Tool for the third dimension - mapping route altitude

[mtb9153]

K.....where is it on mine. It's Gen 2 3.6.2...?

 

A bit warm today Eh? we high 91 in the bay area today

[Jus-A-CMax]

A bit warm today Eh? we high 91 in the bay area today

I work in the hottest place in the whole valley....and we're not talking chicks either.... ;)

[fbov]

I recently used the Google Earth "Path" feature to get elevation information on a bike route we travel occasionally.  ...

Glad to hear of more ways to the data, and I was going to say something about great mileage on the downhill side before I appreciated you do this on 2 wheels and >1HP... more power to you!

 

HAve fun,

Frank

[bigalpha]

You can get the elevation from the diagnostic mode through the MFT.

[fotomoto]

I plotted my daily route and the overall +/- is 23ft!!!! yet I can see an mpg difference of 5-15mpg (usually towards the latter) depending on the direction.  Why?  Wind.  Can be calm on the morning run yet 35-40mph in the afternoon. 

 

 

NOTE:  With a mac/safari, I have to use google's classic maps to see the appropriate "link" icon.  

Edited September 10, 2013 by fotomoto

[obob]

I plotted my daily route and the overall +/- is 23ft!!!! yet I can see an mpg difference of 5-15mpg (usually towards the latter) depending on the direction.  Why?  Wind.  Can be calm on the morning run yet 35-40mph in the afternoon. 

 

Perhaps temperature or use of air conditioner

[MadManMoon]

Great find, fbov!  What an awesome tool.  I may have to try different routes to work!  I like the route I take now, as it's mostly 30-40MPH zones with plenty of hills and stops to maximize regen and EV.

[grggwlkr]

A 35 to 40 mph head wind will DESTROY!! your mileage, especially at interstate speeds. It's right up there with wet roads.

[fotomoto]

Perhaps temperature or use of air conditioner

 

Yes those should always be considered as variables that effect mileage but nothing like:

 

A 35 to 40 mph head wind will DESTROY!! your mileage, especially at interstate speeds. It's right up there with wet roads.

 

YUP!  I've been driving this same route for the past five years in first a prius, then a volt, and now a cmax.  The effect has been the same on them all.  

[obob]

A 35 to 40 mph head wind will DESTROY!! your mileage, especially at interstate speeds. It's right up there with wet roads.

 

Now that I think about it, it makes sense.

 

So as I see it now, the wind resistance at 50 mph and a 40 mph head wind would be similar to a wind resistance at 90 mph with no head wind.

[grggwlkr]

COLD is the ultimate DESTROYER of mileage. You guys that purchased in the Spring and Summer are in for a very rude awakening, unless there is magic in the update.

[rtshinn]

Cold headwind uphill must be the worst. :)

[MtnMarty]

NOTE:  With a mac/safari, I have to use google's classic maps to see the appropriate "link" icon.  

 

 

How do I access classic maps? When I try to get the link, gps visualizer says not found. From within Google Earth, I don't see any other way to capture the url. Help!

[fotomoto]

Cold headwind uphill both ways must be the worst. :)

 

FTFY   :lol2:

 

How do I access classic maps? When I try to get the link, gps visualizer says not found. From within Google Earth, I don't see any other way to capture the url. Help!

 

On the new google maps page, look to the upper right corner for a gear looking icon.  Click that and select "classic maps".   The link icon is next to the printer.

[grggwlkr]

Cold headwind uphill must be the worst.  :)

+ in the rain.

[MtnMarty]

FTFY   :lol2:

 

 

On the new google maps page, look to the upper right corner for a gear looking icon.  Click that and select "classic maps".   The link icon is next to the printer.

 

Oh thanks foto.. I was using Google Earth instead of Google Maps. Now it works...and really cool.

Edited September 11, 2013 by MtnMarty

[MtnMarty]

It's no wonder i get better mileage NC to NJ than the other way around.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69025238@N02/9723980913/

Edited September 11, 2013 by MtnMarty

[HannahWCU]

It's no wonder i get better mileage NC to NJ than the other way around.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69025238@N02/9723980913/

That spike at the beginning, is that old fort?

[SnitGTS]

Wow, what a great find!  I always knew work was at a lower elevation than home but I had no idea it was almost a 400 foot difference!  I normally hit 80-85 mpg about the 10 mile mark, and then drop down to 70-75 over the last couple miles, that is perfectly explained here as well!  I have gotten my home mileage up to 45-50 depending on traffic and whatnot, I'm amazed I am getting that with the hills I have to climb!

 

Drive to work:

 

 

Drive home:

 

 

Just for fun, here is the hill by my house I used to go up and over everyday before I decided to drive around it, 150 feet up on one side and 175 feet up on the other.  I did make this trip to get a haircut up and over the hill and back during my 686 mile tank, short 4 mile round trip with a cold car I burned 0.25 gallons, which is way more than I burn driving 12.3 miles to work!

 

Edited September 18, 2013 by SnitGTS

[C-MaxSea]

Great post Snit, and yes the el diffs are so very significant (PE, KE, and all that rot).  Now don't get any ideas about filling up at a summit elevation somewhere and busting Jus's record mileage  :secret: .

 

Nick

[fbov]

 

Well, this route (Denver to St. Louis via Nebraska) is about a 1 mile drop over 1000 mile run, an average 0.1% grade. Purely from an energy standpoint... 1 mile or altitude is "worth" ~26 megajoules of energy @ 0.016MJ/meter. That's about what we get out of 2/3 gal. of gas at 30% efficiency to the wheels.

 

Altitude has an effect, but the problem is finding a 10 mile drop (1% grade for 1000 miles).

 

Conversely, good driving practice, terrain and managing parasitic losses over the 1000 miles is likely a stronger driver than net altitude change.

 

Have fun,

Frank

[ArizonaEnergi]

I was puzzled why my mileage making a trip from Tucson to Sun City West outside Phoenix was always better going than coming back, like 44.1 vs. 39.4.  When I eliminated wind as a major factor on this last trip, I decided to check the elevation using this nifty tool and found out it's a downhill trip going and, imagine this, uphill coming back!

 

Edited September 21, 2013 by ArizonaEnergi

[BobJustBob]

Wow, what a wonderful tool!

 

Off course, I knew that the reason my gas mileage on my commute home was so poor was because it is an uphill climb, but seeing it in graphical form really hit home.  It looks like I am climbing straight up a cliff!

[C-MaxSea]

Cheers to the Third Dimension!  Our C-Max loves hills!  (137 miles, 8000'+ el. diffs, 56 MPG)
 
Here is a trip that I tracked with the above links through to EveryTrail.com - pretty fun.  Ignore the photos (forgot the camera at home) and click on the profile icon in the lower right corner of the map image. 
 
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2326989
 
Thanks again for the links, Frank.
 
Nick

 

(PS  Profiles include mileage across the water, whereas, the odometer/trip, of course, does not.  Our side trips coincidently added up to the water crossing distances)
 

 
 

Edited September 22, 2013 by C-MaxSea