finman100
Well-known member
This is my longest Leaf trip yet, 648 miles roundtrip. 3 days. All electric. No gas, no oil. Ever. And an even longer post! Beware, but enjoy. I wanted to share my success. and some pics if I figure that out.
Lots of planning and a couple of Plan B situations. All in all it was awesome, but too long to try again in the Leaf. Maybe in a couple of years with a Tesla! Disclaimer: some of my details are from memory as I did not fully document LeafSpy data. And if you have questions, etc., feel free to ask on the forum or a thru a PM. All locations are in Oregon. I don’t keep track of all the travel miles between destinations since I have become familiar with the kWh requirements using EVtripplanner.com. I’ve come to know that not all miles are not equal. Uphill takes a lot of energy, and downhill is awesome. Regen matters.
Day 1 – Fri 08.12.2016
2014 Leaf SV with 30,000 miles, 86% capacity. I see 19.1 kWh on a 100% charge. Two adults, two dogs, and lots of camping gear (tent, cots, sleeping bags, pads, cooler, etc.)
Started at 100% from home in Albany, headed to Springfield, the 1st QC of the day. I’ve done this many times (south on I-5) and it was uneventful. Used 12 kWh for the 45 miles. I’m not a speeder at all, more of a right laner, keeping to a bit over posted speed limits. I always use Eco mode on these longish trips.
QC’d for about 25 minutes. 1st one of the day. Left Springfield with 15 kWh. Looks to be a hot day. 75 F outside already, 9 AM. Headed up to 90+ F degrees today in the Willamette Valley. Battery temp went from 77 F to 89 F after QC.
Taking Hwy 126 east from Springfield to Blue River, the 2nd QC of the day. Used 13 kWh for the 50 miles. Eventually QC’d for 30 minutes in Blue River (Blue Sky Market). I say eventually because this QC from Aerovironment has a communication/data ‘lag’ that makes it sketchy to get the charger re-booted if it needs it. And this time it needed it. After about 25 minutes on the phone, it finally decided to work. Whew! Outside temps a nice 73 F degrees in the Cascade foothills. Battery temp now 97 F degrees.
Left Blue River with 15 kWh, headed for Sisters, knowing I need about 11 kWh to get to the top of McKenzie Pass, elevation 5,600 feet (via Hwy 242, only open in the summer!). I had previously EV’d (my new term) this road over the July 4th weekend with co-workers, who were on dual-sport motorcycles as support. REALLY, REALLY turny (yet another new term?) and twisty, scenic road, with a tremendous view at the top. I mean really tremendous lava field and Cascade mountain peaks in the distance. It’s a 4000’ climb, but all downhill after the Dee Wright Observatory. Used exactly 2 kWh on the downhill. QC’d in Sisters for 15 minutes. 3rd QC of the Day. Hot over here on the east side of the Cascades. 92 F air temp with a battery temp of 106 F after the QC.
Left Sisters with 10 kWh, headed to Bend on south Hwy 20.
QC’d at Smolich Nissan at their new DC charger. 4th and final QC of the day. Free and really helpful people there. Thanks! Still hot, 93 F air temp and 113 F battery temp. It appears the QC only gives you a 30 minute session or it was too hot after the first one because trying a second session gave an error. Did not get enough electrons in that 30 minutes…Leafspy showed 22 kW power? Had to have the really nice sales people move a car so I could top off on the L2 charger out front. Not ideal, but the new DC charger was an unknown going in. We had some spare time and it was air conditioned in the waiting room with the Olympics on the TV. Needless to say, the dogs required A/C in the car while charging thru out the entire trip. It performed flawlessly. I think we were here just over an hour, call it 75 minutes or so.
Left Bend with 15 kWh, headed south on Hwy 97 to Crescent to our 1st campsite of the trip. Good god, does Bend traffic suck! Hwy 97 south was a parking lot, down to 1 lane construction. I bet we covered 3 miles in an hour. It was bad. Very bad. Leaf performed flawlessly. At one point I did turn off A/C and roll windows down in 94 F degree heat just to conserve e-juice for about 15 minutes, but I made it to Big Pines RV in Crescent no problem. Did I mention Bend traffic sucked?
