|
|
Post by Cachexian (Gordon) on Nov 7, 2015 16:32:14 GMT 11
I once did that drive out of Woy Woy in a 1988 Toyota Corolla with only the "whiff of an oily rag" in the fuel tank. Talk about range anxiety! Putted into the shell service station at Berowra with MUCH relief.
Much less anxiety in the Leaf :-)
|
|
|
|
Post by Feng on Nov 7, 2015 18:54:44 GMT 11
Long time member markrmarkr will be joining us tomorrow as well.
|
|
|
|
Post by markrmarkr on Nov 8, 2015 16:24:46 GMT 11
|
|
|
|
Post by markrmarkr on Nov 8, 2015 16:27:00 GMT 11
I had a great time. Thanks for inviting me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Phoebe on Nov 8, 2015 21:25:43 GMT 11
Great photos! The only one I didn't recognise was the Black LEAF, which I guess is with Gordon? Wow, are they solar panels over that charging spot?
|
|
|
|
Post by Cachexian (Gordon) on Nov 8, 2015 23:15:33 GMT 11
Yes. That's me and my black Leaf.
It was nice to meet you Jim, Matt, Mark, Ayla and Jeff.
Sorry that I couldn't join you all for lunch this time.
Perhaps next time we meet Mark you'll have your car back.
|
|
|
|
Post by markrmarkr on Nov 9, 2015 12:11:07 GMT 11
I'm hoping mid December. Wont be happy if it goes into next year.
|
|
|
|
Post by EVangelist on Nov 9, 2015 16:14:05 GMT 11
Yes. Please expand on this. I've noticed it too but haven't actually done calculations to see how the GOM relates to actual km consumed on the odometer. In the early months of my Leaf ownership I logged some data on the GOM. See this thread. For the driving we do, the GOM overestimates actual distance travelled by about 25%. I basically now ignore the GOM and just go on bars of charge left. Although as a city runabout we never drive far enough in 1 day to really care how much range is left. The only decision we make is do we bother plugging in at the end of the day or leave it to the next day. |
|
|
|
Post by EVangelist on Nov 9, 2015 16:16:12 GMT 11
Great photos - sorry I missed the meet. I wasn't following this thread and only discovered now that the meet happened yesterday! Next time... |
|
|
|
Post by Feng on Nov 9, 2015 17:02:28 GMT 11
Great photos! The only one I didn't recognise was the Black LEAF, which I guess is with Gordon? Wow, are they solar panels over that charging spot? I didn't realise how enormous the solar array is until I was there. Take a look at the aerial view. 166kW! It was a great meet yesterday, nice to see some familiar faces and meet new ones. Maybe we'll do the same again next year. When we came back from lunch there was a Tesla Model S plugged in (but not charging, strangely). The owner must have thought it was weird to be surrounded by LEAFs! |
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 12, 2015 10:10:50 GMT 11
It was an interesting meet at Chatswood. I've attached a photo of the solar installation from a different angle to get a grasp of the total size. I actually thought I posted several days ago including this photo but I must have hit a wrong button (or not hit a right one). Good to sit and talk with the forum members and exchange info and chatter. Today I am off on my trip to Grenfell and return Wednesday (or whenever:-). Jim, should I start a separate thread for each 'journey' or change the name of this thread to be more inclusive? "Wandering Oz establishing charging places" or similar. I overnight tonight at Claremont Meadows at my daughter Rebecca's place catching up with family matters and getting a full charge for the uphill leg to Katoomba on Friday morning. I will be charging at Blue Mountains Solar as recommended by Phoebe or Kymberly (I can't remember which). When I rang Blue Mountain Solar to confirm my arrival Damian said "I've been expecting your call". This driving around and meeting like minded people is getting to be a lot of fun:-). Damian will be away but Ray will be looking after me. The last link in the chain to be put into place turned out to be very interesting. Many days ago I filled in an online form to contact the Bathurst City Council and I when I had no response by Monday (just gone) I sent an email to the tourist bureau. Yesterday, I got a phone call from Joel Little, who is the environment officer, and he apologised for the delay saying that he had been running around to find a way to accommodate my request! They decided on a