Help calm my Range Anxiety!

[SparkyEV]

Hi all,

I've been absorbing all of the great info on this board while I wait impatiently for my LEAF (DB says June 9th). I've been a little worried about range and my commute, but the posts from those of you that have taken delivery have made me feel a little bit better. Here's my situation. My commute is 55 miles round trip, and I can't charge at work. For those of you in the Bay area, my commute is essentially from one end of Hwy 85 to the other (from the 101/85 junction in South San Jose to the 85/101 junction at Moffett Field). It's 49 miles on the freeway and 6 miles on surface streets. Elevation change between home & work is only about 300 feet (work is at sea level). I've been driving a Honda Civic Hybrid on this commute for the last 5 years, so I have some experience maximizing my mileage, but I wouldn't say that I've graduated to hypermiler status just yet. I get about 50 MPG in my Civic on a warm day if I'm careful. My main concern is that while I would drive 55-60 on the freeway if I could, for large chunks of Hyw 85 during rush hour my choices are 65-75 in the carpool lane (to avoid road rage) or stop and go in the other lanes. I only get 50 mpg in my Civic if I hop between the carpool lane and the #2/3 lanea as conditions change, but that's not always easy since they change fast.

So, LEAF test pilots, do you think I'll have much margin on this commute? Will I be able to drive to lunch or run errands on the way home, or will it be uncomfortably tight? I feel like I took a gamble, but I really like the idea of driving an EV. I've read some encouraging testimonials from drivers in less EV-friendly areas (colder, more hills), so I take that as positive news.

Thanks for your time and thanks to all of the posters for sharing your experiences!

 

[qcar]

My commute is 40 miles round trip- Half of it free way from 60-75mph. I usually drive in ecomode with the AC on 70 degrees. It has been about a month now and I feel I could skip a day charging if I wanted to. You should have no problems at all.

 

[Electric4Me]

My wife's commute is ~62 miles round trip, with about 40 on the freeway. She drives about 60-65 on 101 and generally has 10-15 "miles" of range left when she gets home. You'll be able to either A) drive 65-75 the whole time you're on the freeway, or B) drive most of the way that fast and then take it easy for the last few miles. YMMV.

Bill

 

[thankyouOB]

sparky.
you have no problem even with side trips and charging to 80%.
just learn a little EV driving and dont go 70mph

 

[leafme]

Hi all, I've been a little worried about range and my commute... My commute is 55 miles round trip, and I can't charge at work. For those of you in the Bay area, my commute is essentially from one end of Hwy 85 to the other (from the 101/85 junction in South San Jose to the 85/101 junction at Moffett Field). It's 49 miles on the freeway and 6 miles on surface streets. Elevation change between home & work is only about 300 feet (work is at sea level). My main concern is that while I would drive 55-60 on the freeway if I could, for large chunks of Hyw 85 during rush hour my choices are 65-75 in the carpool lane (to avoid road rage) or stop and go in the other lanes.

So, LEAF test pilots, do you think I'll have much margin on this commute? Will I be able to drive to lunch or run errands on the way home, or will it be uncomfortably tight? I feel like I took a gamble, but I really like the idea of driving an EV. I've read some encouraging testimonials from drivers in less EV-friendly areas (colder, more hills), so I take that as positive news.

Thanks for your time and thanks to all of the posters for sharing your experiences!

Sparky,

I'd say you will do fine but you will need 100% charging to really relax about range while driving the car with climate control on and your favorite tunes a blarin' (after modifying the sound system of course - no bass to speak of - see Randy's posts on his upgrades). Try to stay under 70. Start with 100% charging and see how it goes. Extra side miles will definitely require 100% charging. Go above 70 and your gonna pay for the privilege of doing so. If you have the time to put up with some stop and go freeway traffic (as crazy as it can make you) your range will be extended (e.g. Edmunds.com got 132 miles in the desert driving a constant 35 mph). Battery will degrade over time. I've not seen even an inkling of it yet. The heater costs ya more range than the a/c unit. Start w/ climate control off and gage things from there. Initially, always carry a jacket and gloves... I found myself needing both one evening early in my LEAF driving career after mis-calculating my drive that day having to turn the heater off one very cool San Diego evening in January in the attempt to reduce my self-imposed range anxiety. It will work. You're gonna love it.

Malcolm
Jan 4th delivery; 4100+ miles to date

 

[planet4ever]

Yes, there are drivers who try to go 75 in the diamond lane on 85. But to the best of my knowledge the speed limit is 65 all the way from 101/85 at the south end to 101/85 at the north end. It's been years since I commuted on 85, but back when I did, I figured if I was traveling legally in that lane, and traveling at the legal limit, it wasn't my problem if other lawbreakers wanted to go faster. If I was being tailgated, and had a chance to move over temporarily, I would, and let the speeders go by. If I couldn't move over, I wasn't breaking any laws and neither were they as long as they stayed behind me.

Besides, I suspect most of those speeders are either illegally in the lane or driving hybrids that will be banned from it in July. Maybe when a larger percentage of the diamond lane users are EVs the crazy speeding will drop off a little.

At 65 I don't think you will have a problem. At 75 I'm afraid you could. You could also have a problem if you are constantly speeding up and slowing down between 65 and 75 to stay nose-to-tail with the car ahead of you.