Arrived at our campsite with an air temp of 92 F and a battery temp of 111 F. Seems the battery temp lowers slightly when driving, even on hot QC days.
Charged overnight at Big Pines RV using my EVSE upgrade cable at 20 amps (from a Nema 14-50 RV outlet). Really nice EV friendly people here!
Day 2 – Sat 08.13.2016
Plan A was to go from our campsite in Crescent to Mazama Campground via the North Entrance of Crater Lake, traveling south Hwy 97, west Hwy 138, then south Hwy 209 to the Rim Road. EVtripplanner showed 17 kWh needed. I would need a 100% charge. No problem, the Leaf would be fully charged while we camped, ready in the morning!
But…I saw a notice on the Crater Lake website. Road race of runners would be going clockwise around the ENTIRE rim road. Road would not be closed, but only clockwise traffic allowed. Well, that is WAY too far for a Leaf (MAYBE ok for the new 30kWh version). I planned to do the short counter-clockwise portion of Rim Road, just to get to Crater Lake lodge. Then coast down the hill 7 miles and 1000’ descent into the Mazama Campground and the L2 charger at Annie Creek Restaurant. Damn. Time for plan B. Yes, I called the park service number and the nice person confirmed this derailment of Plan A. Okay…
Plan B: Drive south from Crescent on Hwy 97, cut across on west Hwy 422, then north on Hwy 62 to Fort Klamath. Charge at the very EV friendly Crater Lake Resort (RV, cabins, and tents). This is a Tesla charging unit but with a Nema 14-50 outlet right below it. Yay! Go Elon. Not fast but an hour-ish here in a very pleasant area was the best scenario. Little stream to hike around. Shady. General store, restrooms. And 10 bucks for the access was well worth it, considering the middle of nowhere location. It was a little cooler day, 82 F air temp and battery had cooled a bit overnight to 95 F.
Left Fort Klamath with 8 kWh, headed uphill on north Hwy 62 to Annie Creek.
Charged at Annie Creek Restaurant on a Clipper Creek unit while we had lunch. Also secured a 1st come 1st serve campsite. The Clipper Creek is mounted on the other side of a Tesla charging unit and is free! Wanted to get enough charge to drive up to the rim and clockwise around Rim Road to a few viewpoints. Kinda Plan A in reverse!
I left here with 10 kWh, which was more than enough for the slow pace and the regen coming back down. Regen matters! To say Crater Lake is spectacular is an understatement. What an amazing place. Quite simply it is a breath-taking formation. Unreal looking, even. So very cool to be here in an EV, too. We both wanted to stay an extra day.
And I got to see my very 1st Model X! OMG, it was cool. Sateesh (sp?) and family were charging after we plugged in. He was just as excited to show me his Tesla as I was at seeing the Falcon Wings open and close. Wow! That is some kind of magical transport machine.
After the Rim Road tour we charged again at Annie Creek while having dinner, then got back to our campsite and plugged in for the night. Only a standard outlet (and a TT-30 of which I have no adapter), so slow and steady charge while we slept got us 100% by morning. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having destination charging. Fueling your car when parked (and/or asleep) is awesome.
Day 3 – Sun 08.14.2016
Since we had more than enough charge to get to Central Point, we drove back up to the rim and took in the morning view of Crater Lake…it is just amazing!
After that short excursion we left Crater Lake with 15 kWh, headed west and south on Hwy 62. Let me reiterate what I think would make a pretty good T-shirt for EVers…Regen matters! Going this direction, Hwy 62 is ALL downhill (about 4500’ descent) and just about the best road ever. Smooth, well marked, very pretty with trees and easy curves. Wow. At one point my Guess-O-Meter said I had 123 miles of range. Needless to say, we arrived in Central point only needing to QC for 10 minutes. 1st one of the day. Sidenote: do not try this part of Hwy 62 in a Leaf going the other way uphill.
The rest of this odyssey was only marred by the Wolf Creek QC that did not work.
We left Central Point with 15 kWh and headed north on I-5 to Wolf Creek. Still hot with an air temp of 92 F and battery temp of 102 F (after the QC).