power point at (near) the National Motor Racing Museum which is even a bit appropriate. But wait, there's more. He told me of the council's plans for EV's for their fleet, charging stations for Bathurst, etc etc, and I have to phone him as I approach so that he can meet with me when I plug in so we can have an extended chat. As I say, this project of mine is turning out to be both very interesting and personally, very rewarding. I will overnight at or near Bathurst. Saturday morning will get me to Woodstock Royal Hotel. When I phoned the hotel I said that I was calling in for lunch and could I plug in my EV while I was there. Sacchi (sp?) said "Sure mate, we'll find something for you". I think he didn't fully understand but I appreciated the reply. Saturday afternoon will find me in Grenfell. After a few days I will be heading back to Sydney. This is such a rewarding exercise that I would like to share the planning with other LEAF owners (forum members) if they are interested. That is I will post my next destination and while I am checking out possible charging places along the way, I will accept suggestions from you guys. What think ye? For instance, I will be leaving Sydney for my return to Queensland in a few weeks and I want to go via the New England Highway, stopping at Stockton on the way back. I need to sleep overnight (and charge) and I have a tent and sleeping bag on board. I am also happy to sleep in the car. I prefer not to spend on caravan parks for overnight but happy to contribute towards power for a daytime stop at a powered site. I am loving my LEAF and the planning and the touring and meeting lots of new peoples along the way. Chatswood Westfield Solar Array  |
|
|
|
Post by Feng on Nov 12, 2015 11:18:18 GMT 11
Still enjoying your updates Jeff. There's actually a LEAF owner in Bathurst who used to be on the forum but stevemars looks like he hasn't been on in a year and a half. I'm not sure if there's any way to get in touch with him, maybe Jim can help contact him via email? Not putting Jim in the spotlight, it was just an idea.
|
|
|
|
Post by Phoebe on Nov 12, 2015 11:53:42 GMT 11
Jeff, there is a LEAF in Tamworth which goes to Newcastle for service. I don't know if they are on the forum.
|
|
|
|
Post by jcan on Nov 12, 2015 20:01:58 GMT 11
If you need a top up to continue up to Katoomba feel free to call in at Wentworth Falls, I also have the 3.3kw charger. This of course goes for everyone  I travel a fair bit up and down between Parramatta area... an extra bit of charge between Penrith and Katoomba could be good.. |
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 16, 2015 9:54:00 GMT 11
Yes. Please expand on this. I've noticed it too but haven't actually done calculations to see how the GOM relates to actual km consumed on the odometer. In the early months of my Leaf ownership I logged some data on the GOM. See this thread. For the driving we do, the GOM overestimates actual distance travelled by about 25%. I basically now ignore the GOM and just go on bars of charge left. Although as a city runabout we never drive far enough in 1 day to really care how much range is left. The only decision we make is do we bother plugging in at the end of the day or leave it to the next day. Just a quick post on this. I will try to put together a technically detailed summary of my (short) experience with the GOM later and maybe post in a more appropriate thread. I drive/navigate in ECO mode and reset the ODO after a charge. My total range is ODO plus GOM and I monitor this regularly partly to make the trip more interesting (I'm a numbers guy:-). At the same time I compare the GOM to the sat/nav's display of distance to go (DTG). After an uphill climb I start to get some range anxiety (RA) stirred up as the DTG remains the same and the GOM plummets. After a bit of downhill and some steady driving, some sanity returns and life continues. By "doing the numbers" regularly I can determine how the GOM is getting out of wack and compensate for it to determine real range remaining. On some trips I set out with say 140 GOM (and zero ODO) and arrive with 90 GOM and 40 ODO. That is just a small(ish) error in the GOM (7%). But at other times I have set out with 160 GOM (zero ODO) and arrive with 20 GOM and 100 ODO (25%). I find that the lower the GOM at the beginning of the trip the less the error. I have read elsewhere that in drive (D) mode (not ECO) it is less inaccurate. As a programmer I have an irresistible urge to work out the algorithms (logic) behind the calculations. I am quite disappointed that it is so far out and always over optimistic. I am learning to live with it and by doing the numbers regularly I can minimise the RA. I will (can't resist) continue to learn as much as I can driving around. Please let me know your experiences and where is the best thread to continue this discussion. |
