Windy road trip 40MPH Headwinds

[SD39U]

I bought by 2024 Flash back in November of 2024, but today was the first time I took it on a longer road trip. I was heading from just west of Kansas City to Rogers, AR a distance of only 236 miles. My original plan was to stop in Joplin, MO and hit a Supercharger to top off the battery before making the final hour or so down to Rogers.

I charged my truck at home to full 100% capacity this morning. They already had the red flag warnings up for extreme winds from the south and they were gusting to 45-50MPH at times. So much for battery efficiency on this trip. I set the cruise at 72MPH and just battled the wind. I could tell that I wasn’t going to make Joplin, MO over 20% so I decided to hit the Tesla SuperCharger at Nevada, MO. First segment of the trip, 1.4mi/KWh. Took the battery from 54% to 80% adding 37 KWh and got back on the road.

Went ahead and hit the planned SuperCharger stop in Joplin, MO. This segment the winds were absolutely fierce and gusty. 1.2mi/KWh. Took the battery from 41% to 80% adding 55 KWh and made the final trek. Pulled into the SuperCharger about 3 miles from my destination to top things off. 1.4mi/KWh on that segment. 48% back up to 80% Adding 46 KWh.

No issues at any location getting charged, was even taking on energy at 180+ KWh for a few minutes at the stop in Nevada, MO. I honestly can‘t think of another time that I bucked a headwind that strong for that long. In my old Coyote V8 F-150 that would have been about a 10-12 MPG trip if I was lucky and would have burned a lot of dinosaur juice.

I hope the wind isn’t busting out of the north on the trip home, but I know where the chargers are now!

Sponsored

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Wind is such a pain. My first big road trip on a motorcycle had me heading into a cross wind. I ran out of gas about 3/4 of the way to my planned gas stop. I pushed about 5 miles and encountered a tow truck driver who was kind enough to give me a gallon of gas. It only got me another 10 miles before I was out again. I pushed another 10 miles before someone stopped and gave me a ride to the nearest gas station, waited for me to buy and fill a 3-gallon jerry can, and took me back.

 

[21st Century Truck]

I buckled a very strong steady headwind like that across Kansas heading West to Colorado in January 2024, in my old Mach E Mustang. Every vehicle was having visible trouble, double so for EVs like mine.

When such headwinds happen, there is nothing to do in any EV but to slow wayyy down. No shame in going slow, even down to 40 mph, if the alternative = running the traction battery dry miles short of the destination. With strong consistent headwinds, the range decrease / speed ratio seems algorithmic.

 

[RickLightning]

This thread is alarming. Owners that understand the impact of wind on efficiency? I must be in bizzaro world.

 

[Tony Burgh]

Traveling west on PA Turnpike yesterday into strong winds out of the west dropped normal 2 m/kwh to 1.4. (Slow down? Naaaa). On positive side, we were introduced to the Tesla chargers in New Stanton.
Usually, a charge up in Breezewood is adequate to get to Pittsburgh. Not yesterday.
Also saw one large box truck pushed sideways almost off the berm.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

With strong consistent headwinds, the range decrease / speed ratio seems algorithmic.

Yeah.

For a direct headwind, energy cost to go a distance is proportional to (vehicle speed + wind speed)^3. For a head-on crosswind, you also have the vehicle's side surface area replacing the front surface area and the coefficient of drag grows to be larger than 1.0 in the drag term of the energy equation.

 

[21st Century Truck]

Yeah.

For a direct headwind, energy cost to go a distance is proportional to (vehicle speed + wind speed)^3. For a head-on crosswind, you also have the vehicle's side surface area replacing the front surface area and the coefficient of drag grows to be larger than 1.0 in the drag term of the energy equation.

Yeah -- Physics is an Unforgiving B*tch

 

[peteratmsr]

And is there a noticeable benefit if you have a very strong tailwind? How much?

 

[B177y]

And is there a noticeable benefit if you have a very strong tailwind? How much?

Murphy's Law... There is no such thing as a tail wind.

Headwind, uphill, cold, both directions, always.

 

[The Weatherman]

And is there a noticeable benefit if you have a very strong tailwind? How much?

Tail winds while driving are kinda like tail winds when paddling, they never seem to appear.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

And is there a noticeable benefit if you have a very strong tailwind? How much?

It *should be* approximately (vehicle speed - wind speed)^3, but it never seems to work out as nicely. In part this is because the winds never behave as cleanly as we would like them to. And badly behaved winds usually work against efficiency instead of for efficiency.

 

[B177y]

It *should be* approximately (vehicle speed - wind speed)^3, but it never seems to work out as nicely. In part this is because the winds never behave as cleanly as we would like them to. And badly behaved winds usually work against efficiency instead of for efficiency.

Tailwind only happens in a lab, it doesn't exist in nature.

Sponsored