Arky
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I decided to try skiing in the R1, it's my first time taking it up in the hills so I wanted to write a little trip report for anyone who might find it useful
Summary:
2.17 mi/kwh 170 miles to/from winter park, CO
3h46m drive time
Departure conditions ~45F, garaged
Arrival conditions ~5F - overcast
Most of trip around ~20-25F, wind 18-22mph WNW.
Time at destination = 4hr
Starting SOC = 100%
Ending SOC = 37%
Driven mostly in AWD/Low (about 20 miles in Conserve/Low and similar in AWD/Med)
The Bad:
Not much bad to report, just 2 things that really bugged me:
1 - STOP TURNING MY RECIRC OFF. If I put it on it means I WANT IT ON. In the cold I can see this actually being a significant energy saver as long as you're avoiding humidity buildup since you're not heating frozen air so much.
2 - The windshield washer is useless at speed, it leaves an uncleaned spot right in the line of sight and higher. I suspect they did this so that it doesn't spray over the windscreen to the roof when stopped since it cleans properly when not moving, but it is annoying when actually driving through poor conditions.
On Driver+:
I tried D+ on this trip and it seemed to handle i70 reasonably well (and this is one of the most challenging interstate highways to deal with), lane centering feels much improved over the past and I didn't get any unexpected sudden actions or pingponging. Overall cruise performance was good, though I'm not a fan of it slowing through corners it does at least communicate what it's doing.
I did get one disengagement with a warning (I don't know if I was just entering an unmapped part or what happened) and at one point it looked like it was about to overshoot the lane shift in a construction zone so I turned it off. Clearer handoffs from disengagement or to take over if the system is unsure would be good.
On Cold performance:
Leaving from my garage I didn't have restricted performance except regen from the 100% charge - and I think the car does a good job letting you know this and what to expect. I never saw cold-restricted performance or warnings on the trip, despite letting the car sit outside for 4 hours after driving. I'd suspect this may not be an issue for most day trips, and really just an overnight issue.
On Snow performance:
While there's probably some merit to complaints about the tire performance or the vehicle handling in snow, I didn't notice much of an issue. You're absolutely going to suffer from the higher weight and the fact that the AT is decidedly not a snow tire, but it's not undriveable by any means and with proper adjustment can be plenty safe. I never noticed anything I would describe as a sudden loss of control, rather the front end washing out gradually on switchbacks if pushed too hard (I played around with it a bit), and balancing braking at less than full regen. I do think a reduced regen mode is still needed, as most drivers will probably be unable to accurately respond to a loss of control with the accelerator (In the interim - soft sand mode also enables lower regen but it's not much lower.)
My worst conditions were up and down a relatively steep grade on packed and flaky compressed snow at subfreezing temperature. On dry and wet surfaces I never felt like I didn't have adequate traction, even in this cold. My tires show a cold pressure of 42PSI at 10F ambient for what it's worth. Yes I know it's under the spec.
In short: The tires are driveable - snow tires are great but in almost all cases, reducing speed and increasing follow distance is an acceptable substitute. If this is inconvenient for you or you encounter a lot of ice in particular I would recommend a snow tire.
On Efficiency:
I'm rather impressed with the overall drive efficiency of the car given these conditions. High wind and cold temperatures are two of the biggest killers for range, yet my expected range based on what I drove is still 270 miles, about the same as the EPA estimate for this configuration. High altitude helps (although in this case I'm sure the wind took that away), and while my reported average speed was 45, that's mostly because of a couple slow sections getting through town, into the park, parking, etc. Most of the miles I have to drive are more equivalent to a state or interstate highway (60-80mph)
Final thoughts:
I think I was prepared for a lot worse based on reading other experiences in snow and cold. I'm quite impressed overall with the usable range and efficiency in what could be some of the worst conditions for driving EV. It's easy to pound out miles in this thing, the ride is good enough to deal with less than ideal roads, and driving the R1 in traffic is almost therapeutic given how smooth and easy it is and how much situational awareness you can get (combination of good overall visibility, sensors, and the ability to better see surroundings when operating with D+.) My other car is a manual turbo and while I sometimes miss that, it's an absolute chore in traffic and you get enough toys and configuration options in the R1 to 'scratch the itch to mess with something' every so often if you choose.