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 16, 2015 9:59:36 GMT 11
If you need a top up to continue up to Katoomba feel free to call in at Wentworth Falls, I also have the 3.3kw charger. This of course goes for everyone :) I travel a fair bit up and down between Parramatta area... an extra bit of charge between Penrith and Katoomba could be good.. Thanks. I will be leaving Grenfell Tuesday morning and leaving Bathurst Wednesday morning. That will put me in the Wentworth Falls area during the day Wednesday. I like to stop at different places (and meet different people) so a short(ish) stopover and top-up at your place would be a good plan for me. Please let me know if that suits you. Thanks, 0447 114 496 |
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 16, 2015 10:59:25 GMT 11
Manly to Grenfell: I set out on Thursday (12th) from Manly for the short(ish) 70kms to my daughter Rebecca's place at Claremont Meadows. I hadn't seen them for quite a while so it was good to stop overnight and also get a full "tank" for climb up to Katoomba. The Blue Mountains Solar company is headquartered in the old power station and was interesting to see the heavy lift gantry still in place although the generator(s) had long gone. They have a 10A EVSE mounted on the wall for their black LEAF with great looking signwriting. Damian was not there but Ray looked after me and I was there for six hours making sure I had a full head of steam up for the 100km run to Bathurst, expecting a fair bit of up and down along the way. I got away at 3pm, a tad late for catching up with Joel from the Bathurst Council. The run to Bathurst included some great scenery and also a massive rainstorm that caused a lot to pull over although I drove on at 70km/h which didn't hold anybody up too much:-). I phoned ahead to say I would be in just after 4:30pm and Joel Little was waiting for me at the National Motor Racing Museum as arranged. He showed me to the outdoor power point(s) on the wall of a pumping shed and after I plugged in we had a long talk about the Council's plans for their own future inclusion of at least some EVs. They also have plans in discussion for the installation of charging points. I enjoyed the 30 minutes or so and I was able to give him some insight from an owner's point of view. Joel did not want any publicity regarding other EVers at this time but I was welcome to call back any time on a "once off" arrangement. Here is a Spot link to the location and here's a photo.  Bathurst Mount Panorama Feng: Still enjoying your updates Jeff. There's actually a LEAF owner in Bathurst who used to be on the forum but stevemars looks like he hasn't been on in a year and a half. I'm not sure if there's any way to get in touch with him, maybe Jim can help contact him via email? Not putting Jim in the spotlight, it was just an idea.Joel knew of Steve and the LEAF at the Mars Petfood Factory and I will be contacting him today to try for a charge tomorrow afternoon/evening. I didn't think to take a photo of the Woodstock Royal Hotel where I did my "day charge" and had lunch. But I will call in on the way back as I have good memories of the 5 hours I spent hanging round the bar with the publican "Sudsy" and the locals who were all interested in the LEAF. My Spot device did its thing again recording the location. The afternoon drive brought me to my daughter Emily's place in Grenfell ( Spot link) which has claimed Henry Lawson as there own as he was born in a tent in the raging gold rush in the 1860s. Their annual festival is based around the great Aussie poet. I'll be here over the weekend and heading back to Sydney starting Tuesday. |
|
|
|
Post by Phoebe on Nov 16, 2015 11:06:27 GMT 11
Sounds like a great trip - enjoy!
