I've had mine for 6 weeks now and put 392 miles on it. I'm seeing a little bit of expansion in capacity, and hence range, during the initial 500-mile break-in period on the NiMH battery pack, likely about 10% over the first 500 miles. Based on my early experience thus far, I would estimate the bike's range to be (after the initial 500-mile break-in period on the battery pack), at the following average cruising speeds, depending on how aggressively or gently you ride (i.e. hard or gentle acceleration, coasting or lack thereof, gunning it all the way up to stop lights and then doing hard regen, etc.):
45-50 miles @ 40 mph 40-45 miles @ 45 mph 35-40 miles @ 50 mph I'm guessing that at the controller-limited top speed of 62 mph, the range would probably be around 24-28 miles. My riding varies between cruising speeds of 35mph and 55mph; I am actually up at 55mph quite a bit for long stretches, but I would estimate that my average cruising speed is probably right in the middle of that range at around 45mph. I am also doing a fair amount of riding with my wife on the back, which is also an important factor in determining the range. An additional relevant point is that all of my riding is on flat ground, no hills here in South Florida. I would think steep hills (like in San Francisco) would subtract somewhat from those range estimates I gave above. I started out getting a range of 38 miles per charge over the first 200 or so miles. I am now seeing a range of 41 miles per charge. By the time I complete the initial 500-mile break-in on the NiMH battery pack, I would expect this might expand slightly to around a 42-mile range or so (@ 45 mph). Up to this point, all of my riding has been, and continues to be, fairly aggressive with hard, fast accelerations, no coasting, gunning it all the way up to stoplights and then hitting the regen hard. At some point, if I ever transition to a more gentle, efficient, EV-style of riding, like how I drive my RAV4-EVs, then I would expect that my range might increase to 45-50 miles (at an average cruising speed of 45mph). But honestly speaking, now at almost 400 miles and not yet having mellowed out, I don't think I ever *will* mellow out and ride this thing EV style. I think I will always gun the thing and ride it hard and fast. I have spoken with two other RAV4-EV owners who have also bought Vectrix bikes about their experiences and they are telling me the same thing -- that this bike is not meant to be ridden "EV style" and that they will never ride this thing the way they drive their RAV4-EVs. I would also like to point out that we are in early-adopter territory here with a brand new Gen I vehicle, Version 1.0 release, so early buyers should be prepared accordingly to work through any possible infancy issues with the company, although I haven't experienced any such issues myself. BTW, FWIW, I agree with you that the company should be more forthcoming in publishing more realistic range estimates based on real-world speeds that people will actually be riding the bike. Charles Whalen Delray Beach, FL On Monday, August 20, 2007 11:14 AM, Ken Olum wrote: > Vectrix claims 68 mile range, but reading the spec sheet > (http://www.vectrix.com/Portal/1/Language/47/Page/16/Vectrix_Specs.aspx) > reveals that this is at 25mph. I'd say my lead-acid Force has a > realistic range of 35 miles for everyday use, but I'm sure I could > drive well over 68 miles at a steady speed of 25mph. So what's the > realistic range of a Vectrix? > > I don't think they are doing anyone a favor by trying to sell vehicles > based on a range you won't really be able to get. > > Ken Olum _______________________________________________ Florida EAA mailing list [email protected] http://www.floridaeaa.org
