Atlgaga
Member
- Region
- USA
I am a few hundred miles into my Vado 5.0 SL and trying to figure out what my effective range really is.
I setup a spreadsheet which includes the items I think impact my personal range:
mileage
Watt Hours used
Implied range calculation (Mileage / Watt Hours) X 320 (multiplier changed to 298, see below)
%support
elevation gain
average speed
dates and ride notes
And then today I ran the battery down to an indicated 5% - and power shut off.
My watt hours used on my 320 WH battery totaled 298 since last charge - meaning is shut down at 93% (not 95%) of rated capacity. So I changed the multiplier in my implied range calculation from 320 to 298.
This is the only time I've run the battery down that low - but I've run the range calculation after each ride. It is clear that elevation, speed and effort drastically impact the implied range - no surprise - but it's nice to see how. Implied range has been from 80.7 (10.8 mph avg, 19 mile ride, 908' elevation gain) to 33.9 (12.77 avg, , 16.7 miles, 1183' gain). The 80.7 was on a group ride where I used enough assist to keep up, but otherwise rode like I was on a regular bike with appropriate effort. The 33.9 was the second half of a solo 35 mile ride on a hot day, where I was ready to get home and not trying to put in any extra effort or conserve battery.
I think this is giving me a good handle on what I can expect if I know something about my route. And some flexibility for ride length, knowing how aggressive I can be using various assist levels and still leaving enough to get over the last steep hills going home where I really want a bit more than a bit of support after a long ride.
A couple of lessons learned -
1. A battery rating of 320 Watt hours does not mean there are 320 usable Watt hours. When the "meter" on the TDU shows 5% your tank is on empty. (but I guess your lights stay on!!!)
2. Either the % shown on the TDU is a bit off, or the reported Watt hours on Mission control are a bit off. Don't suppose it matters which.
3. Using turbo (set at 100%) is relatively a very fast drain on the battery - but I guess we all knew that.
4. Yes, you can hit the rated 80 mile range... if you do most of the riding, don't ride too fast, or climb too many hills. (my support level on that ride was 51.4)
Be interested in the experience of others.
J
I setup a spreadsheet which includes the items I think impact my personal range:
mileage
Watt Hours used
Implied range calculation (Mileage / Watt Hours) X 320 (multiplier changed to 298, see below)
%support
elevation gain
average speed
dates and ride notes
And then today I ran the battery down to an indicated 5% - and power shut off.
My watt hours used on my 320 WH battery totaled 298 since last charge - meaning is shut down at 93% (not 95%) of rated capacity. So I changed the multiplier in my implied range calculation from 320 to 298.
This is the only time I've run the battery down that low - but I've run the range calculation after each ride. It is clear that elevation, speed and effort drastically impact the implied range - no surprise - but it's nice to see how. Implied range has been from 80.7 (10.8 mph avg, 19 mile ride, 908' elevation gain) to 33.9 (12.77 avg, , 16.7 miles, 1183' gain). The 80.7 was on a group ride where I used enough assist to keep up, but otherwise rode like I was on a regular bike with appropriate effort. The 33.9 was the second half of a solo 35 mile ride on a hot day, where I was ready to get home and not trying to put in any extra effort or conserve battery.
I think this is giving me a good handle on what I can expect if I know something about my route. And some flexibility for ride length, knowing how aggressive I can be using various assist levels and still leaving enough to get over the last steep hills going home where I really want a bit more than a bit of support after a long ride.
A couple of lessons learned -
1. A battery rating of 320 Watt hours does not mean there are 320 usable Watt hours. When the "meter" on the TDU shows 5% your tank is on empty. (but I guess your lights stay on!!!)
2. Either the % shown on the TDU is a bit off, or the reported Watt hours on Mission control are a bit off. Don't suppose it matters which.
3. Using turbo (set at 100%) is relatively a very fast drain on the battery - but I guess we all knew that.
4. Yes, you can hit the rated 80 mile range... if you do most of the riding, don't ride too fast, or climb too many hills. (my support level on that ride was 51.4)
Be interested in the experience of others.
J