|
|
|
|
Post by hieronymous on Nov 16, 2015 20:00:24 GMT 11
In the early months of my Leaf ownership I logged some data on the GOM. See this thread. For the driving we do, the GOM overestimates actual distance travelled by about 25%. I basically now ignore the GOM and just go on bars of charge left. Although as a city runabout we never drive far enough in 1 day to really care how much range is left. The only decision we make is do we bother plugging in at the end of the day or leave it to the next day. Just a quick post on this. I will try to put together a technically detailed summary of my (short) experience with the GOM later and maybe post in a more appropriate thread. I drive/navigate in ECO mode and reset the ODO after a charge. My total range is ODO plus GOM and I monitor this regularly partly to make the trip more interesting (I'm a numbers guy:-). At the same time I compare the GOM to the sat/nav's display of distance to go (DTG). After an uphill climb I start to get some range anxiety (RA) stirred up as the DTG remains the same and the GOM plummets. After a bit of downhill and some steady driving, some sanity returns and life continues. By "doing the numbers" regularly I can determine how the GOM is getting out of wack and compensate for it to determine real range remaining. On some trips I set out with say 140 GOM (and zero ODO) and arrive with 90 GOM and 40 ODO. That is just a small(ish) error in the GOM (7%). But at other times I have set out with 160 GOM (zero ODO) and arrive with 20 GOM and 100 ODO (25%). I find that the lower the GOM at the beginning of the trip the less the error. I have read elsewhere that in drive (D) mode (not ECO) it is less inaccurate. As a programmer I have an irresistible urge to work out the algorithms (logic) behind the calculations. I am quite disappointed that it is so far out and always over optimistic. I am learning to live with it and by doing the numbers regularly I can minimise the RA. I will (can't resist) continue to learn as much as I can driving around. Please let me know your experiences and where is the best thread to continue this discussion. Hi Jeff I have been enjoying the account of your travels! My take on the usefulness or otherwise of the GOM starts with observing that after a charge the GOM reading is derived from the actual average energy consumption from the previous driving. To my way of thinking, it isn't therefore valid to use this number as a basis for calculating current driving data as it has nothing to do with current driving or driving conditions. It should be ignored. When you DO start driving, the GOM drops the previous average and starts recalculating and then you begin to get a meaningful value. To start with, there can be quite a bit of variation as the distance covered is so small, and also there has been some energy overhead in getting the car going. This soon ceases to be significant, so what I would do in your situation is travel say 5km or 10km, and note the GOM reading at that point, not at the start. When you do your calculations the 5km (10km) would need to be subtracted from the Odo reading of course. It would interesting to see what range accuracy and consistency you get in your travels on this basis. I can only hazard a guess at the algorithm used for the GOM; it clearly isn't using an accruing average, nor an instantaneous (realtime) average. It seems to involve something like a rolling 1 minute average multiplied by KWh remaining, because it doesn't take long to react to a hill climb. Lots of owners have turned to Leaf Spy or similar to get a handle on battery KWh, and using that, range can be fairly easily and more accurately assessed. Either way, nothing beats getting really familiar with your Leaf as you are doing, and range anxiety does tend to fade away... |
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 21, 2015 16:27:26 GMT 11
In reply to hieronymous above (and others) I agree with the logic and will try the "wait 5 - 10 minutes into the trip" and report back.
Having said that, I have seen, occasionally, when I actually end up with the GOM estimate quite accurate. This is probably because this days driving was the same (similar) to the previous one. My main worry is that the programmers have it so wrong that it is unreliable and some (most) LEAF owners just don't believe it.
I will need lots (and lots) of trips to get a statistically valid conclusion. No two journeys are the same and not even nearly so.
Out of interest, my best rating was 12th and I have slipped back into the 20s.
