Coldest Day of Year

[IraqiInvaderGnr]

I'm starting out a new topic listing Range of the leaf on the coldest day.

1-6-13
100% depart outside temperature -11F (Wind Chill -34F) Battery Temp 40F (Garaged) 06:15
25 miles to work (hilly) arrived with 63% left SOC.
Warmed up to 4F (Wind Chill -14F) and left work 15:20 Battery temp 14F (Outside)
Arrived back home 20% left SOC battery temp 24F
50 miles total only using 80% of SOC

Did exceptionally well under this extreme weather. I was expecting worse range honestly. Speeds 45-55mph all highway. I encourage others to post there results on Cold (Perhaps Coldest Days). This could be a good reference for others thinking about getting a leaf that live in cold climates.

 

[JGPinWI]

Started 98% with 83mi on the GOM this am, drove 5mi to to pick up a coworker then to Madison for work about 20 miles...arrived with 42mi on the GOM...plugged in L1 outside all day and then left work with 78mi on the GOM, reversed the route back home. Arrived with 36 miles on the GOM when got home and plugged in. Temps were -17 this am...High today was -11... We're very happy with our 2013 SL.

 

[ksnogas2112]

Wasn't willing to do w/o heat because it was already too cold in the office. Ran 25 miles using 80% charge on 90% capacity battery and 4 preheating cycles.

 

[XeonPony]

-33C (-27F no fake wind number) left at 100% got to work with 20% after a 64Km drive at 80KmpH

Car sat out side and was cold soaked through and through, preheated for half hour then no heat at all other then steering wheel and seat. for the whole trip

charged at -24C for the day and after 8H was only at 73% had to wait another hour for it to reach 75 (The bare loast % that I need to have to make it home) the drive home I got back at 5.5% no heat at all again.

I am now siting infront of a kerosun radient 40 set to max defrosting my body!

 

[Psyclonus]

Just thought I'd chime in as a LEAF owner from Iowa, we reached -11 F (-23 C) as our HIGH for today. Just sitting in the parking lot at work we lost 4 bars today (I imagine the LEAF was heating the battery to keep it from freezing). We only live 2-3 miles from work, so range is never an issue on our commute, obviously, but still kind of amazing to see so much energy burned sitting in the lot.

 

[kubel]

Lowest battery temp reading was 11.2F (that was after driving for an hour followed immediately by 9 hours of uninterrupted trickle charging). Ambient temperature was -15F at the lowest. This is the harshest environment my LEAF has been in.

I drove 27 miles doing about 25MPH to 40MPH (road conditions were not good, bald tires). I left work with 200 GIDs, got home with 37 GIDs. I had the heater off for about 30 minutes because of how rapidly the battery was bleeding energy. I was amazed.

I was also amazed by how rattly this car can get when it's this cold. I now know what this car will sound like in 10 years.

With all that said, the LEAF didn't let me down.

But what did let me down? My fully charged Canon video camera. It wouldn't even power on. Battery was frozen. No battery heater I guess.

 

[xado1]

hi,what phone holder do u use in the leaf?

 

[dgpcolorado]

Just thought I'd chime in as a LEAF owner from Iowa, we reached -11 F (-23 C) as our HIGH for today. Just sitting in the parking lot at work we lost 4 bars today (I imagine the LEAF was heating the battery to keep it from freezing). We only live 2-3 miles from work, so range is never an issue on our commute, obviously, but still kind of amazing to see so much energy burned sitting in the lot.

It is possible that some of the fuel bar loss while sitting was an artifact of the measurement of battery capacity while it was cooling, as opposed to being entirely a drain from the battery heater.

As for energy burned while sitting, consider how much of the energy of the fuel in an ICE car is wasted just in normal driving. All that "free" heat in an ICE car is just a tiny bit of the wasted energy being captured for cabin heat. Just saying...


On the subject of extreme cold weather performance, have there been any problems with ICE cars dealing with the cold? In places like MN I would guess that block heaters and use of low viscosity engine oil are common. But in places that don't usually get that cold, I would think that the cold takes a toll on ICE vehicles too. Viscous oil and cold 12 V batteries can make for difficult starting IME.

 

[evnow]

In the PNW we are always different. Weather has been mild - far from the coldest day of the year.

 

[zowland]

Started out @ 80% GOM 65 with preheat from 32F garage. 10 mi to work @ 35F. Side trip mid day over to another meeting after a bit of a warmup to 40F. Parked again for 2 hours. GOM @ 36 mi at start of last leg. No heat for those last 5 miles since those final miles always go quickly; arrived home on 2nd red bar; 19 mi on GOM after a total of 37 miles driven. Doubt I could have gone much over 40 mi in these conditions (slushy). Couldn't have made the trip in much colder conditions. I'm getting about 1/3rd of the predicted GOM miles now that temps are in the teens, and that is with preheat at the start of the first leg. Glad my normal round trip commute is only 20 -25 miles. Concerned that a one or two hour traffic jamb could drain everything, unless I turned off the heat. Brrrr.

