1200 Mile Trip in the 2018 LEAF

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SageBrush

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https://cleantechnica.com/2019/05/04/a-1200-mile-journey-testing-the-limits-of-the-2018-nissan-leaf/

Very balanced article. The writer is obviously an EV advocate and LEAF fan but she does not gloss over the limitations that come with tripping an EV without a TMS.
 
webeleafowners said:
So, how does he/she know what the charge rate is. We have a 2016. I haven’t seen a menu setting that allows me to see that. Is it something specific to the 2018 and newer vehicles?

Thanks.
I'm under the impression that the chargers show charging rates.
Alternatively it is trivial arithmetic to convert the percentage SoC change per time to kW
 
I have not studied the owner manual for 2018 or 2019, but Leaf Spy gives the charging rate. I would not drive locally, let alone on a longer trip, without it because I have needed it to clear charging communication errors which prevent charging on other stations. Very few of the public charging stations I have used in the Phoenix area show charge rate, but some show the total energy delivered during the charge cycle along with elapsed time.
 
SageBrush said:
webeleafowners said:
So, how does he/she know what the charge rate is. We have a 2016. I haven’t seen a menu setting that allows me to see that. Is it something specific to the 2018 and newer vehicles?

Thanks.
I'm under the impression that the chargers show charging rates.
Alternatively it is trivial arithmetic to convert the percentage SoC change per time to kW

Ahhh ok. I haven’t noticed that on our provincial chargers. Then again I’ve probably only used them a couple dozen times and never really looked to see what if any menu selections there are. All I have ever seen is the percentage of charge display. At 90 I leave. :).
 
The 2018 Leaf S shows the charging rate on the dash display while charging.

webeleafowners said:
So, how does he/she know what the charge rate is. We have a 2016. I haven’t seen a menu setting that allows me to see that. Is it something specific to the 2018 and newer vehicles?

Thanks.
 
"Very balanced article. The writer is obviously an EV advocate and LEAF fan but she does not gloss over the limitations that come with tripping an EV without a TMS.

The only issue here is that the situation that the author dwells on and makes the central thesis of the article (Slow than desired charging) is essentially limited to less than a thousand LEAFs in the US, and of that universe there is probably less than 10% that would ever be in this situation.

The other issue that I see is the obsessive dwelling on battery temperature on the 2018 cars. The arguments are based on assumptions from earlier versions of the LEAF regarding the 18s LEAF battery durability and its normal operating temperature. A quick scan of the owners manual would clear that up.

The real story is that long-distance travel for any BEV, TMS or non-TMS equipped, is still just like road trips from the 1950s and 60s. Road trips from that era and for modern BEVs is slow and full of surprises.

If you don't have the discipline and patience that is required for the pitfalls of this sort long distance travel in a BEV, then stop whining about it. This same story has been repeated ad nauseam by Tesla, BMW, Kia, Bolt owners since BEVs started their resurgence this decade. It's always the vehicles fault that the trip is a real pain.

Having poor judgement, being impatient and not taking responsibility for one's actions is not a vehicle defect.
 
nrvous said:
The 2018 Leaf S shows the charging rate on the dash display while charging.

webeleafowners said:
So, how does he/she know what the charge rate is. We have a 2016. I haven’t seen a menu setting that allows me to see that. Is it something specific to the 2018 and newer vehicles?

Thanks.

19LEAF-charging-57kW.jpg
 
OrientExpress said:
"Very balanced article. The writer is obviously an EV advocate and LEAF fan but she does not gloss over the limitations that come with tripping an EV without a TMS.

The only issue here is that the situation that the author dwells on and makes the central thesis of the article (Slow than desired charging) is essentially limited to less than a thousand LEAFs in the US, and of that universe there is probably less than 10% that would ever be in this situation.

The other issue that I see is the obsessive dwelling on battery temperature on the 2018 cars. The arguments are based on assumptions from earlier versions of the LEAF regarding the 18s LEAF battery durability and its normal operating temperature. A quick scan of the owners manual would clear that up.

The real story is that long-distance travel for any BEV, TMS or non-TMS equipped, is still just like road trips from the 1950s and 60s. Road trips from that era and for modern BEVs is slow and full of surprises.

