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      07-24-2017, 10:50 AM   #1
mullini
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"Remora" driving

Had my i3 just over a month and by now accustomed to the upside-down world of the i3 vs ICE vehicles - specifically, in the i3 in stop-and-go traffic you barely sap your battery and can even extend your range, but zooming on the open freeway at high speed really drains it. Especially with the AC on.

So one day when I was on the freeway and in no special hurry, I decided to get behind a big shark of a semi and ride in its draft, like a remora. Ka-ching! Not only did I not drain the battery, after a couple miles, my range started to climb up! In one long stretch, maybe 10 miles, it went from 80 miles range, as I recall, to 85. Of course I had to watch cars zoom by me while I gently sailed along in the mid-50s to low 60s. Still, it was kind of fun to watch my range creep up.

Sunday I was on the freeway again and wanted to do some "remora" driving but dang, when you want a big truck, there're none to be seen. Like cops! I tried drafting behind a really big Ram truck and a Benz "sprinter" van but it didn't produce the same result as a really big semi. Maybe because the Ram and Benz were going higher speeds, maybe because they just don't create enough draft, or a bit of both.

It made me curious about a long trip on a highway with a lot of truck travel, like i5 or 99 between LA and Northern California. Based on my experience, you could possibly get way beyond the estimated range of the i3, if you can stand the boredom of staying behind a semi and doing maybe 55 the whole way. Sammy Hagar wouldn't hack it, we know that.
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      07-30-2017, 04:41 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mullini View Post
Had my i3 just over a month and by now accustomed to the upside-down world of the i3 vs ICE vehicles - specifically, in the i3 in stop-and-go traffic you barely sap your battery and can even extend your range, but zooming on the open freeway at high speed really drains it. Especially with the AC on.

So one day when I was on the freeway and in no special hurry, I decided to get behind a big shark of a semi and ride in its draft, like a remora. Ka-ching! Not only did I not drain the battery, after a couple miles, my range started to climb up! In one long stretch, maybe 10 miles, it went from 80 miles range, as I recall, to 85. Of course I had to watch cars zoom by me while I gently sailed along in the mid-50s to low 60s. Still, it was kind of fun to watch my range creep up.

Sunday I was on the freeway again and wanted to do some "remora" driving but dang, when you want a big truck, there're none to be seen. Like cops! I tried drafting behind a really big Ram truck and a Benz "sprinter" van but it didn't produce the same result as a really big semi. Maybe because the Ram and Benz were going higher speeds, maybe because they just don't create enough draft, or a bit of both.

It made me curious about a long trip on a highway with a lot of truck travel, like i5 or 99 between LA and Northern California. Based on my experience, you could possibly get way beyond the estimated range of the i3, if you can stand the boredom of staying behind a semi and doing maybe 55 the whole way. Sammy Hagar wouldn't hack it, we know that.
Not worth the risk.

Just stay on the side roads.

You can lose your life doing that.

.
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      07-30-2017, 05:19 PM   #3
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Yabbut did the airbags go off?
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Previously: 2014 i8; 2013 650i convertible; 2013 650i Gran Coupe; 2013 X1; 2010 550i GT; 2010 535 GT; 2010 Z4 3.5; 2008 535ixt; 2007 M6 convertible; 2006 650i convertible; 1996 Z3; 1980 633CSi; 1978 630CS; 1972 3.0CS; 1971 Bavaria. (1971; 1979-2005 & 2017 - ? -- the Mercedes years.)
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      07-30-2017, 05:23 PM   #4
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Yabbut did the airbags go off?
Like it would really matter.

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      07-31-2017, 11:14 AM   #5
mullini
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But I have Assisted Braking or whatever that thing is called! J/K. I mean I do have that, but I'm not sure how well it works and I don't want to test it. After about 6 weeks of ownership, it has only "beeped" a warning to me once, and I didn't even think I was all that close to the car ahead of me. I think I was going around a car suddenly deciding to make an awkward left. Once or twice I've been a few inches away from another vehicle and no beep. Any one else with the assisted braking who has had it actually prevent a collision?

Anyway, on the safety of drafting vs. any benefit: I did a little online research - and everything online is true, right? Again, j/k. But apparently Myth Busters did a segment on this. One of their findings:

"* In scaled wind-tunnel tests, driving 100 feet behind a semi at 55 mph will reduce drag on your car by 40%. The drag reduction increases as you approach the bumper of the truck until you get a 93% drag reduction at a distance of 2 feet."

And yeah, you probably need at least 100 feet and probably more to stop safely if the truck just suddenly came to a complete stop. Is it worth the risk? I think if you're driving with your full attention on the road, the answer can be yes, and it is for me. But others' mileage may vary.

However, lately I seem to be on the freeway when the trucks are elsewhere. Sharks hate remoras! This morning I tried to draft behind an out-of-service city bus but that mofo was barreling down the HOV lane at around 70 and I decided not to risk it. What I want is a nice, steady semi going 55 or so. Yeah, it's slow. But I get to my destination just a minute or two later and with a lot more juice left in the battery. Which feels like penny-pinching, but I just like the challenge of getting as much out of the battery as possible. I'll probably get over that in a few more weeks of ownership...
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