Is the Leaf the right vehicle for me?

Hi,

I am just a Leaf looker with a quick question for real owners...

My commute to work is 32 miles one way, all highway, and I mean I exit my neighborhood and enter the 60 mph, no turns to work. Would this be beneficial for a Leaf. I am a current Armada owner and the Leaf will take over the daily driver slot allowing the thirsty Armada to rest. There are no charging stations right now where I work, so I am not figuring on having one for my commute.

:idea: :?:

Thanks

leaflooker said:

My commute to work is 32 miles one way, all highway, and I mean I exit my neighborhood and enter the 60 mph, no turns to work.

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Mine is 30.5 miles each way, with about 2 miles to the freeway, which I tackle at between 65mph and 70mph. I get home with around 30% of my battery left on a daily basis. However, that is in mild ol' SoCal. Where do you live? Are harsh winters going to be a factor to consider?

Nice warm Houston, I think winters are not going to be a problem, but extreme heat is.

I vote Yes.

leaflooker said:

Nice warm Houston, I think winters are not going to be a problem, but extreme heat is.

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You'll be fine. Passive thermal protection on the battery seems to be more than adequate. A/C is less of a draw than heater.

should not be an issue at 60mph, even if you only charge to 80%

I'd be cautious about 80%, Herm. He would quite likely be getting "Low Battery" warnings every day, and if he needed to run an errand at noon he could be in trouble. I'd suggest 100% charge, which would make it a no sweat commute. Maybe if he becomes very proficient at squeezing miles out of kWhs, or slows down to 55, he could drop to 80%. (Here's another case where a 90% setting would be very useful.)

Ray

YES !!

no problem, even better if you could plug in even at 120V at work, then go with 80% charging and always have plenty of juice.

I give this proposal two thumbs up! Easy trip, exactly what the car was made for in not-cold, flat Houston. You will take a bit of a range hit from heat on the battery, and of course, a hit with air conditioning.

However, the car is more efficient with the A/C on, than off with the windows down at freeway speeds.

Now, start thinking about how you'll keep the battery charged up in the gas guzzler from all the sitting it's going to do.

Thanks for the great advice... once I sell my 7.3 liter (lol) I am going to have a good look at the numbers. Based on comments, it appears to be a doable alternative. The only thing I can say for sure, is that Chevrolet or Dodge are not getting my money!!

also have commute about 62 miles with all but about 3 miles being freeway. most of drive varies from 60-65 mph due to traffic (40 of the freeway miles is at 70 mph but we stay to the right)

in summer there is 18-24 miles of range left. winter no so good. has been as low as 6 miles.

but the real key here is not what the car can do for you but what you can do for the car. fact of the matter; you can EASILY make it work if you are willing to accept the limitations of EV technology. drive 60 mph and you will have no issues.

if you feel you are "forced to drive 70" like so many others here, then i would not recommend a Leaf unless you can justify the expense getting it as a 2nd car.

now, if you have solar... well, then if you did, you would not be asking this question

DaveinOlyWA said:

now, if you have solar... well, then if you did, you would not be asking this question

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I know solar would help reduce his charging cost, but I don't get how it would help improve his range if driving at 70mph and in winter time.

Volusiano said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

now, if you have solar... well, then if you did, you would not be asking this question

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I know solar would help reduce his charging cost, but I don't get how it would help improve his range if driving at 70mph and in winter time.

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can only speak for me in that if I had solar I would find a way to make it work even if I couldn't use it as my daily commuter

Houston is currently Quick charger capital of US.

There are 4 stations up or almost up and 46 more to come.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

See Planned Stations map.
https://www.evgonetwork.com/The_Network/Planned_Stations/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Catch is you need to pay for service.
https://www.evgonetwork.com/Charging_Plans/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I wonder if eVgo plan will work for you.

leaflooker said:

Hi,

I am just a Leaf looker with a quick question for real owners...

My commute to work is 32 miles one way, all highway, and I mean I exit my neighborhood and enter the 60 mph, no turns to work. Would this be beneficial for a Leaf. I am a current Armada owner and the Leaf will take over the daily driver slot allowing the thirsty Armada to rest. There are no charging stations right now where I work, so I am not figuring on having one for my commute.

:idea: :?:

Thanks

Click to expand...

You're asking this crowd? FER SURE, YES!! DO IT!! GET A LEAF ans "LEAF gas behind!" :lol: :lol:

Seriously, 64 miles round trip in a LEAF is easily doable at 60 mph, use the air conditioning and don't worry about it. The only consideration would be if you have to do a long round trip to lunch or seomething at work that is more than 25 miles round trip. If you do take a trip during the day, you can make up for a lot of that with using a more consrvative driving style for that day. On normal days, you'll be able to occasionally indulge yourself with the LEAFs strong 0-45 mph acceleration off the line, where gas cars become small faint shadows in your rearview mirror!

You should get at least 70 to 80 miles range. Toward the higher end as you get used to LEAFing.
See the excellent range chart here: Range-Speed-Bars Thumb Rule Table

You also might persuade your dealer into an extended test drive to give yourself more confidence. Hook up with the local LEAF community of drivers near you. Many are willing to help you with any issues.

If you have a backup ICE vehicle for the longer trips or hauling hay on the range, the Leaf will work great for you. When considering what you are paying to fuel that Armada, it is a no-brainer. Your heavy-metal friends may at first laugh at you, but you can laugh all the way to the bank with the savings.