How realistic is this with the leaf

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LeftieBiker said:
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.

Totally agree! I stay in the right lane and maintain a speed of 50-55 mph, which results in an efficiency
of 4.8-5.1 miles/kWh. I continually monitor the rear view mirror, though, i.e. my outlook at any speed.
I've calculated all the distances for my daily customer visits and know exactly where the QCs are if I need
to do a 100+ mile trip. I never spend more than 10-15 minutes for a QC which then provides 40-50
additional miles. Yes, you never really know whether the planned QC location will be 'down' or not.
There's always a L2 location as a backup. I carry an EVSE with multiple adapters, e.g. 14-50, just in case.
 
4.8 to 5.1 /kw seems fictional to me. Is this hot weather mileage? At 55mph i do not get close to that. I have never driven in warm temps however. Got it last september. just put 11,000 miles on it tonight

I have also found the m/kwh calculation done by the car to be less than accurate. It 100% of the time is dangerously generous I think.

Hell the kwh it reads from the battery seems almost fictional. Very annoying. But you learn the real world limits fast enough.
 
nerys said:
4.8 to 5.1 /kw seems fictional to me. Is this hot weather mileage? At 55mph i do not get close to that. I have never driven in warm temps however. Got it last september. just put 11,000 miles on it tonight

I have also found the m/kwh calculation done by the car to be less than accurate. It 100% of the time is dangerously generous I think.

Hell the kwh it reads from the battery seems almost fictional. Very annoying. But you learn the real world limits fast enough.

I agree about a reliance on the displayed efficiency number. The number 4.8-5.1 results from not maintaining
a constant 55 mph but staying above 50 mph. The temp now is in the 70-80s in SoCal. I just monitor the
Ahr being displayed by the LeafDD and watch 'power dots' on the display and try to not exceed two dots,
i.e. use less than about 15-20 kw of power while cruising at 50-55 mph.
 
nerys said:
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.
You have been very lucky.
I don't encounter the moronic driving of the 5% of truck drivers that are idiots every day, but encountered it twice in one day last week.
The idiot was wanting to pass on the right at 15 mph over the limit and honestly got less than 18" from my bumper and came close to hitting the left side of the car as he passed, and while driving a tandem trailer truck.

My uncle drove those for a living.
They are a real challenge to drive safely.

The 5% of truck drivers that are unsafe morons should be eliminated from driving through mandatory dash cam monitors required on front, rear, and both sides that have to be reviewed by company they drive for.
That would eliminate the morons.
 
nerys said:
Ahhh 70 to 80. I have not even had the car above 60' yet maybe 50'

Last month it was in the 50-60s, and some mornings in the 40s, here and my Ahr capacity
after a 100% charge was still withing 1-2% of where it is now in the higher temps. So my range
hasn't really changed with the higher temps. Significant range changes will most likely occur
at the temp extremes.
 
My kwh rating never changes. Alwaya 17.7 to 18.4 at 50' or 8'

How much i get FROM those kwh changes dramatically :)
 
59 miles without charging shouldn't be a problem in warm weather, but in my experience (in Upstate NY with a 2+ year-old Leaf) you'll need to be willing to forgo using the heater and sometimes take extreme measures to keep your windshield clear in cold weather to complete a 60 mile trip when you're car isn't new. It's possible, though. I am currently commuting over 70 miles 5 days/week for the semester. With the weather we've had lately, I've been stopping to charge Level 2 at 60 miles, by which time I've already hit the very low battery warning, and I do not drive over 55. Today I started with 241 gids and finished the 60-mile leg of my commute with 20 gids (I think turtle would kick in somewhere around 10 gids). I've used anti-fog stuff on my windows, but when it's still dark at 5am I often have to crack the windows to keep my window from fogging without turning on the heat (the anti-fog stuff seems to work but not when it's dark and cold out). I find that I can keep sufficiently warm by putting a blanket on my lap, wearing warm boots with thick socks over my dress socks (that I take off when I put on my dress shoes), and by wearing a warm jacket and sweaters (I also use the seat heater). Even when it was -4* last Friday morning and I had the windows cracked, I was fine (I've seen as cold as -12* this year on my commute-- I survived that, too). However, many people might not be willing to do things like this, and I wouldn't recommend the Leaf to them if A) they live in a cold climate B) they have a commute over 50 miles (which would still be pushing it in you're using the heat on cold day in the Northeast).
 