Ray

 

[adric22]

Well, 55 miles should be no problem, even going 70 mph. However, if you are running the climate control, that could really affect it. Best advice, during the winter would be to set the climate timer to pre-heat the car nice and cozy in the morning while it is still plugged in. Then set the climate control on a much milder temperature for the actual trip. During the Summer you may consider running with the windows down in the morning, as long as you aren't driving too fast. (freeway speeds with windows down causes a lot of drag). That is what I do. I am on city streets all the way to work. I put the car in ECO mode, turn off the climate control, and it is surprising how little power I can get away with using. My commute is 10 miles per day. Yet, I can leave in the morning with the miles-remaining gauge showing 100 miles, and return with it still showing 100 miles.

 

[OrientExpress]

No worries, be happy.

We live off of the South 85/101/Bernal rd exit too, and commute up to Mountain View with no problems.

 

[Cinnabar]

Hi Sparky,

I have a very similar drive. I take Almaden Expwy to Highway 85, then onto 280 up to Palo Alto. It's a 63 mile round trip. I made it to work and back with between 15 - 25 miles range (2-3 bars) without charging at work. I also didn't use Eco mode or obey the speed limit - just my normal style of driving. I would suggest charging to 100% the first few times to see how things work out given the time of day you drive and your driving habit. I also had a Civic Hybrid and usually averaged about 43 mpg, so you should be just fine.

I also felt the range anxiety the first few days. It's basically getting into a car at the point that, for most of my life, I would start looking for a gas station. All that anxiety is gone at this point and I really just enjoy the ride.

 

[SparkyEV]

Thanks for all the insightful replies. I will definitely start out at 100% charge, but it will be a fun challenge to see if I can do it at 80% once I get used to the LEAF. I've been practicing keeping my speed as close to 60 as possible and it can be done with lots of lane changes (I got 52MPG on the ride in this morning). It's true that the limit on 85 is 65, but most people don't seem to be aware of that :roll: I like to leave plenty of space between me and the car in front of me, but that seems to irritate people behind me. They'll pass me even if I'm going the exact same speed as the guy in front of me. I guess we live in a tailgating culture.

I don't use the heater in my Civic very often anyway, and when I do I usually turn it off once the car warms up. The ability to pre-heat plugged in is a great feature that I will certainly take advantage of. I'm surprised that the sound system makes that big of a difference. I guess the secret is to turn down the volume (and bass) as well as the speed.

I can't wait!

 

[Electric4Me]

I'm surprised that the sound system makes that big of a difference. I guess the secret is to turn down the volume (and bass) as well as the speed.

The sound system in this car is what, a couple of hundred watts max? At normal volumes maybe 70-100? It won't make a damn bit of difference unless your drive was many hours long.

Bill

 

[daniel]

... one very cool San Diego evening ...

Sorry for the off-topic comment, but coming from North Dakota, I find the use of "cool" and "San Diego" in the same sentence to be rather amusing. :lol: ... Yes, I know it's all relative. I remember the girl from coastal Oaxaca bundled up in sweats at 75 degrees, saying "Where I come from it never gets this cold. Ever." ... Still, amusing.

 

[DarkStar]

So, LEAF test pilots, do you think I'll have much margin on this commute? Will I be able to drive to lunch or run errands on the way home, or will it be uncomfortably tight?

Hmm... My commute is 58 miles round-trip with about 200 feet of elevation change. I charge up to 100% every night and end up with between 35-40 miles remaining every night.

I started out doing the regular freeway trip, however experienced a lot of range loss (ended up at home with 20-25 miles remaining), so I started taking city streets to work. It added about 10 minutes to my commute, however right away I was able to start maximizing my range and get a "feel" for the car. After about 9 weeks of ownership and going back and forth to freeway vs. city street commuting, I've gotten a lot better and now get the same range on the freeway.

Do you have any opportunity charging available anywhere? There is a charging station about 5 miles away from my work that I will plug into on my way to work if I'm running early and there is a 120 volt outlet at work if I need to plug in.

 

[phxsmiley]

What kind of things did you do to squeeze more economy at highway miles. Just running in ECO, or other things too?

 

[SparkyEV]

Do you have any opportunity charging available anywhere? There is a charging station about 5 miles away from my work that I will plug into on my way to work if I'm running early and there is a 120 volt outlet at work if I need to plug in.

There's a Nissan dealer about 6 miles from work which I could use in a pinch. Maybe drop it off for a charge during lunch.

 

[DarkStar]

What kind of things did you do to squeeze more economy at highway miles. Just running in ECO, or other things too?

I'm not sure how to describe it, but you really need to "learn" how to drive the Leaf. I always drive in ECO, almost completely eliminated my jackrabbit starts, learned how to coast down hills to build speed and apply a little bit of accelerator right before going up hills to minimize speed drop, along with just general habits.

I also stay in the right lane almost exclusively and no longer mind being behind a slower car.

 

[evnow]

My commute is 55 miles round trip, and I can't charge at work.

You should be able to make that 55 miles without any problems under various circumstances in the bay area. I'd worry about 55 miles only in the winter of Chicago driving above 70 mph.

 

[SparkyEV]

I'd worry about 55 miles only in the winter of Chicago driving above 70 mph.

Thanks evnow. I think I'll avoid that for a whole host of reasons :lol:

 

[SparkyEV]

Seems all my worries were for naught

I've driven my Leaf for 1,000 miles so far, and I now charge to 80% every night. I'm getting home from my 55-mile commute with 2 bars and ~20 miles remaining, or a bit less if I go out for lunch. I'm getting 5.0 miles/kWh on my commute by keeping my speed at 55-60 on the freeway. I'm impressed with the capabilities of the Leaf!