To buy or not to buy.

I would love to buy my first Leaf but I want some advise first. My work is 55 miles away, I can trickle charge at work for eight hours before returning home. I want to buy a 2015 S (101/125) range with 10k miles. I have loaded the Leaf spy app and plan on test driving over night in cold temperatures (OH 20F) to get a feel for battery health and range. It seems most Leaf owners have a much shorter commute. Am I pushing the envelope too much ? I don't want to live with constant range anxiety but $9,500 for a well equipped car that doesn't require gas, is very enticing.
PLZ ADVISE.

Unless you have a level 2 charging station (240 volt) at work, you won't be able to do it. The level 1 unit that comes with the Leaf can't provide enough juice to charge the battery in 8 hours. Even with a new Leaf that has the 30kwh battery, the distance will be difficult, especially if a large amount of it is freeway travel.

A 30kwh Leaf SV or SL (because of the heatpump) would have no trouble with that commute if recharged with L-1 at work. Any other configuration would be problematic.

TU. I was just thinking after reading a great buyers guide article on the forum, "I need a heat pump, I can't buy the S." Thanks for responding.

L1 will add about 32 miles over an eight hour shift. Should be doable.

GoGreen13 said:

... I have loaded the Leaf spy app and plan on test driving over night in cold temperatures (OH 20F) to get a feel for battery health and range. It seems most Leaf owners have a much shorter commute. Am I pushing the envelope too much ? ...
PLZ ADVISE.

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Range is most affected by a combo of BOTH temps and speed on your commute -- my 40 mile R/T commute (on mostly HWY between 65 and 70 MPH) was simply too much for a '12 SL that was down 1+ battery bar; until I bought something to replace it, I was hitting the low battery warnings even on a bit warmer days (at or above freezing temps) than you've mentioned. I was able to charge it a few times on a free L2 nearby work (charger was quite popular and not always available) but you're talking about a 110 R/T commute so no way would a diminished capacity LEAF make it (BTW, that's a really long commute!).

Sounds like you'll be trying it overnight so see what results you get --- it will also help if you can pre-heat the car while it's plugged in so as not to reduce the range. I was able to to try my replacement for my '12 for 5 days (a '15 VW e-Golf) and it performed quite well in daytime temps in the single digits to teens still showing ~ 30 miles range when arriving home on the coldest days, more moderate days mid 40 miles left; of course my commute is much shorter than yours.

People need to stop expecting electric cars to do long distance driving... I don't care how you slice it, a 55 mile one way (110+ mile round trip) is long distance in anybody's book... electric/ gas. Add cold weather, a/c, heat, and lead foot... and it wont work... Also, It may work TODAY, (occasional trip, not daily), but over time, the car will not support the continued abuse of that trip with a slowly weakening battery.

Original poster.. buy a Prius...

No, and at freeway speeds, h-e-double-hockey-sticks no! Buy a plug in hybrid or hybrid, or Chevrolet Bolt is an option (not cheap though).

Check Plugshare for possible Level 2 stations near your work. A level 2 charge would make this more viable.

For your test drive, check plugshare for charging options along the way in case it does not make the trip with just charging at both ends. My 54 mile RT commute takes 2/3 to 3/4 of my charge so I only need to charge at one end or the other. The Leaf is a very cheap to operate commuter car but it only goes so far on a charge.

Good luck with your test drive.

GoGreen13 said:

I would love to buy my first Leaf but I want some advise first. My work is 55 miles away, I can trickle charge at work for eight hours before returning home. I want to buy a 2015 S (101/125) range with 10k miles. I have loaded the Leaf spy app and plan on test driving over night in cold temperatures (OH 20F) to get a feel for battery health and range. It seems most Leaf owners have a much shorter commute. Am I pushing the envelope too much ? I don't want to live with constant range anxiety but $9,500 for a well equipped car that doesn't require gas, is very enticing.
PLZ ADVISE.