Summary:
2.17 mi/kwh 170 miles to/from winter park, CO
3h46m drive time
Departure conditions ~45F, garaged
Arrival conditions ~5F - overcast
Most of trip around ~20-25F, wind 18-22mph WNW.
Time at destination = 4hr
Starting SOC = 100%
Ending SOC = 37%
Driven mostly in AWD/Low (about 20 miles in Conserve/Low and similar in AWD/Med)
The Bad:
Not much bad to report, just 2 things that really bugged me:
1 - STOP TURNING MY RECIRC OFF. If I put it on it means I WANT IT ON. In the cold I can see this actually being a significant energy saver as long as you're avoiding humidity buildup since you're not heating frozen air so much.
2 - The windshield washer is useless at speed, it leaves an uncleaned spot right in the line of sight and higher. I suspect they did this so that it doesn't spray over the windscreen to the roof when stopped since it cleans properly when not moving, but it is annoying when actually driving through poor conditions.
On Driver+:
I tried D+ on this trip and it seemed to handle i70 reasonably well (and this is one of the most challenging interstate highways to deal with), lane centering feels much improved over the past and I didn't get any unexpected sudden actions or pingponging. Overall cruise performance was good, though I'm not a fan of it slowing through corners it does at least communicate what it's doing.
I did get one disengagement with a warning (I don't know if I was just entering an unmapped part or what happened) and at one point it looked like it was about to overshoot the lane shift in a construction zone so I turned it off. Clearer handoffs from disengagement or to take over if the system is unsure would be good.
On Cold performance:
Leaving from my garage I didn't have restricted performance except regen from the 100% charge - and I think the car does a good job letting you know this and what to expect. I never saw cold-restricted performance or warnings on the trip, despite letting the car sit outside for 4 hours after driving. I'd suspect this may not be an issue for most day trips, and really just an overnight issue.
On Snow performance:
While there's probably some merit to complaints about the tire performance or the vehicle handling in snow, I didn't notice much of an issue. You're absolutely going to suffer from the higher weight and the fact that the AT is decidedly not a snow tire, but it's not undriveable by any means and with proper adjustment can be plenty safe. I never noticed anything I would describe as a sudden loss of control, rather the front end washing out gradually on switchbacks if pushed too hard (I played around with it a bit), and balancing braking at less than full regen. I do think a reduced regen mode is still needed, as most drivers will probably be unable to accurately respond to a loss of control with the accelerator (In the interim - soft sand mode also enables lower regen but it's not much lower.)
My worst conditions were up and down a relatively steep grade on packed and flaky compressed snow at subfreezing temperature. On dry and wet surfaces I never felt like I didn't have adequate traction, even in this cold. My tires show a cold pressure of 42PSI at 10F ambient for what it's worth. Yes I know it's under the spec.
In short: The tires are driveable - snow tires are great but in almost all cases, reducing speed and increasing follow distance is an acceptable substitute. If this is inconvenient for you or you encounter a lot of ice in particular I would recommend a snow tire.
On Efficiency:
I'm rather impressed with the overall drive efficiency of the car given these conditions. High wind and cold temperatures are two of the biggest killers for range, yet my expected range based on what I drove is still 270 miles, about the same as the EPA estimate for this configuration. High altitude helps (although in this case I'm sure the wind took that away), and while my reported average speed was 45, that's mostly because of a couple slow sections getting through town, into the park, parking, etc. Most of the miles I have to drive are more equivalent to a state or interstate highway (60-80mph)
Final thoughts:
I think I was prepared for a lot worse based on reading other experiences in snow and cold. I'm quite impressed overall with the usable range and efficiency in what could be some of the worst conditions for driving EV. It's easy to pound out miles in this thing, the ride is good enough to deal with less than ideal roads, and driving the R1 in traffic is almost therapeutic given how smooth and easy it is and how much situational awareness you can get (combination of good overall visibility, sensors, and the ability to better see surroundings when operating with D+.) My other car is a manual turbo and while I sometimes miss that, it's an absolute chore in traffic and you get enough toys and configuration options in the R1 to 'scratch the itch to mess with something' every so often if you choose.
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WP this week must have been good.
