Two-phase study: V2V in-motion charging (Phase B) vs unassisted towing (Phase A). TrekDrive deferred to post-Broomfield. Depart 5:00 AM MST Saturday.
Never rename an OBDLink CSV. The filename stamp (CSVLog_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS) is the leg's only absolute time anchor — every row's wall-clock time is computed from it. Renaming breaks all timestamp correlations. iOS duplicate suffix (e.g., 3.csv) is harmless.
OBDLink and TrackLogger Pro do not start together — the 2026-07-05 pair showed TrackLogger leading by 9.6 s. Align on absolute wall-clock time, never on raw elapsed-seconds columns. Convert each file's start stamp to UTC, then merge. Recompute the offset each leg — never hard-code it.
Short pre-dawn run in cool desert air. Depart 5:00 AM MST — OAT will be the lowest of the day; best condition for clean Phase B baseline before heat builds. ProPower ON from the driveway.
Navajo plateau cruise — the cleanest steady-state V2V segment on the route. Long straight headings (~east on US-160), minimal grade, high-speed cruise. This is where the primary kWh/gal and fuel-rate-vs-output numbers come from.
Mesa country continuing east. Kayenta (~5,650 ft) to Cortez (~6,191 ft) — gradual elevation gain through Monument Valley area into Colorado. Heat builds through the morning.
Climbing into the San Juan Mountains. Terrain becomes rolling; Tow/Haul appropriate throughout. Phase B continues until the Pagosa Springs fuel stop — disconnect umbilical there and switch to Phase A.
Highest-value data on this leg. Maximum grade, maximum altitude, July heat — every enrichment channel will be pushed simultaneously. Drive at whatever speed thermal conditions allow. Do not hold 62 mph on the grade.
Reconnect NACS umbilical immediately after cresting. ProPower ON for the descent — engine braking via locked gears manages speed; no TrekDrive. IAT2 and ECT will fall visibly as engine load drops.
San Luis Valley — one of the flattest high-altitude stretches in the country. 7,500 ft elevation, typically cooler by late afternoon/evening. Excellent V2V data at altitude; useful altitude comparison against the Navajo plateau segments (5,500–6,000 ft).
Short, relaxed final approach. Phase B default throughout. Optional: switch to Phase A briefly at Kenosha Pass base for a second enrichment data point at lower altitude than Wolf Creek.
These are altitude-corrected estimates using confirmed ProPower delivery rate (5.34 kW to cells, measured), altitude-corrected HVAC rates, and 300W fridge load. Actual values depend on OAT, HVAC duty cycle, and real Phase B time. Use LightShip Atlas display to track real-time vs modeled SOC throughout the day.
| Segment | Phase | Hours | PP gain | House load | Net kWh | Running |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescott→Williams (1A) | B | 0.64 | +3.41 | −0.93 | +2.48 | +2.48 |
| Williams→Tuba City (1B) | B | 2.26 | +12.07 | −3.73 | +8.34 | +10.82 |
| Tuba City→Cortez (1C) | B | 2.33 | +12.45 | −4.06 | +8.39 | +19.21 |
| Cortez→Pagosa (1D) | B | 1.64 | +8.73 | −2.63 | +6.10 | +25.31 |
| Pagosa→Wolf Creek Summit (1E) | A | 0.71 | — | −0.57 | −0.57 | +24.74 |
| Summit→South Fork (1F) | B | 0.38 | +2.00 | −0.30 | +1.70 | +26.44 |
| South Fork→Salida (1G) | B | 1.90 | +10.12 | −2.09 | +8.03 | +34.47 |
| Day 1 total | 9.86 hr | +48.78 | −14.31 | +34.47 | +34.47 | |
Starting at 100% (77 kWh), Day 1 produces a modeled net gain of +34.5 kWh — well beyond the pack capacity. The BMS will reach 100% SOC somewhere on the Navajo plateau (estimated mid-segment 1B/1C) and taper or halt ProPower charging from there. Note the Atlas SOC readout and timestamp when it first reaches 100% — this is the actual Phase B useful charging window for the day.
Exact timestamps fill in from the OBDLink app at each log start. The phase (A or B) is recoverable from the CSV content (DC/AC output and fuel rate), but noting the phase and switch time in a voice memo at each transition makes post-processing cleaner.
The common advice "use Normal in headwinds" appears inverted — headwinds add load, which is exactly when Tow/Haul's longer gear-holding helps. Gear encoding confirmed: 128 = TCM neutral (0x80); 70 = auto start-stop / engine-off idle (verify further before treating as settled); 130 = transient neutral variant.
| Field | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Date · time · location | Voice memo | Include zone offset (MST/MDT/CDT) |
| Odometer | Truck display | Ground truth for distance |
| Gallons pumped | Pump receipt photo | Primary fuel calibration — more reliable than OBD trip fuel |
| Price / gallon | Pump receipt | For $/kWh delivered calculation |
| Phase active since last fill | Your notes | A or B (or split — note switch point) |
| LightShip SOC % | LightShip Atlas display | Primary battery tracking metric |
| OAT | OBDLink display or phone | Key for enrichment correlation |
Wind component = IAS (air data dial) − TrackLogger ground speed. Headwind positive, tailwind negative. At highway speed IAS ≈ TAS — no compressibility correction needed. Capture via iPhone 17 Pro Max Wind Log Siri shortcut while driving. Include readings as plain text alongside CSV upload in each evening's chat. Heading is derived automatically from TrackLogger GPS trace — no need to note compass direction separately.
Format: 14:32 MST — +8 mph headwind — entering canyon. Include local time + zone offset at every reading.
Cadence: every 15–20 min on consistent-heading segments · before and after heading changes · bracket Wolf Creek switchbacks, don't read during them. Best data will come east of Denver on the Broomfield→Oshkosh leg.
Extreme heat is forecast on the plains east of Denver. Review conditions at the factory meeting and consider early-morning departure, routing adjustments, or phased driving to avoid peak heat on the plains. Midwest heat + humidity will produce a different enrichment signature than Arizona dry heat — scientifically interesting, but thermal management takes priority.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open new chat for the leg (project is already active — no briefing paste needed in a project context) |
| 2 | Upload the leg's CSV + TrackLogger Pro file + wind readings as text |
| 3 | Analysis: Wolf Creek Phase A enrichment peaks first if applicable · Phase B V2V fuel rate vs 0.697–0.753 gal/hr baseline · Gear hunting · Wind correlation · Atlas house load calibration |
| 4 | Before closing: request updated briefing with that leg's key findings folded in |
| 5 | Save raw CSVs + TrackLogger files locally — these are the permanent record |
Synthesis chats at Broomfield, Oshkosh, and trip end: paste headline numbers from prior legs (not raw CSVs) for multi-leg composite analysis.