Yeah, Wolf Creek. Stupid DC charging reliability. I was on the phone with Aerovironment for 30 minutes and the QC just errored out trying to ‘communicate with car’. Uhhhggggg. Stayed an hour on the L2 to get enough to make Canyonville (23 miles). I can’t stand when things that need to work, don’t. These stations HAVE to be available and working. L2 is not a backup! Anyway…
Made it to Canyonville and QC for 30 minutes. 2nd one of the day. Air temp is 94 F and battery temp is now 115 F. Yeah, I know…
Left Canyonville with another 15 kWh (magic number or what!?), headed for the Motel 6 in Oakland. Just ugly hot today in Oregon.
Arrived in Oakland with the air temp at 94 F. After QC for 30 minutes (3rd one of the day) battery temp was 123 F! Yikes. New record. Not the kind of record one wants but I am pushing this car beyond its commuting range, haha.
Left Oakland with 15 kWh and headed to Springfield. Due to the extreme heat (ok it’s not Phoenix), I wanted to L2 charge here and get dinner and a beer at Hop Valley. This is the only shaded AV charger out there. More shaded chargers, please!. So we left the A/C on for dogs, and walked to Hop Valley. Car was performing flawlessly in this “abuse”. It never hiccupped or lost power or did weird things due to the heat and multiple QC, etc. I just need more range and a Thermal Management system for my next EV…does that sound like a Tesla or what.
Had to QC for just 10 minutes (4th and final one of the day) after our Hop Valley dinner/beer. Since A/C was running, less L2 electrons were filling the battery than if the A/C was off and a more pleasant 75 F Oregon degrees was happening. Trust me, we are not used to, nor like, the hot temps here in Oregon. But it is summer.
Left Springfield with 15 kWh and headed home to Albany, north on I-5, to complete the circuit. No issues at all with the car, just the charging stations. Go figure.
It was fun (mostly!) and an adventure, a new record number of EV miles for me. I bet I won’t see that one broken by myself until Tesla-time. Did I mention Tesla enough?
What an impressive car, though. Really. Nissan just needs to step up some things and compete in the longer distance EV world. And install some charging infrastructure. If any of DC locations would have been occupied, I’m waiting an additional 30 min. Only one DC charger per location is NOT ideal. Or if they don’t work at all, I’m relegated to slow L2 for an hour. More stalls, more DC chargers.
Curt
Lots of planning and a couple of Plan B situations. All in all it was awesome, but too long to try again in the Leaf. Maybe in a couple of years with a Tesla! Disclaimer: some of my details are from memory as I did not fully document LeafSpy data. And if you have questions, etc., feel free to ask on the forum or a thru a PM. All locations are in Oregon. I don’t keep track of all the travel miles between destinations since I have become familiar with the kWh requirements using EVtripplanner.com. I’ve come to know that not all miles are not equal. Uphill takes a lot of energy, and downhill is awesome. Regen matters.
Day 1 – Fri 08.12.2016
2014 Leaf SV with 30,000 miles, 86% capacity. I see 19.1 kWh on a 100% charge. Two adults, two dogs, and lots of camping gear (tent, cots, sleeping bags, pads, cooler, etc.)
Started at 100% from home in Albany, headed to Springfield, the 1st QC of the day. I’ve done this many times (south on I-5) and it was uneventful. Used 12 kWh for the 45 miles. I’m not a speeder at all, more of a right laner, keeping to a bit over posted speed limits. I always use Eco mode on these longish trips.
QC’d for about 25 minutes. 1st one of the day. Left Springfield with 15 kWh. Looks to be a hot day. 75 F outside already, 9 AM. Headed up to 90+ F degrees today in the Willamette Valley. Battery temp went from 77 F to 89 F after QC.
Taking Hwy 126 east from Springfield to Blue River, the 2nd QC of the day. Used 13 kWh for the 50 miles. Eventually QC’d for 30 minutes in Blue River (Blue Sky Market). I say eventually because this QC from Aerovironment has a communication/data ‘lag’ that makes it sketchy to get the charger re-booted if it needs it. And this time it needed it. After about 25 minutes on the phone, it finally decided to work. Whew! Outside temps a nice 73 F degrees in the Cascade foothills. Battery temp now 97 F degrees.
