi. over 180 miles and 2200 ft. elevation gain, and about 35-38 coming back. Our Tesla gets low to high 20s over the same course. Interestingly, I got 38 or so on level ground with the Volvo (Baltimore to DC) with a slalom kayak on the roof.
Hey scans. Is your Volvo fully updated with the “it got more efficient” fix?
Do you have a heat pump? Is heating on or off ( or ac). And of course without getting in trouble the speed? I had read Volvo is a less aerodynamic car than Tesla ( it is higher as well) so if one is at high speed this would definitely change the effeciency.
Curious. Cannot wait to get mine so I can play with the variables so to speak.
I have the heat pump and I've been keep the climate controls at 68 degrees F with fan at level 1. It seems to function fine without stopping during trip. I turned off day time running lights to save every electron. But I do play my music LOUD now that it sounds great with no engine noise!
I have 1071 miles on the clock now, I am averaging 38.7 kw/100 miles (UK). The longest journey was 421 Miles in Snow, Rain and cold! (British weather) and it was 41.2kwh/100 miles.
When I bought my Recharge, the dealer told me that the battery range will improve with future software updates. I relied on that claim when I was making my decision to buy the car. Was anyone else told this? And is it possible to improve the range with a software update? Thanks.
Was just thinking the same when talking with my friend with a Tesla 3. Everyone wants to know the range, and I always put a disclaimer on my answer hoping, praying, that it will improve with software updates.
Did we already already get the software update that improved European P8s range? It improved both the range and the charge rate.
One thing I have noticed on the testers in Europe is that they use adaptive cruise control when range testing. This seems to be part of the efficiency equation.
Software can defiantly improve range the question is by how much. The P8 is a tall vehicle. This is going to lower its efficiency on highways where aerodynamic drag + tire friction + other factors define the efficiency.
I love how tall and easy to get in and out of the P8 is but it is going to lower its range compared to more streamlined and closer to the ground cars.
I ordered mine as a “god I do not want another ice car” with the assumption that this is not going to be our long range ev. We intend to get a long range ev later.
A final note on range. There are 4 main range scenarios:
1. Short trips
2. Trips longer than your cars range by a lot
3. Trips with non chargeable sections longer than your cars range
4. Trips there and back which are slightly longer than your cars range.
Of these only 3 and 4 are relevant when we talk about the range of your car. As long as you have enough range to get from high speed charging station to high speed the range of your car is less important than the charging speed. With the lack ( for now as it is growing ) ev charging infrastructure 3 can define which routes you can take for long distant journeys. Of course you can always stop for a long period at a lvl 2 to get in range of the next. Super charger.
4. Is an either your car can or cannot. But as this is a range divided by two scenario you need a good bit more range to improve 4.
For us we had to work through our range anxiety. To work out where we wanted to go, where is charging etc. Rarely did 50 more miles make a difference in range but occasionally it did.
All in all the P8 is not a long range ev. Mercedes (I think) is coming out with a 500 mile range car. Yes this helps but when it’s on 10 miles left it’s going to be a good charging time ( of course cars are improving there max charge rates but then the charging station needs to support it ).
Good luck with range anxiety. Try and define how much it actually effects you and how much effects your dreams. Then think of that nasty smelly gas engine and stinky gas stations!!!
I think once they work out the charge rate issues and there are enough high-speed charging stations on trips, my range anxiety will definitely diminish!
The range estimates you get from the Google map (percent of charge on arrival) are pretty accurate. And you can always extend it just by driving a little slower.
We did an overnight test drive of an XC40 P8 a day ago and got ~39 kWh/100mi. Considering the car has 75 kWh usable battery and is rated 208 miles, the ideal would be 36 kWh/100mi. In other words, to hit the EPA rated, the magic number is 36. I’d say you getting 38 is decent. And as others noted, so many factors play a role here.