 

[kmp647]

its winter charge to 100% whenever possible. its not nearly as bad as a 100% pack in summer

also to everyone in really cold spots is there a indicator light for the battery warmer system ? have you seen it ?

 

[IraqiInvaderGnr]

Others have reported that they get a text message stating the battery heater is turning on just like a status update through carwings. I haven't heard anyone report a indicator light though.

 

[CherylWalden]

The change in weather is affecting my health. affected by cold and flu.

 

[Berlino]

Others have reported that they get a text message stating the battery heater is turning on just like a status update through carwings. I haven't heard anyone report a indicator light though.

By default, the notification for battery warmer activity available with MY13 is off, so you have to activate it in Carwings.

The indicator light is the same one as you'd see for preheating of the cabin while not charging. Facing the front of the car, the far right light blinking, the others off.

 

[EatsShootsandLeafs]

I've taken to 100% every day this winter, unlike last.

2012 Leaf w/ 14k.

Yesterday got in the car and it was reading -2F. Car had been outside, with 100% charge. No temp bars (been cold lately--last winter it never got below 2 bars of temp!).

Anyway, I drove 8 miles to work and back for a total of 16 miles in fairly light traffic with the heat on and had three bars remaining.

Frankly, this second winter is making me reconsider leasing another Leaf when this one is up in August. I drove 39 miles in low single digits on Saturday in typical suburban traffic and hit the VLBW. I also didn't use heat for 2/3rd of that time.

Basically my car on a 100% charge in low singles or near 0F has a range of about 35 miles and that's not using the heat much.

Today I went to work and home at lunch, then back again (24 miles) with no heat (temps 10-12 F or so). I have three bars left to get home. I plan on completing the day's 32 miles with heat on and will absolutely hit low battery warning, guaranteed, though probably not VLBW. But, again, when temps are low the car at 100% has a range of about 35 miles and that's not using heat much. No idea how the OP gets 50 miles losing 80% charge in the temps he mentioned. I couldn't dream of it.

 

[evnow]

Basically my car on a 100% charge in low singles or near 0F has a range of about 35 miles and that's not using the heat much.

Looks like you get less than what others are getting. I can't imagine why you would get just 35 when not even using much heat. BTW, is it all high speed driving ?

 

[kubel]

hi,what phone holder do u use in the leaf?

iottie. Has a really sticky suction cup, sticks to almost anything, including the textured dashboard.

 

[marksleaf]

Hi all - not posted in a while as nothing really to report. The 2012 LEAF does its job as expected and we are pleased.

I did come back to the forum to see what everyone else was reporting regarding the range in this extreme cold weather and it looks like you guys had similar experiences.

I left the LEAF outside, intentionally, as I wanted to test the cold effect on the car. I left it plugged to the trickle charger (110). It was 0F here. I activated the climate control via CarWings for about 15 minutes before heading out. When I got to the car I was surprised to find that the heater was not blowing any warm air. The heated steering wheel and heated seats were nice and warm.

The first thing I notice was that the range, while fully charged, was 58, which is 47 less than the indicated range on a normal day. The mechanicals all seemed fine, but, I did notice that the LCD numbers on the dash were 'slow' to change as they shadowed. Their were no battery temp bars.

I drove 8 miles to work, 5 of those miles being at 55mph, with the heater on. One thing I did notice was that the heater, while blowing air, was barely warm. When I arrived at work, the range was 31! Realizing a loss of 27, I was worried about getting back home. After 5pm that day, the temp outside has risen to 15F and the range had increased to 41. I suppose this was due to a warmer battery. Drove back home the 8 miles and the range was 30.

The next day, the starting temp was 15F, with a range of 58 miles. One battery temp bar. After driving the 8 miles, heated steering wheel and seat, the range was 51 and the heater worked much better.

Suppose there is a huge difference between 15F and 0F in regard to the LEAF battery performance.

 

[KJD]

Started out @ 80% GOM 65 with preheat from 32F garage. 10 mi to work @ 35F. Side trip mid day over to another meeting after a bit of a warmup to 40F. Parked again for 2 hours. GOM @ 36 mi at start of last leg. No heat for those last 5 miles since those final miles always go quickly; arrived home on 2nd red bar; 19 mi on GOM after a total of 37 miles driven. Doubt I could have gone much over 40 mi in these conditions (slushy). Couldn't have made the trip in much colder conditions. I'm getting about 1/3rd of the predicted GOM miles now that temps are in the teens, and that is with preheat at the start of the first leg. Glad my normal round trip commute is only 20 -25 miles. Concerned that a one or two hour traffic jamb could drain everything, unless I turned off the heat. Brrrr.

Why do people charge to 80% and then bitch about the range ?

Set the charge timer to 100% and ending time just before you want to leave. Leave the start time empty. The charge on my car finishes 10 minutes before I leave for work. It will not hurt the battery.

 

[XeonPony]

100% charge at home and idealy at work! during the sumer I may be able to do 80%.

any thing below -15c trying to heat is a lost cuase other then defogging the windows at -30 you're just wasting energy as it just won't get warm in the car, hence the blankets and such I have in mine