Left Blue River with 15 kWh, headed for Sisters, knowing I need about 11 kWh to get to the top of McKenzie Pass, elevation 5,600 feet (via Hwy 242, only open in the summer!). I had previously EV’d (my new term) this road over the July 4th weekend with co-workers, who were on dual-sport motorcycles as support. REALLY, REALLY turny (yet another new term?) and twisty, scenic road, with a tremendous view at the top. I mean really tremendous lava field and Cascade mountain peaks in the distance. It’s a 4000’ climb, but all downhill after the Dee Wright Observatory. Used exactly 2 kWh on the downhill. QC’d in Sisters for 15 minutes. 3rd QC of the Day. Hot over here on the east side of the Cascades. 92 F air temp with a battery temp of 106 F after the QC.
Left Sisters with 10 kWh, headed to Bend on south Hwy 20.
QC’d at Smolich Nissan at their new DC charger. 4th and final QC of the day. Free and really helpful people there. Thanks! Still hot, 93 F air temp and 113 F battery temp. It appears the QC only gives you a 30 minute session or it was too hot after the first one because trying a second session gave an error. Did not get enough electrons in that 30 minutes…Leafspy showed 22 kW power? Had to have the really nice sales people move a car so I could top off on the L2 charger out front. Not ideal, but the new DC charger was an unknown going in. We had some spare time and it was air conditioned in the waiting room with the Olympics on the TV. Needless to say, the dogs required A/C in the car while charging thru out the entire trip. It performed flawlessly. I think we were here just over an hour, call it 75 minutes or so.
Left Bend with 15 kWh, headed south on Hwy 97 to Crescent to our 1st campsite of the trip. Good god, does Bend traffic suck! Hwy 97 south was a parking lot, down to 1 lane construction. I bet we covered 3 miles in an hour. It was bad. Very bad. Leaf performed flawlessly. At one point I did turn off A/C and roll windows down in 94 F degree heat just to conserve e-juice for about 15 minutes, but I made it to Big Pines RV in Crescent no problem. Did I mention Bend traffic sucked?
Arrived at our campsite with an air temp of 92 F and a battery temp of 111 F. Seems the battery temp lowers slightly when driving, even on hot QC days.
Charged overnight at Big Pines RV using my EVSE upgrade cable at 20 amps (from a Nema 14-50 RV outlet). Really nice EV friendly people here!
Day 2 – Sat 08.13.2016
Plan A was to go from our campsite in Crescent to Mazama Campground via the North Entrance of Crater Lake, traveling south Hwy 97, west Hwy 138, then south Hwy 209 to the Rim Road. EVtripplanner showed 17 kWh needed. I would need a 100% charge. No problem, the Leaf would be fully charged while we camped, ready in the morning!
But…I saw a notice on the Crater Lake website. Road race of runners would be going clockwise around the ENTIRE rim road. Road would not be closed, but only clockwise traffic allowed. Well, that is WAY too far for a Leaf (MAYBE ok for the new 30kWh version). I planned to do the short counter-clockwise portion of Rim Road, just to get to Crater Lake lodge. Then coast down the hill 7 miles and 1000’ descent into the Mazama Campground and the L2 charger at Annie Creek Restaurant. Damn. Time for plan B. Yes, I called the park service number and the nice person confirmed this derailment of Plan A. Okay…
Plan B: Drive south from Crescent on Hwy 97, cut across on west Hwy 422, then north on Hwy 62 to Fort Klamath. Charge at the very EV friendly Crater Lake Resort (RV, cabins, and tents). This is a Tesla charging unit but with a Nema 14-50 outlet right below it. Yay! Go Elon. Not fast but an hour-ish here in a very pleasant area was the best scenario. Little stream to hike around. Shady. General store, restrooms. And 10 bucks for the access was well worth it, considering the middle of nowhere location. It was a little cooler day, 82 F air temp and battery had cooled a bit overnight to 95 F.
Left Fort Klamath with 8 kWh, headed uphill on north Hwy 62 to Annie Creek.
Charged at Annie Creek Restaurant on a Clipper Creek unit while we had lunch. Also secured a 1st come 1st serve campsite. The Clipper Creek is mounted on the other side of a Tesla charging unit and is free! Wanted to get enough charge to drive up to the rim and clockwise around Rim Road to a few viewpoints. Kinda Plan A in reverse!
