Ebay 2013 SV 147 Miles...ends in 3 hours...

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You need to use the SOC % display option rather than the GOM. This avoids those nerve-wracking jumps in estimated range and instead gives you something much more like a gas gauge in an ICE. I hope that you at least ran the ventilation blower!
 
You need to calculate that each percent of charge is about 1 mile of range. So if you are at 78% SOC. and you want to drive 20 miles, it will show SOC at about 58% when you get there... That is with no A/c or heat.. or defrost.
 
Yes, I did note that I was driving 1%/mi, but that's for speeds up to I'd say 50mph; faster than that and % goes down faster... after some time at 45mph with AC off the GOM and % started to match up. When I arrived I had 21% and 18mi left.
Looks like at constant speed the GOM gets pretty correct, but yes, I did have the % displayed and I was monitoring it closely.

I still have a about 12% difference between SOC% on LeafSpy (LS) and on car dash... LS SOC is 12% lower.
When I charged to 95%, LS indicated 83%

I guess I go down again to say 20% and do a 100% charge on L2

But besides the heat and being the slow driver on the road, I really enjoyed driving the car.

So far so good... now I want to go drive somewhere just to drive the car... I like not having the engine sound and no exhaust. ;)
 
The sooner you learn to ignore the GOM the sooner you will like the car better. It is really worse than useless.

AC shouldn't take too much power but as you noticed, the power usage will increase rapidly at highway speeds. If your car has the SOC% as an option for the dash display I'd just use that all the time. You'll quickly learn to be your own GOM based on the route you are traveling, the weather, AC usage, etc.

Welcome to the world of EV's ! Hope you enjoy the heck out of the car and that it serves you well for a long time.
 
@valem Congratulations on the EV! Yeah I think you will continue to love it. You are experiencing now the initial range anxiety but it will soon go away as you get a feel for what SOC it takes to get home. I live in a fairly small town and I pretty much know that I need 10% battery left to get home (live 6 hwy miles out of town). And even if I end up way on the wrong side of town, if I need to I can drive slow and still get home with that same 10%.

I agree the quiet is so nice. And I have also noticed now how you accustomed to not smelling gas. when I have to fill up the wife’s ICE, the petroleum smell seems so strong, I guess like it used to when I was a kid.

The only problem I’ve had with mine is the passenger side seat switch is bad and it there is no passenger there the red seat belt warning light stays on. Haven’t looked into if there’s a inexpensive fix for that.
 
...after some time at 45mph with AC off the GOM and % started to match up. When I arrived I had 21% and 18mi left.
Looks like at constant speed the GOM gets pretty correct, but yes, I did have the % displayed and I was monitoring it closely.

More like the GOM and SOC-based estimates converge as the end of a trip approaches. Leave it to Nissan to give you a range estimator that only becomes accurate when you no longer need it. HOWEVER, assuming this is an SV or SL (I've forgotten), there is a much more accurate range estimator available. Press the little blue-ish Energy button on the steering wheel, and the Nav display will show you a regional map with two concentric white circles overlaid on it. The large circle is the GOM range estimate, but the smaller circle is a more pessimistic, generally surprisingly accurate, second range estimate. Use that one.
 
Thanks for all the tips!! I really appreciate it :)

Now ... I have to go to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow (from Orlando) it's 214 miles ... I'm trying to talk myself out of it, but at the same time I want to do it. i know I shouldn't... first issue is the heat, it's still in the 90s ... and quick charge is my only option (to make in a day lol) , and that will definitely redline the battery if I do 2 quick charges back to back ...

Second issue is if the only quick changer available is out of service I'm in trouble...

I hate taking the truck, but the Leaf would probably be a BAD idea ...
 
Welcome to Leaf ownership. Take the truck--don't depend upon only one quick charger. I make it a habit to have at least 2 DCQC units that show as functional on Plug Share within range along my route, but I took a chance on only one tonight to meet someone for dinner. Communication errors between car and charger prevented charging so I had to find another station after dinner.

I am sure you had more range left that you thought because there is significant range still available after the first low battery warning (LBW). I usually get at least 7 miles after LBW before I get very low battery warning (VLBW) and then another 7 or so miles before the car shuts down. You may want to check tire pressure--tires last longer when inflated to at least 40 psi. I ran 44 psi in the OEM tires.
 
Another vote to take the truck.

When taking long trips beyond home charged range into areas with sparse charging, I always have not only Plan A, but a Plan B worked out. If you take the LEAF and the DCQC is down, busy, unreachable, or otherwise unavailable, what is your Plan B? And often I'll think about Plan C and sometimes even Plan D. I really want to avoid plan T, calling AAA for a tow.

Also, if pushing range on a leg, I'll often have a "bail out plan". There are charging stations and DCQQs I rarely go to, but are reliable. Before I pass the turn off for one of these, I check the charge level. Do I have more than enough to get to my planned stop? If I have enough charge to easily make my planned destination, I keep driving. If not, I bail. I've actually only taken a bail out plan once.

Where the EV is best is within easy range of home charging. I suggest staying close to home until you are more familiar with your new LEAF.
 
Thank you all for the great advice!

You're right, I was mostly concerned with overheating the battery not so much with all the contingency plans.
I would never make it if I end up having to use L2 ... or at least it would take all day.

I'm going with the good old fashion ICE truck...

Tires, yes I already inflated the tires to 42, they were in the low 30s

I have read up about all the range that is left even it's really low, however I would rather avoid draining the battery that much... obviously in an emergency it's better than a flat bed.
 
I have read up about all the range that is left even it's really low, however I would rather avoid draining the battery that much... obviously in an emergency it's better than a flat bed.

As long as you recharge back above 20-25% ASAP, and don't actually run the car to a dead stop or "Turtle" mode when it slows to a crawl (one or two miles below Very Low Battery Warning should be safe) no significant harm will be done by running it low to make it home or to a charging station.
 
LeftieBiker said:
You need to use the SOC % display option rather than the GOM.

I have a Leaf S (no Energy Screen option), and I use the SOC% plus the trip odometer. Let's say Google Maps says I need to go 60 miles; my SOC% is 80 and I just reset my trip odometer to zero. If I consume 1% per mile, I'd arrive with 20% SOC left.

I start my trip. After a while (say, 10 miles), I add the SOC% plus the Trip Odometer in my head: if SOC% is now 65 and trip odometer is 10, then 65+10 = 75. I now only have a buffer of 15, and not the 20 I started with. I would want to slow down 10 mph, then check again in 10 miles. If I still have a buffer of 15 after 10 more miles, then I might just hold the speed there, if I want to arrive with 15% left. If the buffer has gone up, I'd speed-up. This helps me "dial-in" what speed I can drive at, considering all the other factors: wind, outside temperature, heater use, snow, the ski box (or kayaks!) on the roof etc.

Watching the difference in rate-of-change between the odometer and the SOC% gives me an early warning if energy is being consumed faster than I expected.
 
If you really need to depend on single DCFC units, it can be good to have a "L2 plan." When I go visit family, I drive 73 miles from a DCFC in my metro area to a smaller town. I leave the car at an L2 (there are three in that town), then bicycle the rest of the way. If the car charges for 2.5 or 3 hours, then it has enough juice to get me back to the DCFC for a five-minute boost, and then home. It may be handy to have a bicycle in case you get stuck L2'ing somewhere. If you have to wait for 6 hours, you can decide to go to a movie, a park, a library, restaurant, or motel. I have a folding bike, which is easy to throw in the back.

In your situation, it's probably simplest to take the truck :)
 
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