Click to expand...

What speed is your commute? Speed has a significant effect on range. You will find http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=4295 a very useful reference, particularly the following

TonyWilliams said:

Addendum: For the 30kWh LEAF, and assuming a warm battery (over 70F/20C temperature) and level roads with zero cabin heater use, no headwinds:

------------------------------65mph-------------70mph-------------75mph-------------80mph
--------------------------3.9 miles/kWh---3.6miles/kWh---3.3miles/kWh---2.9miles/kWh
--------------------------- RANGE--------------- RANGE------------- RANGE----------- RANGE
100% -- 26.5kWh------103---------------------95---------------------87------------------77

Click to expand...

LeftieBiker said:

A 30kwh Leaf SV or SL (because of the heatpump) would have no trouble with that commute if recharged with L-1 at work. Any other configuration would be problematic.

Click to expand...

You will definitely need the heat pump, unless you are happy commuting in an arctic cabin. Even at low settings you're probably going to consume >2kW heat on the resistance heater, over a 2hr return commute that's ~16 miles of range at 60MPH.

30kWh @80% usable capacity (avoiding VLBW) = 24kWh, assuming a battery with no degradation (don't buy one from Arizona or Texas...)
8hrs L1 charge @ 1.0kW = 8kWh (Charge rate should be 1.2kW, but this depends on the power quality at work. Let's be conservative).
Total available energy for return trip = 32kWh.

Running the consumption numbers based on assumed speeds
110 miles @ 70MPH (3.3 miles/kWh) = 33.3kWh required.
110 miles @ 65MPH (3.9 miles/kWh) = 28.2kWh required.
110 miles @ 60MPH (4.2 miles/Kwh - assumed) = 26.2kWh required

Heater:
heat pump, assume 1kW for 2hrs = 2kWh
resistance, assume 2kW for 2hrs = 4kWh (Cabin would still be cold if it's 20F outside). Assume 3kW+ if you want a comfortable cabin.

In summary, looks like you could make it at 65MPH if you have the heat pump. Compared to a 25MPG car, you'd be saving 4-1/2 gal's a day, and consuming approx 24kWh from the wall (approx $2, depending on your tariff). Assuming gas at $2.50 that results in a very decent $2,400 saving per year. And that's before you even consider oil changes, brakes and other wear items on an ICE vehicle.

I don't see a lot of margin for error here. How flat is the terrain? I'm only getting about 60 miles total range in a somewhat hilly area with a 2013 S with one bar gone. That means with a somewhat degraded battery you'd barely make it, and you probably wouldn't recharge enough over 8 hours at L1 to make it back. If your work had a L2 charger it would be better, but still the distance doesn't leave a lot of margin for error.

It just doesn't sound very viable to me. If you're in a flattish area and you don't drive more than 65 you might be able to do it, but I just think it's cutting it too close. As the battery degrades, and if you throw in anything else (heat, hills), you're going to be pushing the limits on distance. Without a L2 or DCQC you won't recharge enough to make it back, in any case.

My honest suggestion is don't do it. I think you'd come to regret the purchase. I'd look at a used Volt instead, or if you're willing to spend more, a new Volt or Bolt.

FWIW, the new (2016/2017) Volt should be able to make the drive in EV mode if you drive conservatively, and if you come up short the gas engine will just kick in for the last few miles. The Volt's battery has also tended to hold up better in terms of degradation than the Leaf's since GM designed the car to use its battery capacity more conservatively. The Volt can be gotten for pretty decent terms on a lease. The Bolt also is clearly capable of making the drive, but its terms are a bit pricey at the moment.

GoGreen13 said:

2015 S (101/125) range

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Hey Go-green. Just realized that the 2015 S is a 24kWh battery. Your one-way commute would be right at the limits of this car, and your return with just L1 at work would not be possible. You'll need a leaf with the 30kWh battery if you're going to make it work (subject to assumptions and limitations in my earlier post).