Thanks Everyone!!! Where I live we have quick chargers popping up along the highway and other area. I am struggling between leasing an S with QC package and the SV without. My main interest in the SV besides heat pump is the energy readouts on the display. SV with QC package is out of my budget. A?ny Recomendations
 
will those QC's also L2? ie will they work in the SV? if yes and if you only need a little but of a charge and don't mind waiting around to get that charge then I would go with the SV.
 
rob6894 said:
Thanks Everyone!!! Where I live we have quick chargers popping up along the highway and other area. I am struggling between leasing an S with QC package and the SV without. My main interest in the SV besides heat pump is the energy readouts on the display. SV with QC package is out of my budget. A?ny Recomendations
With your 40 mile roundtrip commute and location in Connecticut best approach is wait and save enough to get SV with QC.
You need the heat pump.
Regrettable that Nissan bundled the QC with expensive option including LED lights.
But as your area gets more DCQC not having it on the car will be a shortcoming on some occasions.

But if you will not wait, in Connecticut the heat pump is more critical than QC.
 
In my opinion, based on experience, the Leaf is a pretty terrible vehicle to own if you have any significant winter driving to do because its range is ghastly when it's cold out and you're using the heat.

I know the newer leafs are capable of slightly better range than the older, but in New York state where I live I was able to hit turtle on my 2012 Leaf, on a 100% charge with all 12 bars one winter day last year ~ 35 miles. The despicable range of the Leaf in the winter is the only reason I got rid of it.

When the car is cold soaked (batteries start very cold) and temps are in the single digits, and you're using the heat liberally (the day I turtled I had heat on max all day--not because I was trying to kill the range, but because I decided I was going to refuse lowering heat to enhance range) winter range is horrendous. My driving on that particular day was averaging speeds of about 30 mph, basically suburban driving with a little bit of traffic, but nothing too bad.

Personally I would not buy a leaf if I wanted it to reliably make 59 miles in CT in the winter, because I don't believe in 2015 we should be setting cabin heat down just to help cover the weak range of a vehicle. Also, that 59 miles could end up being a long drive indeed in the middle of inclement winter weather. One could find oneself creeping along at 5 mph with the heat on bust in 4 F temps, and that is annihilate range of even a brand new Leaf, guaranteed.

I do think that for people in winter climates the Leaf is not a car I would recommend until Nissan has increased its range at least 50%. That would allow a person during the entire lease of their vehicle to reliably make 50 miles in winter driving when the car starts cold and the occupant isn't expected to freeze to death.
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.
In my experience this advice would be insufficient to make 59 miles on a particularly cold day in the Leaf.

As the OP has no doubt noticed, there are many people who are so desperate to find their Leaf acceptable that they are willing to drive with the heat set to uncomfortably low levels or drive significantly below the speed limit. I don't think this kind of behavior benefits the EV community at all and on the contrary merely illuminates the shortcomings of the vehicles even more. When I have mentioned to co-workers that some recommend setting the heat lower or slowing down to coax enough range out of the EV they predictably and understandably find the notion shocking, for these are things they've not done in any vehicle ever, even ones bought decades ago.

I think the leaf is an excellent car and drives very well, but this is only with the caveat that it is unfit for winter climates. I expect Nissan will fix that, given enough time.
 
**** man. below 30'f i straight dont use the heat when working. I pull 80 to 120 miles a day (charging inbetween runs)

No heat sucks but $120 a week gasoline bill sucks more :)

Is it for everyone? Hell no. But if you are willing to live with restrictions the benefits are amazing.

If and only if you drive 20k miles or more per year.

Otherwise wait till gen 2 in 2 years. 200 miles is a flat out game changer.
 
In my opinion, based on experience, the Leaf is a pretty terrible vehicle to own if you have any significant winter driving to do because its range is ghastly when it's cold out and you're using the heat.

While I agree the Leaf isn't the best car for long drives in cold weather, you are going too far the other way. I can drive 50 miles easily in single digit weather, with the heat set to 74 (fan on 2nd lowest speed) simply by not driving fast (60 in a 65 isn't exactly criminally, slow, BTW). I could manage 60 miles by using most of the reserve. When the temps are above 23F I can drive 60 miles, just hitting the first battery warning. It would be most accurate to say that the Leaf isn't a good "high speed commuter." It would also be accurate to say the the Leaf S isn't a great choice for Winter driving, except for shorter trips.
 
Not sure how you are doing that. With temp set at 70 and pre heating on umbilical power and steady state driving below 50mph i can not make my 54m commute Below 30' i can use heat for about a third of the trip down ro 25' (less than 2.5kwh remaining)

At 10' i have around 1kwh remaining with no heat Running except to preheat on umbilical power.

I have 18kwh available power under optimal full charge conditions many times 17.2kwh

If i tried to go 60mph no way could i make the trip even without heat?

