How realistic is this with the leaf

[rob6894]

I Have been lurking this forum for a while. I am very torn between the leaf volt. I know the leafe would work great if 75 mile range was consistant. I know a good 85% of what I do the leaf is good for . About once every other week I have about a 59 mile round trip. about 35 miles of that trip is all highway. Doing this with an expected highway speed of 65Mph to 70Mph. Is the leaf capabale of this?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[apvbguy]

I Have been lurking this forum for a while. I am very torn between the leaf volt. I know the leafe would work great if 75 mile range was consistant. I know a good 85% of what I do the leaf is good for . About once every other week I have about a 59 mile round trip. about 35 miles of that trip is all highway. Doing this with an expected highway speed of 65Mph to 70Mph. Is the leaf capabale of this?

Thanks,
Rob

a new leaf would be able to complete this trip in most but the worst weather, not knowing your location makes it difficult to be more precise. another variable would be that while the car could do it for some time, after a little battery degradation a trip like this would become more problematic.

 

[rob6894]

Thanks for the info. My location is Connecticut

 

[mbender]

With a new LEAF, this shouldn't be a problem for the first two, three years, depending on how hard you drive it and in what kind of climate the rest of the time. Even after that, you should be able to do 60 miles if you just slow down a bit. Long run, you may need to charge midway (ideally at the destination while doing other things) for an hour or so at a level 2 (220V) charger. I'd recommend a LEAF to you, provided you are able to charge at home.

Oh, and for trips that do require a stop, I find that charging for a half hour (at a quick charger, say) isn't a waste of time at all. Clean up the car a bit, check email and news, maybe make a phone call, and you're off. At level 2s, grab a bite to eat or stop and shop, come back and you're off.

 

[skysail]

Hey I am new here and in the same situation.
I bought a new 2015 Leaf a few days ago and I love it.
mbender is right, just stop and recharge, seems to help slow down life a bit to me.

Good luck!
Jeff

 

[minispeed]

If you haven't already map out your routes with plugshare.com and check out the reviews for any of the public chargers. Click on each one and read it. If it hasn't been used in a while go there and check it out to see if it's working. If you find you have more than 2 reliable ones then that changes things. If you have more than 2 Chademo L3s that's amazing!

They are best around the half way point or closer to your destination than where you started from. The leaf doesn't charge as fast after it's at 80% so if your L3 is close to your start location and you know you need more than 80% to go round trip it's a slower charge. I found this out after buying my leaf. My logic was that I have 2 L3s close to my work so if my L1 doesn't top me up enough I can stop before going home. In the real world I use 80% battery to go 70mph for 45 miles in -15 Celsius (brand new 2015) but if my L1 brings me up to 80% then when I hit the L3 it's no longer a fast charger above that. Even in that cold weather I can double my range by slowing down and turning off the heat so low range isn't so much a not being able to make it as much as a time and comfort cost. L2s are also best within the last 10 miles before your final destination. Since they are slower you're more likely to want to push it and see if you can do it before you stop at an L2. Also you may find that where you are going has an L2 you can use and then walk to your original destination. If you're there for a few hours that would make it easy as pie, speeding and with heat.

This justified a fancy WWII replica sheepskin fighter pilot jacket made for unheated cockpits at -30C. I told the wife if I didn't buy it I'd be stuck at the side of the road freezing to death and then she'd have to take out the garbage and shovel the driveway.

 

[nerys]

With a new leaf? no problem even in dead of winter you can make 59 miles

one problem. when the temps get around freezing you might not make that trip with the heater on. especially with the 65-70mph segments (that will REALLY suck down the juice)

after 2 years you will find that commute VERY difficult in winter even without heat.

after 3 years you might not make it anymore.

NOW if you can find a way to charge at work (EVEN L1 if charging for 5 or more hours) that commute will be ZERO problem. at all in any weather heat blasting.

my battery is down to 88% capacity. my commute is 53 miles one way. at 30' I can make it with the heater running IF I preheat the car first on umbilical power. (probably still make it if I don't but would be touchy)

below 30' I must turn off the heat for half the trip to insure I have enough power.

below 25' I can not use the heater. I have made the trip down to 9' and still have a kilowatt hour left in the battery.

NOW here is the big catch. cruise control set at 48mph (speed limit 50mph on the roads I use)

no way would I make that trip at 65mph. no way.

my suggestions to you? IF you have enough credit worthiness.

lease a honda fit ev cheap. then buy the next model leaf (2017 rumor) which will have MORE than sufficient range for your commute profile. even at 70mph.

OR just use your existing gas car for that once in a while 59mile commute.

 

[rob6894]

Thank you all!! In the summer is this a non issue?

