LEAF is just a car to me

I got my LEAF a week ago and I’ve been getting caught up in the discussion about proper battery management – 80%/90%/100% charge, trickle vs. L2, etc… Are there any LEAF drivers such as myself that really don’t want to deal with all these battery management guidelines?

Here’s my situation: I have a 24 mile (round trip) commute that I drive 5 days a week. My work garage has given me permission to charge in their building with my EVSE trickle charge so I’d be crazy not to take advantage of the free 10-hour charge per day during the week. That has been more than enough to keep me at 100% and some days I even skip the charge. On weekends I want a 100% charge as my wife and I prefer to share the LEAF for errands to save on the gas expense for our second car (an SUV). We have 3 kids so that means frequent small commutes to soccer, friends, groceries, etc… I don’t want to think about running out of juice so I keep it at 100% and charge it with the L2 between errands. Finally, I’m leasing and anticipate turning it in at the end of the lease period for multiple reasons (mainly to get a new EV with improved range and leather upholstery).

I know battery management is part of the appeal of the LEAF to a lot of people and if own, there is an incentive but it just doesn’t fit my lifestyle. To me this is a commuter/errand car that happens to get outstanding mileage not a piece of sophisticated technology that requires specific management practices to optimize its performance.

Will I notice any battery degradation in my 3rd year of my lease given daily trickle charges to 100%? We'll see. Are there others out there like me?

Yeah I'm pretty much doing the same. I have the same commute and charge 100% every night because sometimes I have to do 60 miles or so (I usually don't know until the day of), all highway, and don't want to have to worry about how fast I go or if I'll make it back if I have to take a detour.

After a brief bout of apoplexy, some minor seizures, and brief utterances of blasphemous intent at your subject header...
I tend to agree.
I'm going to charge it at will, and drive the crap out of it.

If I had leased the car I'd be doing the same. Having bought it, I'm charging to 80% 6 days a week, and 100% for Saturday. We sometimes plug it in mid-day or afternoon to add 10-20 miles if going out again.

I'm doing the 80/100 mix for battery life (80%) and in hopes of keeping keep the range-estimating software clued in (100%).

That said, after a week, it is just a car, a fun utility car in town.

Rake said:

I tend to agree.
I'm going to charge it at will, and drive the crap out of it.

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Me too.

You miles are so low, just charge to 80% when you can, its easy.

My miles will be low, and I plan to charge to 80% as EVDRIVER and DeaneG suggest. This is despite the fact that I plan to lease. I have two reasons for that:

1. I may want to buy at the end of the lease.
2. More important, I want to maximize that battery's life no matter who is using it. Why wouldn't I want to do my bit to help others preserve the planet?

So, no, I'm not going to be driving my LEAF hard. I'll be the gray-haired guy you see doing 60 behind a truck in the right lane.

Ray

I agree it is just a car but it is also an experiment for the mass EV market.
If we all drove and charged in the same style LEAF Generation II would simply be a reprint of what we have now.

I feel Turbo and Rake should drive the paint off. I really want to see the LEAF's breaking point. I'm leasing but am a conservative driver and won't ever push the limits.

As far as charging I charge L2 (its on the wall) for anicipated use. Granted I have had the car only one week, but I am rather lazy and will charge-er-up for the weekend and only charge a couple times during the work week to 80% and just see how long I can go. :ugeek:

planet4ever said:

My miles will be low, and I plan to charge to 80% as EVDRIVER and DeaneG suggest. This is despite the fact that I plan to lease. I have two reasons for that:

1. I may want to buy at the end of the lease.
2. More important, I want to maximize that battery's life no matter who is using it. Why wouldn't I want to do my bit to help others preserve the planet?

So, no, I'm not going to be driving my LEAF hard. I'll be the gray-haired guy you see doing 60 behind a truck in the right lane.

Ray

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I probably shouldn't mention that in addition to a 100% charge, I never drive in ECO mode, frequently speed, and sometimes drive with the A/C on AND the windows down.

I think it's great that this car allows people who are super eco a way to do their "bit to preserve the planet" but I feel that if EVs are ever going to have mass appeal, they need to be simple to operate for lazy people like me. So that is how I'm planning to use mine - charge and drive. I want to "save the planet" as long as it doesn't take too much effort. As stupid as it sounds, worrying about battery management is too much effort. Drive, baby, drive.

BC3 said:

I think it's great that this car allows people who are super eco a way to do their "bit to preserve the planet" but I feel that if EVs are ever going to have mass appeal, they need to be simple to operate for lazy people like me. So that is how I'm planning to use mine - charge and drive. I want to "save the planet" as long as it doesn't take too much effort. As stupid as it sounds, worrying about battery management is too much effort. Drive, baby, drive.

