Took the first trip with the 7.1 software this weekend.
On one leg of the trip, the trip planner was way, way off on projecting charge. We left the supercharger with more charge than the software advised. We were driving at posted speed plus 5 MPH, and watched as the projected charge level for the next supercharger quickly started dropping.
The software release notes indicates the software is supposed to issue advice on slowing down in this case - to ensure you don't use charge too quickly to reach the next charger. We never received that notice, though that could be that when the projected charge level reached 10%, we started taking corrective actions on our own.
We had to slow down 20 MPH for extended periods before we could start regaining charge - and building back some cushion - and ended up driving 10 MPH under the speed limit for most of that leg.
Temps were in the 60-70s, sunny, wind may have been behind us - and traffic was not too heavy so we could maintain a constant speed. Other than elevation change (Houston to Dallas), there wasn't an obvious reason why we were burning through charge faster than the trip planner projected.
Coming back, the trip planner was more accurate - and though we used a little more charge each leg than was projected, we never had to reduce speed.
We typically leave the charging station with at least 25% of projected charge at the destination - giving us some cushion. And while driving, we prefer to have no less than 10% of charge at the destination, just in case there is an unforeseen challenge with the supercharger (real-time status of the chargers would be very useful!).
Suggestions:
First, there should be some settings for the trip planner to indicate likely speed (relative to posted speed limit) and desired charge level at the destination. This should provide more realistic charge projections and charging time estimates.
Second, if the projected charge level drops below the desired charge level, a message should be displayed - and the dashboard should show the projected charge level - making it easier for the driver to monitor the charge. It's better to warn drivers about a potential charge concern as early as possible - because the longer the warning takes to display, the greater the correction that may be needed. Even though we were monitoring this early - we still had to drop 15 MPH below the posted speed limit (and most cars were driving 5-10 MPH above the posted speed limit).
The above changes should help - plus the algorithm for predicting charge uses evidently still needs some improvement.
The other interesting thing I noticed on the trip was that during one leg of the trip - the projected charge at the next supercharger was oscillating between 25-35% - periodically getting some large (5%) jumps up or down. That level of jump indicates the software isn't doing a very good job at estimating projected charge level.
On one leg of the trip, the trip planner was way, way off on projecting charge. We left the supercharger with more charge than the software advised. We were driving at posted speed plus 5 MPH, and watched as the projected charge level for the next supercharger quickly started dropping.
The software release notes indicates the software is supposed to issue advice on slowing down in this case - to ensure you don't use charge too quickly to reach the next charger. We never received that notice, though that could be that when the projected charge level reached 10%, we started taking corrective actions on our own.
We had to slow down 20 MPH for extended periods before we could start regaining charge - and building back some cushion - and ended up driving 10 MPH under the speed limit for most of that leg.
Temps were in the 60-70s, sunny, wind may have been behind us - and traffic was not too heavy so we could maintain a constant speed. Other than elevation change (Houston to Dallas), there wasn't an obvious reason why we were burning through charge faster than the trip planner projected.
Coming back, the trip planner was more accurate - and though we used a little more charge each leg than was projected, we never had to reduce speed.
We typically leave the charging station with at least 25% of projected charge at the destination - giving us some cushion. And while driving, we prefer to have no less than 10% of charge at the destination, just in case there is an unforeseen challenge with the supercharger (real-time status of the chargers would be very useful!).
Suggestions:
First, there should be some settings for the trip planner to indicate likely speed (relative to posted speed limit) and desired charge level at the destination. This should provide more realistic charge projections and charging time estimates.
Second, if the projected charge level drops below the desired charge level, a message should be displayed - and the dashboard should show the projected charge level - making it easier for the driver to monitor the charge. It's better to warn drivers about a potential charge concern as early as possible - because the longer the warning takes to display, the greater the correction that may be needed. Even though we were monitoring this early - we still had to drop 15 MPH below the posted speed limit (and most cars were driving 5-10 MPH above the posted speed limit).
The above changes should help - plus the algorithm for predicting charge uses evidently still needs some improvement.
The other interesting thing I noticed on the trip was that during one leg of the trip - the projected charge at the next supercharger was oscillating between 25-35% - periodically getting some large (5%) jumps up or down. That level of jump indicates the software isn't doing a very good job at estimating projected charge level.