 

[nerys]

I can not say for sure as i have never done sustained travel at 65mph

But i do not think you will have any trouble once temps get over 50'f

 

[mbender]

lease a honda fit ev cheap. then buy the next model leaf (2017 rumor) which will have MORE than sufficient range for your commute profile. even at 70mph.

I don't think the Honda Fit EV is even available anymore. Plus, it has a smaller battery / shorter range than the LEAF! Might you have meant the Kia Soul EV?

Leasing a LEAF or a Soul for two or three years (check to see if the state of CT offers a rebate, which might require a 3-year lease, as it is in CA) is a good idea. In three years, there will be MANY options to choose from, including, apparently, possibly, an offering from Apple! (We'll see on that last one.)

 

[nerys]

Too bad. Nice car i test drove one. Its a missile on wheels.

Nice thing is cheap lease included comp insurance and unlimited miles.

I could never lease anything else as the mileage would cost me a fortune and if i only drove 12k a year an ev woild not make sence financially until they lasted well over 200,000 miles.

So i bought a used leaf loving it. Even without heat best damned car i ever had so far.

 

[LeftieBiker]

It's been hinted, but I'll just state it outright: you will have no trouble with the proposed use of the car, if you *simply slow down to 60MPH*. Feel free to go 65-70MPH downhill, but otherwise just get used to driving in the right lane at 60, and the car will work fine, for years. Slowing down, BTW, is always faster than L-2 charging.

 

[apvbguy]

Hey I am new here and in the same situation.
I bought a new 2015 Leaf a few days ago and I love it.
mbender is right, just stop and recharge, seems to help slow down life a bit to me.

Good luck!
Jeff

just stop??? do you realize that not everyone has a conveniently located L3 near where they drive? in addition even if there are L3 units on the routes you use their dependability and availability isn't always guaranteed.

 

[skysail]

Hey I am new here and in the same situation.
I bought a new 2015 Leaf a few days ago and I love it.
mbender is right, just stop and recharge, seems to help slow down life a bit to me.

Good luck!
Jeff

just stop??? do you realize that not everyone has a conveniently located L3 near where they drive? in addition even if there are L3 units on the routes you use their dependability and availability isn't always guaranteed.

That's not exactly what I meant, and yes I do realize that. I do not have a single L3 near me. I have never even seen one.

 

[DesertSprings]

It's been hinted, but I'll just state it outright: you will have no trouble with the proposed use of the car, if you *simply slow down to 60MPH*. Feel free to go 65-70MPH downhill, but otherwise just get used to driving in the right lane at 60, and the car will work fine, for years. Slowing down, BTW, is always faster than L-2 charging.

Try that around here and a big rig will run you off the road for going so slow.

 

[finman100]

That's one way for a driver to lose their license. Plenty of other ways too. Driving the speed limit is NOT one of them. Unless, of course, other drivers are above the law.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Yes, once we let the scofflaws dictate *our* behavior, it's Game Over for civil society. We have the usual idiots doing 75 in a 55 zone here, too, but there are plenty of other drivers who will slow down and compromise at 60 once they see they aren't alone. Stay out of the fast lane while doing 60 and you'll be surprised (unless you expect zero problems) at how easy it is to drive efficiently and safely.

 

[nerys]

unless you live in psycho ville you will have NO problem with 60mph in the right hand lane. I have driven all over the country and never once had a problem doing 60 on ANY road ANYWHERE. no one nasty to me either. trust me. those guys are in the other lanes.

 

[greenleaf]

I Have been lurking this forum for a while. I am very torn between the leaf volt. I know the leafe would work great if 75 mile range was consistant. I know a good 85% of what I do the leaf is good for . About once every other week I have about a 59 mile round trip. about 35 miles of that trip is all highway. Doing this with an expected highway speed of 65Mph to 70Mph. Is the leaf capabale of this?

Thanks,
Rob

Other than the 65-mile round trip, what is your regular round trip mileage? If it is 40 miles or below, you should usually be able to go full electric with the Volt.

 

[mbender]

Hey I am new here and in the same situation.
I bought a new 2015 Leaf a few days ago and I love it.
mbender is right, just stop and recharge, seems to help slow down life a bit to me.

just stop??? do you realize that not everyone has a conveniently located L3 near where they drive? in addition even if there are L3 units on the routes you use their dependability and availability isn't always guaranteed.

That's not exactly what I meant, and yes I do realize that. I do not have a single L3 near me. I have never even seen one.

'psychoville' 'scufflas', 'idiots', 'end of civll society', 'above the law', '75 in 55', etc.

I agree. "Slow" has a bad rep in this culture (for many reasons), but hopefully that is, er, slowly beginning to change. I am trying to embrace the philosophy, meself. So far though? Mixed results. ;-)


ps. skysail, don't fret it: after a while, you'll get used to apvb or at least learn to anticipate or ignore his curt remarks, the intent of which is often to rankle or just be contrarian.