Considering BE, a couple of questions.

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camaroguy

Active member
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Messages
36
Range: I read that its officially 87 miles, and that you can get 15% more ~95 miles off the "overcharge" mode.
1. My wife occasionally drives to her mom's house that is 70 miles away all freeway. Is the car going to make this trip in mildish Seattle winters? She will need to use some heat do to the baby in the back, and cant use ONLY the electic seats. Her folks will install a 240v outlet we could use a portable EVSE on for getting her home.
2. I read that there is some limitation on using the overcharge mode, as it will void the warranty at some point, does anyone know what those limitations are?
3. Will the car likely be able to make this trip over the course of a 3 year lease?

Navigation:
This isn't really make or break, but is there a standard navigation with this car? It looks like there is some form of it, but then an upgraded form with the multimedia package.

Regen behavior in slippery conditions:
If I am lightly on the brake pedal so it is only using regen to slow down, and the front wheels "lock up", is the car smart enough to stop the regen and modulate the friction brakes instead?
 
The car will definitely make the 70 mile trip, day after day. Use range charge mode as often as you like, (I've used it 50-60 times this year and my range keeps getting better! (I have 11k miles) Mercedes has no way of knowing how much you use it. If it is a leased car, enjoy your 3 years -- that battery will be fine. The regen is perfectly safe in snow/ice, and I use Nokian Tires in the winter (Hakkapeliitta R2 runflat) same Low Rolling Resistance as the Michelins at the recommended 44 psi. But last winter I used the all seasons and it was still good.
Thoughts:
Do they offer a 2-year lease? Maybe there will be other options by then. Maybe not.
Install a 50 Amp, 14-50R outlet at 240 volts (#6 gauge wires)
Buy a Jesla 10 kW charger www.quickchargepower.com best EVSE for B-Class (40 Amps), Made by Tesla.
Typical recharge time will be 2.5- 3.5 hours with 10kW/40 Amp charging
Pre-condition your car (program the departure time, cabin heating)
Keep speeds below 65 mph until you understand the car's range, ignore the range meter. It is 10-20 miles inaccurate until the remaining 10-20% of state of charge. You have to trust the miles driven divided by the percentage used. Then multiply by 100 or 112. The extended range charge is 112% charged. (Not actually 112% but 87.5% of 36 kW = 31.5 kW)
Garage the car -- starting out with a warm car/warm battery makes a HUGE difference.
Use as much cabin cooling as you like, no effect on range, the AC compressor can be on all the time summer or winter. The heating is what uses the most power. Don't go crazy with the settings. Wipers and headlights affect range -- as does rain & snow, creating more friction on the road. If you really wanted the extra margin of range the only other All-Electric choice is a Tesla. Too bad there are NO CHOICES in between 100 mile range EV cars and 200 mile range EV cars. Good luck and don't pay too much -- there are great deals out there!
 
Hmm. I won't have the option to park the car in the garage. I will have it on an EVSE, so I can pre-condition for the trip.

It sounds like we might not actually be able to make the 70 mile highway trip in Seattle winters if it happened to be raining and/or dark and we needed cabin heat. We do have another car, but my wife doesn't like to drive it. This would limit her ability to drive down to her mom's place while I was working.

Thanks for the info, it is always better to be informed than and have a harder decision to make than not being informed :)
 
Is there elevation during the trip?
I might be cautious if the trip is over Snoqualmie or Stevens Pass (I haven't tried that yet :) )

During current weather I am spending 44% of battery (regular charge) for 40 miles round trip (Woodinville - downtown Seattle)
Heater is set to 72F
 
There are some ups and downs, but no serious elevation changes like climbing stevens or Snoqualmie.
 
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