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2014 ELR Loss of EV range

3K views 25 replies 9 participants last post by  hellsop 
#1 ·
So I loved my Chevy Volt and gave it to my son and bought a 2014 Cadillac ELR. My Chevy volt charged to 35 miles EV every day with no problems. My 2014 Cadillac charges to max of 29 miles EV and blows the breaker once in a while when charging. Is it a bad EV battery or has anyone heard of anything that can cause loss of range and the breaker issue?
 
#2 ·
I am reading that winter and summer range can range from 30 miles winter EV to 40 miles in the summer also. We don’t get very cold in our area of California. We get into 38 degrees to 45 degrees in the morning right now. Is it possible to drop my Cadillac ELR range to 29 miles at full charge due to that it is winter?
 
#3 ·
Is it possible to drop my Cadillac ELR range to 29 miles at full charge due to that it is winter?
Depends on how much heat you use, tires, tire pressure, wind, road conditions, driving style, speed, terrain, storage conditions of vehicle, and phase of the moon. Generally I would think Yes.

One thing I noticed is that If you store your car outside all night at 38 degrees, that will reduce the range when compared to a nice 55 degree garage. It is really remarkable what a 20 degree difference in battery temp will cost in terms of range (due to limited chemical reaction and the need to heat the battery). Using HVAC only makes it worse.
 
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#4 ·
My 2014 Cadillac charges to max of 29 miles EV and blows the breaker once in a while when charging. Is it a bad EV battery or has anyone heard of anything that can cause loss of range and the breaker issue?
Are you using the same EVSE of the ELR as you did on the Volt?
 
#6 ·
Had a rear inner brake pad friction material separate and the caliper piston advanced to the backing plate and grind away. The issue was a caliper pin was stuck causing constant pad contact eventually resulting in failure. After repairs, range is increasing. Have your brakes serviced. High resistance will trip a breaker. Clean the contacts of your EVSE plug and socket.
 
#9 ·
I just took my 2014 Cadillac ELR into our local dealership. The Forman himself checked my car and said everything is working as designed. It is still cold where we are 44 degrees so it is normal to have only 29 miles EV range during cold weather. This charging to a full charge over night car has not moved yet EV full charge reading 29 miles EV range. Hopefully that goes up once the weather warms up. My 2013 Chevy volt charged over night to 35 mile EV range every night. Has me wondering why my ELR with basically the same system can’t do that.
 
#10 ·
The title of your post may be "Winter time EV mileage" but you haven’t mentioned any mileage numbers at all, just ev range estimates. Don’t you normally drive far enough during the day (i.e., ~25-30 miles) to determine if the full charge ev range estimate is accurate? How much ev fuel are you using to drive those 29 estimated ev miles? What’s the kWh used you get from a full charge?

If you are getting 3.2 miles/kWh, for example, then ~29 ev miles is what you should get from ~9.0 kWh Used from a full charge if 9.0 kWh is what your ELR is giving you for a full charge now. Is the ev mileage for some reason very low for the usable kWh you get from a full charge (perhaps a mechanical problem such as sticking brakes)? Are you using electric heat excessively as you drive? Or is the kWh Used for a full charge (and thus the ev range estimate) merely reflecting a loss of battery capacity over the years?
 
#22 ·
We got enough people beefing about Fuel Maintenance Mode with a 35-mile range car. Much more than 50 miles of range and it's starting to really be not worth the bother of keeping a range extender around at all. The more the range you have that meets your needs, the less need you have to extend it....
 
#24 ·
Agree, in the case of the dino juice burning contraption we're all familiar with...but what if that range extender were a fuel cell, or a squirrel cage, or a tiny fusion reactor? But lo, the argument may be moot when better batteries are developed.
 
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