I just leased a 2012 Leaf. It came with only 57 miles on it so it's very new. The range we are getting is so bad that we don't think we can keep this car, and I'm wondering if I have a lemon battery or something. I've tested it all day and evening and am still freaked out.
Bottom line is that I've charged up 4 times in 2 days and "added" a total of about 250% of charge. I got that by adding up the difference from the charges that were made: First charge was 100%. Second was from 30 to 87%. Third was from 30 to 93%, and fourth was 30 to 60%.
My range of actual driving by the odometer during the use of those charges is 113 miles. There are currently also 34 miles left on the GoM, and that might actually be accurate since it consistently seems to tell me I'm going to go twice the distance of what I'm actually getting and there should be some padding when I get to "zero". In other words, I'd get to zero after 17 miles and might have another 17 miles in the battery not showing. I would hope.
So anyway that gives me 147 miles at best, for 250% of charge. That's a total range of 59 miles per 100% charge. I can't find anyone on any forum who is getting this bad of a range. I know I'm new to driving an EV, but I've really worked on the technique and it doesn't seem to change my range much. I've been driving around all day on the highway at 60mph and on regular roads going 30-40. We have a few hills here and there. Mostly it's fairly level. I've driven like a granny, taking way too long to get up to speed after a light, using momentum as best I can and seeing only 2 dots on the power meter as much as I can get away with. My Eco Indicator has been way up at 80-90% most of the time except for an incline. In other words, I'm driving so carefully that it's almost impossible to maintain. I've had the climate control on most of the time, because my wife will not tolerate a vehicle that is uncomfortable. We live in a basic middle of the road climate in Tennessee. The last two days have been 40-65 degrees.
If we watch the GoM, we are nervous wrecks, but my worries now are about the actual distance per charge up.
I am also disturbed by the fact that the GoM showed my range as 59 miles at 93% charged! I know its inaccurate but still... The fuel bars were up to only 10 too. Then I drove 22 miles in several different environments, but mostly quiet level country roads at 40mpg and 2 miles of interstate at 60mph.
I ended up with only 5 bars left after those 22 slow and steady miles. That seems to indicate that I get 44 total miles plus the invisible VLB miles (10-15?) after a 93% charge. Is this crazy bad? It seems so to me. They told us we'd have no problem with a rush hour commute of 26 miles each way and no possibility to charge up at work. We were supposed to have room to drop by the grocery on the way home. The one time my wife made the commute, she got home with just 2 bars left, in the red zone.
I cannot begin this EV journey with a full charge range of only 60 miles and lose efficiency from there. If we charge only to 80% and don't fall below 16%, as required to maintain a long battery life, we can only drive 40 miles a day, which is 12 miles shorter than the commute.
Thank you for any advice you can give me. I have tomorrow before my 3 days to return it are up. Unless I get some kind of statement that this is unusual and it needs to be fixed, I'm returning it.
Bottom line is that I've charged up 4 times in 2 days and "added" a total of about 250% of charge. I got that by adding up the difference from the charges that were made: First charge was 100%. Second was from 30 to 87%. Third was from 30 to 93%, and fourth was 30 to 60%.
My range of actual driving by the odometer during the use of those charges is 113 miles. There are currently also 34 miles left on the GoM, and that might actually be accurate since it consistently seems to tell me I'm going to go twice the distance of what I'm actually getting and there should be some padding when I get to "zero". In other words, I'd get to zero after 17 miles and might have another 17 miles in the battery not showing. I would hope.
So anyway that gives me 147 miles at best, for 250% of charge. That's a total range of 59 miles per 100% charge. I can't find anyone on any forum who is getting this bad of a range. I know I'm new to driving an EV, but I've really worked on the technique and it doesn't seem to change my range much. I've been driving around all day on the highway at 60mph and on regular roads going 30-40. We have a few hills here and there. Mostly it's fairly level. I've driven like a granny, taking way too long to get up to speed after a light, using momentum as best I can and seeing only 2 dots on the power meter as much as I can get away with. My Eco Indicator has been way up at 80-90% most of the time except for an incline. In other words, I'm driving so carefully that it's almost impossible to maintain. I've had the climate control on most of the time, because my wife will not tolerate a vehicle that is uncomfortable. We live in a basic middle of the road climate in Tennessee. The last two days have been 40-65 degrees.
If we watch the GoM, we are nervous wrecks, but my worries now are about the actual distance per charge up.
I am also disturbed by the fact that the GoM showed my range as 59 miles at 93% charged! I know its inaccurate but still... The fuel bars were up to only 10 too. Then I drove 22 miles in several different environments, but mostly quiet level country roads at 40mpg and 2 miles of interstate at 60mph.
I ended up with only 5 bars left after those 22 slow and steady miles. That seems to indicate that I get 44 total miles plus the invisible VLB miles (10-15?) after a 93% charge. Is this crazy bad? It seems so to me. They told us we'd have no problem with a rush hour commute of 26 miles each way and no possibility to charge up at work. We were supposed to have room to drop by the grocery on the way home. The one time my wife made the commute, she got home with just 2 bars left, in the red zone.
I cannot begin this EV journey with a full charge range of only 60 miles and lose efficiency from there. If we charge only to 80% and don't fall below 16%, as required to maintain a long battery life, we can only drive 40 miles a day, which is 12 miles shorter than the commute.
Thank you for any advice you can give me. I have tomorrow before my 3 days to return it are up. Unless I get some kind of statement that this is unusual and it needs to be fixed, I'm returning it.
