Quote:
Originally Posted by biker1
The required power goes as the cube of the velocity. You will require about 70% more power to drive at 20 mph than 24 mph. Reducing your speed will increase your range considerably.
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I understand that driving slower will increase my range - but it won't change it considerably - I gain another 5-7 miles range (I took a long drive and kept the cart below 20 just to test this out).
My cart is set to a max of 24mph, because the normal driving speed for nearly every cart out there is 22-24mph. I rarely pass anyone (unless they are driving at 18mph), and rarely get passed. I typically drive at 22-24. If I drove at 20, there would be a long line of carts behind me, and the extra 5-7 miles is not worth it since my battery is large enough to get me anywhere I need to go.
An interesting fact is that range increases as tire diameter gets smaller. This was tested and documented by Tesla. For each 1" reduction in tire diameter, electric vehicles gain about 2.5% in range. Standard tires on my cart were 225/55r14. I went with 205/45r12. Diameter difference is 4.5", so I gained ~11% range. The lower tires also allow my cart to get under every tunnel in The Villages (Note: Saddlebrook tunnel is by far the lowest tunnel).