I've read posts on the Tesla Motors website that state that cruise control actually wastes energy maintaining a specific speed. That seems counterintuitive to me, but I thought I'd ask. When cruise control came out on ICE vehicles (yes, I'm that old!), it was touted as a fuel saver because the driver no longer sped up/slowed down needlessly.
However, I was towing a car behind my SUV a few years ago while on cruise control, and I watched the car floor it, downshift and race up a small hill just to maintain the speed I'd set. Had the vehicle been able to let the set speed vary by 10mph, it would've allowed the speed to slow, crest the hill, coast back up to the stated speed on the downside. With that behavior, I can see where it would use more energy maintaining an exact speed (but only on hilly areas).
So what's the consensus? Would you recommend cruise control if you're low on battery power?
However, I was towing a car behind my SUV a few years ago while on cruise control, and I watched the car floor it, downshift and race up a small hill just to maintain the speed I'd set. Had the vehicle been able to let the set speed vary by 10mph, it would've allowed the speed to slow, crest the hill, coast back up to the stated speed on the downside. With that behavior, I can see where it would use more energy maintaining an exact speed (but only on hilly areas).
So what's the consensus? Would you recommend cruise control if you're low on battery power?