And let’s face it.. the way they test is kind of, well, strange:
Had to take my son today from Welland Ontario to Toronto Ontario to get his Covid 19 vaccine - it was a 242.4 KM round trip (151Miles). Left the house with a 89% Charge - returned and the Charge level was at 20% - it was about 13 degrees Celsius (55 F) - at the end of the trip the car showed it averaged 21.1 KWH/100 km (62 miles) - there was some wind today but since it was a round trip I figure the wind cancelled it self out since I would have had a disadvantage one way and advantage the other. 85% of the trip was at 65 mph and 15% was at 50 mph.
Not sure if this contributes to the discussion - but it is a real life example.
@Welland canada recharge — good data!
Based on that .. 89-20 = 69% used (0.69 x 208 miles = 143.5 rated EPA miles). Yet you said you drove 151 miles, so you did better than average. Also 21.1 kWh/100km works out to be ~340 wh/mi — based on 75 kWh usable that is ~211 miles you could travel. I’d say you did pretty good, and as per my prior message, anything better than 36 kWh/mi means you’re beating the EPA range. (I’m too tired to convert that backwards to kwh/km)
FWIW — I’ve had about 2x dozen BEVs and in my experience, legacy car manufacturers are going conservative, and Tesla is going high on their estimates. Interesting that you were so close to EPA rated with 13C/55F temps. I’d anticipate you’ll get even better range in warmer weather, but worse in colder.
My consumption, without the latest updates, has been consistent, around 33-35 per 100 miles. My traveling today was around 50 miles, windy, minor elevation changes, 40 of it on the highway. I hit 33.4...which is just find for me. That's over 200 miles and there's zero chance I am going to drive more than 200 miles and not want an actual break. Most of my common "long" drives will only get 20-30 minutes longer, since I would want a coffee/bio break anyway.
I took a little road trip to see family - about 50 miles round trip in busy stop-and-go traffic (even though most on highway - busy highway). Temperature was 65 F (18 C). The stop and go made for excellent efficiency - 29.4 kWh / 100 mi, which equals 255 mi (410 km) range with 100% battery.
I spent about 2-3 hours yesterday driving in varied conditions. Some city driving, some urban driving (think 40-60 MPH roads with few stop signs, and major changes in elevation along the California coast), and some highway driving. Got about 30-32 kwh/100mi. Two passengers, a 55lb dog, about 72 degrees F outside, with AC going the whole time.
Worst of it was close to 45kwh going all up-hill about 700ft in elevation, then energy recovery easily brought that back to mid 30s on the way down the hill.
Also, I have the heat pump option. after I park the car, I notice that there are some noises coming from the front of the car. Might be the heat pump cooling the motor or just the regular battery thermal system…
I use my P8 for business averaging around 500 to 600 miles per week, I log the power used each week and I am currently averaging 37.98 kW/hr per 100 miles. Most of my driving is motorway the car has completed 2694 miles. I don't like being cold or too hot so heater/AC is on, recently had poor weather for May (not Canada winters but been a tad snowy (nearly 5mm so the whole of the UK comes to a grinding halt).
Also found that heading North towards Scotland the charge infrastructure on the motorways is poor with many chargers out of service - Using the A roads the chargers are much more reliable. They are working on this and should be much improved by the end of the year.
I generally get 29.5-31.5 on my 18 mile commute in Atlanta. There's generally enough traffic to prevent high speeds, so that probably helps. AC has to work pretty hard in the afternoon nowadays, though.
I had a ChargePoint NEMA 6-50 installed in my garage before my P8 was delivered. It has been working well.
Below is a chart showing my first month’s usage. The Charge, Miles, and Cost are the estimates provided by the ChargePoint app. When I charge overnight, I have been charging to 80%. Note the difference in cost between the Home charge of May 8 and the Electrify America charge of May 17th.
Ouch... fortunately I don't expect to use public charging much, but I admit I'm a bit shocked at the costs of using them. I did try out an EVGo charger locally and it was about $4.80 for 10kwh, which is almost more costly than driving the 4Runner I traded in!