|
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 21, 2015 17:11:58 GMT 11
I spent Monday (16th) on the Internet and the phone planning the trip back to Sydney. I wanted to be as different as I could to establish charging points or confirm existing ones that I have not used. Unlike the westward trip I planned to make this a one overnight stay, cutting out my daughter's place at Claremont Meadows. The new plan went like this. Leave early Tuesday morning (7am) pulling into Cowra Showground caravan parking area around 8am and taking on a full charge. It was only 60km so a 4 - 5 hour charge. Then the 22km to Woodstock pub where I could meet up with 'Sudsy' again and have a bite to eat while refilling the tank for the run into Bathurst Around 3pm I left for Bathurst but with a dilemma. I had been unable to contact stevemars by phone but definitely tied him down to working at the Mars Petfood Factory Bathurst. I wanted to try for a charge through Steve as he was a OzLEAF member and I had already "leaned on" the Bathurst council on my way west. In the interest of security I bit the bullet and phoned Joel Little, of the Bathurst Council, who looked after me so willingly a few days earlier. But he had said that it was a "once off" as they need to check safety and insurance protocols. It would have been nice if he had said "of course it's ok, help yourself" but he didn't. He did say that he would contact the museum and consult with his colleagues and get back to me. Meanwhile I was rocketing towards Bathurst (at 70 - 80 kph). Ok, suspense over, he got back withing half an hour and said "of course, help yourself". For the trip from Bathurst to Manly, 208kms, which I wanted to make without a night time stopover, I set off from Bathurst with a full tank for the hilly trip through Lithgow to Katoomba. My time plan was to finish the Bathurst charge by midnight, drive to Katoomba and find the Scenic World parking station at 2am. There was some range anxiety with "the voice" advising from time to time that "you may not have sufficient battery remaining to reach your destination". I worried up to the top of the current hill and watched the GOM creep back up as I went down the other side. I stayed at Scenic World till 9am including several long walks and a coffee and cake and then set off for Wentworth Falls to Jeff's (jcan's) place. We had a great chat including his wife and mother in law and I was even talked into bringing out the family album (laptop) to show pictures of the solar/battery arrangement "back on the farm". Jeff convinced me that I could pretty well get all the way to Manly on the downhill run so I didn't take any charge on board. I got to see, and experience, his OBD dongle and LEAFspy software so I will buy myself a present when I finally get back. To be sure, and to find the DC fast charger at Strathfield, I planned for that stop which was uneventful and got into Manly, as planned, late Wednesday afternoon. Sunday will see me heading back to Stockton. |
|
|
|
Post by lesmando24 on Nov 21, 2015 17:12:48 GMT 11
Generally for my LEAF, the D estimate is what I get when I use Eco mode. I can't get the D estimate using D. I think it is a GOM issue caused by the last part of my daily trip, which is all downhill and then flat 50 zones for approximately 2 km. Also I have to run the car right down to the last bar to get it ( and the 10km on the GOM for ages).
|
|
|
|
Post by Phoebe on Nov 21, 2015 17:49:07 GMT 11
I worried up to the top of the current hill and watched the GOM creep back up as I went down the other side. Isn't it fun going down hill and watching the GOM creep back up again |
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 22, 2015 17:43:00 GMT 11
Generally for my LEAF, the D estimate is what I get when I use Eco mode. I can't get the D estimate using D. I think it is a GOM issue caused by the last part of my daily trip, which is all downhill and then flat 50 zones for approximately 2 km. Also I have to run the car right down to the last bar to get it ( and the 10km on the GOM for ages). Hmmm. Programmers hat on. The reality is that no two trips are ever the same. No two portions of a single trip are the same. Hills, speeds, aircon, etc. The G will always stand for "guess". For short trips, less than 50kms, it doesn't matter (too much). For longer trips (50 - 100km) it is better to have some indication than none at all. Here is my latest algorithm: Every minute take an average of the kWh per kilometer. That is, kWh used in the last minute divided by the klms traveled. Assuming this info is available from the vehicle somehow and with enough resolution. Something like .125kWh/klm. Then keep a "sliding window" of some number of such readings from today's trip or previous trip(s). It would be better to use some info from previous trip(s) than to start fresh each trip. Say 30 such readings representing the averages for the last 30 minutes traveled. So each minute a new average is added to the list and the oldest one is dropped off. Then the 30 are averaged and the new GOM calculated and displayed. The number 30 could be played with a bit. Too big and it looks like the 0.13 kWh/klm that I see unchanging on my dash. Or too small and it looks like the bar graph dancing around. Whatever, it will be a compromise and still will only be a "best guess".