I figure if i had a new battery i could use hest down to 20' (my battery isnat 88.25%)
 
nerys said:
Not sure how you are doing that. With temp set at 70 and pre heating on umbilical power and steady state driving below 50mph i can not make my 54m commute Below 30' i can use heat for about a third of the trip down ro 25' (less than 2.5kwh remaining)

At 10' i have around 1kwh remaining with no heat Running except to preheat on umbilical power.

I have 18kwh available power under optimal full charge conditions many times 17.2kwh

If i tried to go 60mph no way could i make the trip even without heat?

I figure if i had a new battery i could use hest down to 20' (my battery isnat 88.25%)

grab a http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0036E9VB6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=W23AUJUKVOD1&coliid=I2KTSFWK4GY0Z5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or http://smile.amazon.com/Slime-40022-12-Volt-Digital-Inflator/dp/B002ZBWKAU/ref=lp_155346011_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1424981885&sr=1-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The slime digital is not as user friendly but cheaper, the analog VIAIR 85P Portable Air Compressor is fire and forget friendly.

either way let your car sit in the parking lot for 4 hours and come back when it is 30F or below and pump those tires up then. Don't pump them up in the warmth of your garage or shortly after driving.

Be darn sure that you have good air pressure even when the rubber gets below 30F.

So many people that complain about winter efficiency (ICE MPG or winter EV range) just don't put enough air in the tires in the winter time.

On my Prius I'm running 46F/42R right now and that is if I check around 30F.

Just before the cold snap this winter I had pressure set about 45F/42R at 60F we hit a single digits and before I got around to it I drove on the lower inflation for a few days in the cold and finally took the time to pump up the tires in the cold of the parking lot. I gained 5-10% range just by adding air to my tires at the new reduced ambient.

Nobody is going to bother changing the air pressure on a daily basis but if you get a sever weather shift and its colder add air. If you need the range don't wait for a monthly or quarterly check and definitely don't rely on a shop/mechanic/dealership to add the air for you. They won't let the car sit 4 hours outside and add air in the cold. They won't generally pump the tire up enough if if the inside and outside temperatures match.

Preheat your cabin if you want, run heat if you want. But check your tire pressure cold, and I mean really cold.
 
I am pretty sure I have them at 36psi cold (sub 20') I will double check that. I use leaf spy to read the tire pressure and make sure it does not go low

what can I safely run the ecopia's at ?

I have a good cyclone compressor. great units. most of the time I just use the wawa pump the new ones are great. set the pressure slide it on and forget it till its done (the metal TPMS stems let the pressure nozzle "stick" in place so you don't have to hold it. LOVE IT. I want them on all my cars badly!!

5-10% is a huge difference. let me know.
 
nerys said:
I am pretty sure I have them at 36psi cold (sub 20') I will double check that. I use leaf spy to read the tire pressure and make sure it does not go low

what can I safely run the ecopia's at ?

I have a good cyclone compressor. great units. most of the time I just use the wawa pump the new ones are great. set the pressure slide it on and forget it till its done (the metal TPMS stems let the pressure nozzle "stick" in place so you don't have to hold it. LOVE IT. I want them on all my cars badly!!

5-10% is a huge difference. let me know.

are they OEM ecopias or retail?

To be sure check the sidewall max pressure but I'm assuming you have 205/55-16 and for that the retail Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 (Grand Touring All-Season) is 44 PSI max cold.

You can decide where you want to set it by comparing the ratio front vs rear on the door jamb label if it recommends 34F/32/R you are safe in the range of equal front rear to front being 4PSI higher than rear.

If you have the compressor handy just pump it up to 44F and 42R at your cold ambient and try it out. If you don't like the feel lower the PSI by 1 each day until you find a compromise between range and comfort.

Personally I'm used to driving on tires around mid 40s tire pressure. You may be used to a softer ride.

Short answer I'd say higher tire pressures between doorjamb label and sidwall max are safer but comfort is more the issue than safety when you talk tire pressure in that range.
 
I'll just pump them to 44 psi as that is what my sidewall says I believe these are factory tires I am Not sure the car only had 4800 miles on it when I bought it I had to replace one tire as the alignment was off but I replaced it with a factory wheel from another leaf with a stock tire on it. I Drive geo metros with 50 psi trust me comfort is not an issue for me the leaf is the most comfortable car I have ever driven second only to my club wagon. if money was no object to me I would drive that Club Wagon exclusively forever the most comfortable vehicle hands down.
 
I had my tires at 44psi in the fall, but since winter set in LeafSpy shows them as between 36 and 40. If you pump the tires to 44 psi when it's 20F ambient, and then the temps go up to 45F, what happens to the pressure in tires? How urgent is it to bleed the pressure down?
 
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