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Well said.

Carlos said:

...I feel Turbo and Rake should drive the paint off...

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Done and done!

+1 to Drive Baby Drive! I charge to 100% and we're on a lease. My wife says we are going to drive the car however we like. This way Nissan will get all the data they need for people like us. After all, who else would we be? I say just be yourself and drive how you NEED to drive, not how you think your supposed to drive.

For those of us who plan to own the car for the next 10 years, charging style may make a difference. However, at this point we don't have the data we need to make an informed decision about charging. We know that 80% charging is "long life mode", but don't know how much this will extend battery life. If it saves 10% of battery capacity over 8 years, it is worth it to me. If it saves 2%, why bother. Hopefully we will get more specific information from Nissan at some point in the future... but I doubt they will want to release information this specific.

Here in the Seattle area, we are blessed with boring weather, for the most part. Not too hot (for very long) or cold either. We might hit 100F for a few days at most in summer, and rarely dip into the single digits in winter.
There has also been alot of speculation on just how close to 100% you are really allowed to get by the BMS, and I think that Nissan has built alot of headroom into those figures. If they hadn't I dont think we would be seeing battery warranties that last for as long as they do. They dont want to replace any battery packs, any more than I do.
In this case I am far more prepared to "go for it", than if I was living in Red Bluff, or Fairbanks. My charging to 100% will have less impact IMO.
Maybe I'm totally off base with thinking this ... time will tell.

Thank you all for your feedback. I was starting to get anxiety/guilt over my driving/charging habits so it's comforting to know I'm not alone in just going for it and not worry about the potential early degradation to the battery. As Rake mentioned, too early to tell, not enough data, and hopefully Nissan has built in some headroom in figures. I'm going to drive/charge the way I feel best fits my lifestyle and hopefully that will provide Nissan some feedback on a segment of the market that just wants to drive, baby, drive.

Ironically, perhaps driving the LEAF like a "normal" car will do more to help save the planet than trying to milk the battery life. Maybe more ICE drivers will be inspired to convert to an EV car after seeing me zipping through traffic at top speed rather than hugging the right lane, tucked in behind a slow moving truck, fretting over how many circles are illuminated in my power meter.

It's an awesome car and I'm glad that it appeals to such a wide range of consumers.

I leased mine so, no, I really don't care...

BC3 said:

I got my LEAF a week ago and I’ve been getting caught up in the discussion about proper battery management – 80%/90%/100% charge, trickle vs. L2, etc… Are there any LEAF drivers such as myself that really don’t want to deal with all these battery management guidelines?

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BC3 said:

... I'm going to drive/charge the way I feel best fits my lifestyle...

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Exactly!
And to commemorate my new 100% carefree fast-charging-when-I-want lifestyle, I have changed my avatar

Dont forget, its not just your car, we all helped pay for it

In any case, this is why the battery capacity warranty (there is none) is the way it is, every owner will use it different and Nissan is planning for the worst case. This drives the large unused reserve in the Volt (35% vs 15% for the Leaf), driving up the added weight and cost... and that is why the Volt has a better battery warranty.

Herm said:

Dont forget, its not just your car, we all helped pay for it

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As of 2008, there are 216,885,347 taxpayers in the United States, so ..

35,000/216,885,347= 0.000016 cents per..
Where would you like me to forward your share?

#1 Rule; Free is EXACTLY my price range.

#2 Rule; charging to 100% is very unlikely to make a demonstrably significant difference in battery longevity, especially when your needs are so modest.

#3 rule; my commute is 18-21 miles. i am in the same boat. i only fully charge on days when SO drives (she has 60-67 mile RT and wont take Leaf unless its full despite always having 10-20 miles left when she gets home. this does not prevent her from taking side trips, giving rides to co-workers volunteering to drive for lunch, etc...)
i, like EVERYONE (with $4 gas, etc. its not advanced math to understand) uses the Leaf as much as possible and its always Saturday (our only day off together).

i, unlike everyone, used to charge to 100% but have learned car enough to be able to charge to 90+%, but kinda wondering if it makes a huge difference. in fact, a few times, the car was not fully charged, but still had all 10 white bars, so had to be close. but also found that i had a lot of opps to plug in during the day for a quick boost. granted, usually only an hour here and there, but sufficient enough to have done several 80+ mile days with no range issues.

#4 rule; employee perks have a tendency to come and go. as more and more EVs populate the road, that freebie plug may go away. you are in a situation that is better than solar...oh, did i mention, Free IS my price range?