If you don't have the discipline and patience that is required for the pitfalls of this sort long distance travel in a BEV, then stop whining about it. This same story has been repeated ad nauseam by Tesla, BMW, Kia, Bolt owners since BEVs started their resurgence this decade. It's always the vehicles fault that the trip is a real pain.

Having poor judgement, being impatient and not taking responsibility for one's actions is not a vehicle defect.

Our 2018 Leaf S is a perfect second car. The 2010 Honda Odyssey is for road trips.
 
OrientExpress said:
...
The real story is that long-distance travel for any BEV, TMS or non-TMS equipped, is still just like road trips from the 1950s and 60s. Road trips from that era and for modern BEVs is slow and full of surprises.

....

Speak for yourself. My road trips in a BEV have been less tiring and easier than those I used to take in ICE vehicles 6 years ago.
 
This is the story of a 1200 mile journey taken in what’s basically the wrong car for the job.

I'm about to take a 16 mile journey in what is probably the right car for the job. A 2014 LEAF.

First, from home to a seafood shop that has high quality fish and oysters.
Nest to a supermarket to buy salad fixings. And lemons.
Then to home to consume said fish and oysters with family and friends. With a nice salad, grilled veggies, and some sweet corn. Oh, and consume the lemons with the fish and oysters.

Sounds more fun that sitting in a car for hours and hours.
 
OrientExpress said:
nrvous said:
The 2018 Leaf S shows the charging rate on the dash display while charging.

webeleafowners said:
So, how does he/she know what the charge rate is. We have a 2016. I haven’t seen a menu setting that allows me to see that. Is it something specific to the 2018 and newer vehicles?

Thanks.

19LEAF-charging-57kW.jpg

Awww cmon. How cool is that. :)
 
Zythryn said:
My road trips in a BEV have been less tiring and easier than those I used to take in ICE vehicles 6 years ago.

Now here is a man that agrees with me 100%. He has the patience, knows the issues, and is chill with a BEV road trip anyway.
 
OrientExpress said:
Zythryn said:
My road trips in a BEV have been less tiring and easier than those I used to take in ICE vehicles 6 years ago.

Now here is a man that agrees with me 100%. He has the patience, knows the issues, and is chill with a BEV road trip anyway.

Did your notice the other vehicle besides his old Leaf? Surely his implication for taking a "BEV road trip" was NOT with a Leaf.
 
OrientExpress said:
Zythryn said:
My road trips in a BEV have been less tiring and easier than those I used to take in ICE vehicles 6 years ago.

Now here is a man that agrees with me 100%. He has the patience, knows the issues, and is chill with a BEV road trip anyway.

Not quite. Our trips were not slow, and had no car related surprises. Some BEVs require very little planning. If you had left it at the Leaf, I wouldn't have disagreed.
But when you painted ALL BEVs with such a broad brush, I had to take note.
 
lorenfb said:
OrientExpress said:
Zythryn said:
My road trips in a BEV have been less tiring and easier than those I used to take in ICE vehicles 6 years ago.

Now here is a man that agrees with me 100%. He has the patience, knows the issues, and is chill with a BEV road trip anyway.

Did your notice the other vehicle besides his old Leaf? Surely his implication for taking a "BEV road trip" was NOT with a Leaf.
OE sure walked into that one.
:lol: :lol:
 
Zythryn said:
But when you painted ALL BEVs with such a broad brush, I had to take note.

Yes, I did, because it’s the reality of the times. Of course, there is always a Tesla owner that will always object.

But it doesn’t change the fact that ALL BEVs including Tesla’s are marginal long distance personal transportation.

And that won’t change until a BEV can meet or beat the 80/400/30/30 rule.
 
OrientExpress said:
...The only issue here is that the situation that the author dwells on and makes the central thesis of the article (Slow than desired charging) is essentially limited to less than a thousand LEAFs in the US...

Rapidgate is simply inexcusable and confounding from the company that had the solid first-mover advantage and should have learned much about EVs and EV customers in general, and particularly from their own mistakes, which all centered around THE BATTERY!

I can't give them a pass because of the "small number" of affected vehicles. They would have sold a lot more if not for their mis-handling of battery issues for years. That the public was smart enough to avoid a problem car doesn't absolve Nissan of chronically ignoring the realities of EV driving in the United States.
 
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