At least with a GOM update each minute I could go into anxiety mode less often:-). As most hills have a down followed by an up (or vice versa) the GOM losing 20kms on a 30 second climb would either disappear or be severely lessened.
|
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 22, 2015 18:07:13 GMT 11
I left Manly this morning at 7am and was plugged in and charging at the Sun Valley Caravan Park at Shelly beach by 8.30. The cafe was open this time, so I was able to give them some business (big breakfast and Moccha coffee) as well as the token $3 for the power. After I had walked a fair section of the beach (very nice) and had a short kip in the driver's seat it was 1.30pm and fully charged (the LEAF and I) and ready to go. As I have a serious dose of the flu (coughing, sore throat, dripping nose, weak limbs, etc) I have decided to head, more or less, straight back to Queensland. I was contemplating the New England Highway to establish some more charging locations but I am not up to it (or at least, not up to the thought of it). So, here I am in Stockton having been made comfortable in the hall of the Stockton Historical Society (brother Bill is treasurer or something). I am trying to keep my germs away from Bill, his wife and others that can ill afford to be contaminated. The hall can provide my charging power as well as a shower, hot water for coffee, toilet, mattress on the floor, etc. In fact, the trip from Sydney to here was so straight forward that I consider this may be a good place for an overnight LEAF meeting. Sydneysiders, Novacastrians, et al. The hall is on the river, a short walk from the beach and shops and even the ferry to Newcastle CBD. The Shelly Beach caravan park would be able to cater for several LEAFs for the half way charge for those coming up from Sydney, one on the L2 charger and others on caravan power points. And the cafe can look after a group breakfast. From here on up I will be retracing the Southward trip.  Stock Historical Society Hall |
|
|
|
Post by Cachexian (Gordon) on Nov 22, 2015 19:36:34 GMT 11
Sorry to hear that you are unwell.
Hope you feel better soon.
It was nice to meet you. I've really enjoyed your posts about your trip so far. I look forward to hearing of more adventures in the future when you are better.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cachexian (Gordon) on Nov 22, 2015 19:37:58 GMT 11
Jeff,
Perhaps once you have your OBII adapter, you might be able to use the data to code your own new app with your new improved range algorithm.
I'd buy that app.
G
|
|
|
|
Post by hieronymous on Nov 22, 2015 20:52:12 GMT 11
Generally for my LEAF, the D estimate is what I get when I use Eco mode. I can't get the D estimate using D. I think it is a GOM issue caused by the last part of my daily trip, which is all downhill and then flat 50 zones for approximately 2 km. Also I have to run the car right down to the last bar to get it ( and the 10km on the GOM for ages). Hmmm. Programmers hat on. The reality is that no two trips are ever the same. No two portions of a single trip are the same. Hills, speeds, aircon, etc. The G will always stand for "guess". For short trips, less than 50kms, it doesn't matter (too much). For longer trips (50 - 100km) it is better to have some indication than none at all. Here is my latest algorithm: Every minute take an average of the kWh per kilometer. That is, kWh used in the last minute divided by the klms traveled. Assuming this info is available from the vehicle somehow and with enough resolution. Something like .125kWh/klm. Then keep a "sliding window" of some number of such readings from today's trip or previous trip(s). It would be better to use some info from previous trip(s) than to start fresh each trip. Say 30 such readings representing the averages for the last 30 minutes traveled. So each minute a new average is added to the list and the oldest one is dropped off. Then the 30 are averaged and the new GOM calculated and displayed. The number 30 could be played with a bit. Too big and it looks like the 0.13 kWh/klm that I see unchanging on my dash. Or too small and it looks like the bar graph dancing around. Whatever, it will be a compromise and still will only be a "best guess".
At least with a GOM update each minute I could go into anxiety mode less often:-). As most hills have a down followed by an up (or vice versa) the GOM losing 20kms on a 30 second climb would either disappear or be severely lessened.
