2013 Test Drive and Video Review - Nissan Leaf

[stlouisleaf]

Our impressions after the first 6 weeks ;-)

https://vimeo.com/77253557" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Nubo]

Nicely done! Obviously professional.

My only quibble would be the part about the car's solar panel which is really more of a cosmetic gimmick than a useful feature. But due to its prominence it's of course one of the first things people notice about the car.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Sorry, I can't watch a review in which every edit has an annoying "beep." Also, a better, more accurate estimate of the range would be 60-80 miles, with more possible under unusual conditions.

 

[Wennfred]

I must say Greg, this video was Awesome man!!! Thanks. Will pass it on to my friends.


Fred

 

[adric22]

Very well done.... My three nitpicks are as others have said..

• Really overstating the range. It would be very rare for somebody to get 100 miles in this car. 60-80 would be a better number
• Suggesting that the solar panel is going to recharge the car in some useful way.
• Claiming the Chevy Volt can only go 30 miles per charge. Seriously, he overstates the range of the Leaf and then understates the range of the Volt. The EPA on the Volt is 38 and most people get well above that in day to day driving.

 

[GoingForLeaf]

Excellent video.. Enjoyed a lot!!

 

[loomis2]

I was going to ask this question before and watching this video reminded me: Is it better range-wise to put the car in neutral when possible, or is it better to leave it in eco/b mode for the extra recharge?

 

[stlouisleaf]

Appreciate the comments, maybe a few tweaks / a re-edit. Want to be as accurate and helpful as possible ;-)

 

[Nubo]

I was going to ask this question before and watching this video reminded me: Is it better range-wise to put the car in neutral when possible, or is it better to leave it in eco/b mode for the extra recharge?

Depends on what you do with the pedal. You can find neutral, of course, at any time, by moving the pedal appropriately.

 

[ksnogas2112]

Pretty good overall Greg. Previous points are great. Not sure about the music choice for background.

 

[stlouisleaf]

The subject was brought up about "real world range" and that got me interested. The last two charges I have noted driving conditions and mileage per charge.

In the first case I did a mix of driving. Highway and local roads. Day and night. Temps ranged from 40 to 70. Heat on and no heat required. Some spirited driving and some conservative cruising. A true mix of conditions. Pulled into the garage with 63 miles spent and the range remaining at 19 miles. Given my experience thus far, the estimated range seems very accurate towards the end of a charge. Thus it looks like in mixed conditions my car has a range of aprox 82 miles.

The second test was all night driving with headlights on, often brights, temps at 40 so cabin heater on plus 2 seat heaters. Some local roads but mostly highway at speeds between 55-70. Upon returning home I had driven 60 miles and had an estimated remaining range of 13 miles. While perhaps no worst case scenario this trip wasn't far off and yet we still end with a total range of 73 miles.

What I don't have is a fresh "near optimal conditions" test but as i recall those days were yielding total ranges of low 90s and that was without babying the car at all.

Thus my actual range in real world conditions is 65-100 miles per full charge. Plenty for me, even living out in the Exurbs and driving into the city on a regular basis.

Love my Leaf ;-)

 

[Berlino]

Given my experience thus far, the estimated range seems very accurate towards the end of a charge. Thus it looks like in mixed conditions my car has a range of aprox 82 miles.

First of all, I enjoyed the video. Thanks for making it. When people are curious abot the LEAF, I will point them to it.

Towards the end of the charge, the estimated range seems very pessimistic. The LEAF Spy app provides a better idea of the actual energy left in the battery. Knowing how much juice is left, you can then estimate how far you can drive, based on whatever miles/kWh figure is realistic for the current conditions.

A few weeks ago, the last estimate was only five miles when the display shifted to only showing the blinking "---". However, I was able to drive for five miles and still had another seven miles before turtle, judging by LEAF Spy app's figures.

This is similar to fuel-tank meters in gas-powered cars. The needle is often set to show zero when there's still a gallon or two left in the tank.

(There are also other meters besides LEAF Spy app which connect to the car's ODBII port and provide similar useful information.)

 

[stlouisleaf]

Have seen the Leaf Spy app mentioned a few places, need to get me one of those. Can you share a link?

Thanks ;-)

 

[Berlino]

Have seen the Leaf Spy app mentioned a few places, need to get me one of those. Can you share a link?

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=14285

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/index.php?title=Leaf_Battery_Application

If you don't have an Android phone, you can either purchase a cheap one and use it just for the LEAF (no activation required) or acquire one of the other LEAF meters discussed mostly in the CAN-BUS forum here.

 

[redLEAF]

Nice video Greg !

Covers all the main points and probably without knowing featured something unique on the '13 you are driving (in a semi-dark garage the charge port now has a light -- the '11 and '12 does not have this feature) as well as the now available OEM leather seats (much discussed already -- some have opted to get leather covered seats on their own on the earlier models).

Your video describes how we use our LEAF as well; its one of 4 cars spread between 3 drivers and works quite well in that regard. Most recently, needed to drop my son off at O'Hare Airport and the stop & go traffic although a pain to all of us the LEAF thrives on more so than the typical 65 to 70 non-stop with the heat on. Our miles/kWh range is starting to drop as always with the lower temps as I'm sure yours will as well --- not a big deal with the commute we have but something to be aware of ... assume that your area doesn't offer an incentive on the EVSE install? That and the extra IL EPA (10% of MSRP -- no leases though) up here in IL would be worth mentioning for those in surrounding states which reduces the cost even more (as long as IL doesn't run out of incentive funds ...)

 

[goaliepride]

Very good video, a pleasure to watch.

 

[GIBBER]

My only experience with Volt is the convos I have with two regulars I seem to run into at a frequented charging spot, they both state low 30's is average for them.

I have a 2013 SV with 3,600 miles and I consistenly get 100-108 miles to a full charge. The lower power motor and lighter curb weight must help that much vs 2011/2012 models. And no I don't creep along at 25 mph. I drive the speed limit (35-45 mph) 21 miles each way to work and back everyday. BTW the three times I have hyper-miled I beat 125 miles each time.

As far as the solar panel I think it's best use would have been to power an exhaust fan a'la Prius.

Very well done.... My three nitpicks are as others have said..

• Really overstating the range. It would be very rare for somebody to get 100 miles in this car. 60-80 would be a better number
• Suggesting that the solar panel is going to recharge the car in some useful way.
• Claiming the Chevy Volt can only go 30 miles per charge. Seriously, he overstates the range of the Leaf and then understates the range of the Volt. The EPA on the Volt is 38 and most people get well above that in day to day driving.

 

[UBUYGAS]

Hey Greg Nice Video!

With the SL you can pop the charge cover from the key fob

I posted your video in another forum I just joined: http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/thread/20/week-owner-creates-video-review" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sal

 

[goaliepride]

With the SL you can pop the charge cover from the key fob

true of the SV as well

 

[LeftieBiker]

I have a 2013 SV with 3,600 miles and I consistenly get 100-108 miles to a full charge. The lower power motor and lighter curb weight must help that much vs 2011/2012 models. And no I don't creep along at 25 mph. I drive the speed limit (35-45 mph) 21 miles each way to work and back everyday. BTW the three times I have hyper-miled I beat 125 miles each time.

It's unusual to have a commute with no highway speeds and no freeway (65MPH and up) speeds. Even our low energy path to work, along the river, has a stretch of 55+ highway, and a much longer 45MPH segment.