I left here with 10 kWh, which was more than enough for the slow pace and the regen coming back down. Regen matters! To say Crater Lake is spectacular is an understatement. What an amazing place. Quite simply it is a breath-taking formation. Unreal looking, even. So very cool to be here in an EV, too. We both wanted to stay an extra day.
And I got to see my very 1st Model X! OMG, it was cool. Sateesh (sp?) and family were charging after we plugged in. He was just as excited to show me his Tesla as I was at seeing the Falcon Wings open and close. Wow! That is some kind of magical transport machine.
After the Rim Road tour we charged again at Annie Creek while having dinner, then got back to our campsite and plugged in for the night. Only a standard outlet (and a TT-30 of which I have no adapter), so slow and steady charge while we slept got us 100% by morning. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having destination charging. Fueling your car when parked (and/or asleep) is awesome.
Day 3 – Sun 08.14.2016
Since we had more than enough charge to get to Central Point, we drove back up to the rim and took in the morning view of Crater Lake…it is just amazing!
After that short excursion we left Crater Lake with 15 kWh, headed west and south on Hwy 62. Let me reiterate what I think would make a pretty good T-shirt for EVers…Regen matters! Going this direction, Hwy 62 is ALL downhill (about 4500’ descent) and just about the best road ever. Smooth, well marked, very pretty with trees and easy curves. Wow. At one point my Guess-O-Meter said I had 123 miles of range. Needless to say, we arrived in Central point only needing to QC for 10 minutes. 1st one of the day. Sidenote: do not try this part of Hwy 62 in a Leaf going the other way uphill.
The rest of this odyssey was only marred by the Wolf Creek QC that did not work.
We left Central Point with 15 kWh and headed north on I-5 to Wolf Creek. Still hot with an air temp of 92 F and battery temp of 102 F (after the QC).
Yeah, Wolf Creek. Stupid DC charging reliability. I was on the phone with Aerovironment for 30 minutes and the QC just errored out trying to ‘communicate with car’. Uhhhggggg. Stayed an hour on the L2 to get enough to make Canyonville (23 miles). I can’t stand when things that need to work, don’t. These stations HAVE to be available and working. L2 is not a backup! Anyway…
Made it to Canyonville and QC for 30 minutes. 2nd one of the day. Air temp is 94 F and battery temp is now 115 F. Yeah, I know…
Left Canyonville with another 15 kWh (magic number or what!?), headed for the Motel 6 in Oakland. Just ugly hot today in Oregon.
Arrived in Oakland with the air temp at 94 F. After QC for 30 minutes (3rd one of the day) battery temp was 123 F! Yikes. New record. Not the kind of record one wants but I am pushing this car beyond its commuting range, haha.
Left Oakland with 15 kWh and headed to Springfield. Due to the extreme heat (ok it’s not Phoenix), I wanted to L2 charge here and get dinner and a beer at Hop Valley. This is the only shaded AV charger out there. More shaded chargers, please!. So we left the A/C on for dogs, and walked to Hop Valley. Car was performing flawlessly in this “abuse”. It never hiccupped or lost power or did weird things due to the heat and multiple QC, etc. I just need more range and a Thermal Management system for my next EV…does that sound like a Tesla or what.
Had to QC for just 10 minutes (4th and final one of the day) after our Hop Valley dinner/beer. Since A/C was running, less L2 electrons were filling the battery than if the A/C was off and a more pleasant 75 F Oregon degrees was happening. Trust me, we are not used to, nor like, the hot temps here in Oregon. But it is summer.
Left Springfield with 15 kWh and headed home to Albany, north on I-5, to complete the circuit. No issues at all with the car, just the charging stations. Go figure.
It was fun (mostly!) and an adventure, a new record number of EV miles for me. I bet I won’t see that one broken by myself until Tesla-time. Did I mention Tesla enough?
What an impressive car, though. Really. Nissan just needs to step up some things and compete in the longer distance EV world. And install some charging infrastructure. If any of DC locations would have been occupied, I’m waiting an additional 30 min. Only one DC charger per location is NOT ideal. Or if they don’t work at all, I’m relegated to slow L2 for an hour. More stalls, more DC chargers.
Curt