Hi Jeff I like your algorithm - it would be very stable, maybe too stable (if that is possible) as it certainly would always react very slowly with a sample over thirty minutes, even with a few 30 second hills thrown in. However, it occurs to me that the more important factor always is the KWh remaining, and this is always declining unlike the average consumption value (except for regen on a significant downhill run). It corresponds to the traditional petrol gauge, which is all we have in an ICE car to keep an eye on range; we are just not used to a GOM display. The Leaf of course doesn't provide any KWh info, so it's no surprise so many owners feel more comfortable with Leaf Spy. An illustration: a couple of days ago with 16km on the GOM and 4.0 KWh on Leaf Spy, I went downhill from home (about 70m descent) to the beach road that runs flat and winding into the CBD - steady light traffic about 45-50 and heaven for fuel economy. After about 1 km I was at LBW so I zeroed the trip and kept going. The GOM VERY slowly moved down to 9 km (down 7), but my trip showed 24 km when VLBW arrived and GOM went to the dashed line. So from 3.8 KWh to 1.9 KWh an average of over 12 km/KWh. I headed for the charge point at home and ended up at 1.2 KWh left, 30 km on the trip. My Leaf Spy info tells me that 0.5 KWh is the usable bottom of the battery, 0.4 KWh is turtle time, and 0.3 KWh is dead on the road. In all of this the GOM was completely unhelpful, whereas the steady KWh feedback was just what was needed to not get worried about range. If you acquire Leaf Spy I am sure you will cease to even monitor the GOM except for interest, and trust your KWh display. You can set your estimate of range, the only limitation being your needing to make an educated projection of your average consumption for the whole trip, though it is easily adjustable on-the-fly. The GOM is well-intentioned, but your algorithm is what is needed to turn it into a useful tool. |
|
|
|
Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 25, 2015 10:20:57 GMT 11
I am booked into the NRMA Darlington Beach resort 30km North of Coffs Harbour. Wonderful. Great. Best ever. And more. And more later when I get round to it in chronological order. On Monday morning I tidied up from Stockton Historical Society Hall and after saying my goodbyes I left at 7.15am with a full tank and drove the 45km to the Motorhome Caravan Park at the old 12 Mile Creek fish farm site. As on the southbound trip I was made most welcome with a $5 charge for the 4 hour stay. This charging place is already on the Plugshare site. The BP at Coolongolook once more supplied me with a 4 hour charge. $5 donation was accepted. Once again I enjoyed the stay at the Johns River Tavern (Blacksmiths Inn). Tony most friendly and locals are characters. Took two on a demo drive. No problem camping in the car overnight. On to South Kempsey Park for a long day charge. I got the key to the power box from the info bureau (thanks Angela) which opened at 9am. A bus load of oldies stopped under the same shelter for a cuppa (and a stretch) and I ended up giving an impromptu speech about he goods and bads of electric cars. It opened a lot of eyes. Most only drive within their local town and no longer take on long drives. I stayed overnight at my daughters place at Urunga and again we all enjoyed the "forced" long visit (usually I drop in for a coffee and press on). Urunga to New Italy got a rework as I wanted to avoid the long day charge that I had at Grafton (southbound) more or less in the centre of town. The solar power company was friendly and very helpful but he was a working man and was away most of the day. So I replanned with a shorter stop at the NRMA Darlington Beach Resort and a second stop at Maclean. The NRMA Darlington Beach Resort is an eye opener. I have seen these places before but I wasn't ready for it. The contact by email and phone was very friendly and I was more or less expected when I arrived at reception at 8.30 this morning. I was booked into a powered site for the day, given a gate number, and a WiFi number and followed the map to the site. They had not had an EV request for a charge only but said now they were aware they would support it all the way. The facilities are endless and it will be very easy and fun to fill in the time here. I have had my first coffee, caught up on email and the forum and now I can have a good look around. |
|
|
|
Post by Feng on Nov 25, 2015 10:40:51 GMT 11
Hope you're feeling better from the flu. Do you think you'll be attempting this trip again in future?
|
|
I travel a fair bit up and down between Parramatta area... an extra bit of charge between Penrith and Katoomba could be good..
