Stoaty's Guide to Energy Efficient Driving of the Leaf

[Yodrak]

+1 Correct usage - what a pleasure!

If we can affect a tiny % of these drivers, we can save lots of energy.

We hope to make them funny so they'll have better effect, but we'll see.

 

[GreenFoot]

Is there any value in shifting between D and Eco. Certainly, in D you can coast much further than when in Eco mode. I haven't done a real test yet, but I think this way of driving may work.

 

[shay]

Is there any value in shifting between D and Eco. Certainly, in D you can coast much further than when in Eco mode. I haven't done a real test yet, but I think this way of driving may work.

The regen increases in eco and the climate control gets dialed down some are the big changes in efficiency. Of course the throttle travel changes as well.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Is there any value in shifting between D and Eco. Certainly, in D you can coast much further than when in Eco mode. I haven't done a real test yet, but I think this way of driving may work.

no. shift to eco and stay that way. reasons why i do it

D: can coast farther, but around here, traffic means i usually have no room to coast even a little. besides, in eco, a light pressure on the pedal applying no power does the same thing.

also, with traffic frequent braking is needed but at different rates. many times, coasting in eco provides me enough to slow down to compensate for traffic with ZERO RISK OF ENGAGING FRICTION BRAKES. i can coast from 40 mph to 10 mph in a few blocks. drive mode means moving my foot to the brake. ok, ya so i am lazy but i have actually driven all the way to work without touching the brake one single time except to park. try that in drive.

 

[LEAFfan]

+1 Correct usage - what a pleasure!

If we can affect a tiny % of these drivers, we can save lots of energy.
We hope to make them funny so they'll have better effect, but we'll see.

Be careful Yodrak, some people don't like to know (want to remain usage illiterate) that they have used incorrect usage and they will flame you with their impolite rhetoric. One such impolite poster (won't mention his name) even told me to leave the forum and he wasn't even the one I was trying to help! Unbelievable! I really appreciated when a poster corrected my 'kW h' because electrical jargon isn't my forte. I was writing Kwh. They gave me a Wiki and now I use the correct or preferred abbrev.

 

[LEAFfan]

Is there any value in shifting between D and Eco. Certainly, in D you can coast much further than when in Eco mode. I haven't done a real test yet, but I think this way of driving may work.

Absolutely stay in ECO if you want the most efficient m/kW h. If you want to coast a long distance, just put it in 'N' with a quick flick to 'R'. I really appreciate the poster that told me this shortcut to 'N'. If you hold it to the left for maybe 3 secs, it will shift to 'N'. :mrgreen:

 

[Essiemme]

...

Any other eco-obsessive drivers out there?

YES! Indeed!

I even brake my CI vehicle using the AC... :shock:

Is this some kind of "paranoia" ???

:lol:

(...for the record, I don't have my Leaf yet...)

 

[Yodrak]

I'm not sure I understand - I was praising correct usage, not correcting incorrect usage. (Although I have been known to do the latter from time to time. )

Anyway, IEEE/ASTM recommended standard abbreviation for kilowatthour is kWh.
http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/ias/pub-dept/abbreviation.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I believe the SI standard accepts either kW h or kW.h (the dot should be mid height, but I don't know how to raise it off the floor).

Carry on.

Be careful Yodrak, some people don't like to know (want to remain usage illiterate) that they have used incorrect usage and they will flame you with their impolite rhetoric. One such impolite poster (won't mention his name) even told me to leave the forum and he wasn't even the one I was trying to help! Unbelievable! I really appreciated when a poster corrected my 'kW h' because electrical jargon isn't my forte. I was writing Kwh. They gave me a Wiki and now I use the correct or preferred abbrev.

+1 Correct usage - what a pleasure!

If we can affect a tiny % of these drivers, we can save lots of energy.
We hope to make them funny so they'll have better effect, but we'll see.

Be careful Yodrak, some people don't like to know (want to remain usage illiterate) that they have used incorrect usage and they will flame you with their impolite rhetoric. One such impolite poster (won't mention his name) even told me to leave the forum and he wasn't even the one I was trying to help! Unbelievable! I really appreciated when a poster corrected my 'kW h' because electrical jargon isn't my forte. I was writing Kwh. They gave me a Wiki and now I use the correct or preferred abbrev.

 

[CWO4Mann]

But I'm not convinced that impeding the flow of traffic is worthwhile just for the sake of saving some kWh. I'm not just saying this because of "haters" out there. At this point, we are the ambassadors for a new way of driving, using electricity. Some of us, like my family with our Christian-themed license plate frames, use our cars to promote other causes as well.

You could impede traffic and use reverse psychology, put on some atheist bumper stickers or perhaps pro Obama propaganda.. save the Planet and America at the same time!

If you go to any large truck stop on the interstate, you will find all kinds, I say again, ALL kinds of bumper stickers. Some of which would get you charged with a hate crime out in the West Coast area. My opinion about bumper stickers is that I don't do them. At all. No matter WHAT you put on your vehicle, there will be someone who will be offended, angry, crazed, etc., by your sticker. For instance, I used to get really torqued by those Christian Fish symbol magnets that had been modified with little feet. Took me asking a guy in a parking lot one time what they meant (a pean to Darwin and/or evolution). I think it is a good idea to not give any wackos out there any possible excuse to do what ever their fevered minds are concocting.

As far as hypermiling, I am like that other OP and just drive the Leaf as I would any other car and in my style of driving that is pedal to the metal most of the time. I bet I am one of the few Leafs with a Valentine Radar detector.

Anyway, happy trails to you -- I haven't bought any gasoline since December 5th of last year and that's good enuff for me.

Dave

 

[thankyouOB]

i folo the stoaty rules, especially not exceeding 60-65 on freeways except for safety/passing situations. I do not cruise ever above 65, regardless of the speed of traffic.
I use eco mostly, but do coast in Neutral and D.
I am in platinum all 10 months but one in gold.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i took a bed and dresser from IKEA in Renton, WA to Olympia which is almost 50 miles on 3 different Freeways. i did not exceed 50 mph at any time.

so, now lets hear about how that is not possible in your backyard. when gas hits $6 a gallon, we will see what is possible.

 

[Luft]

i took a bed and dresser from IKEA in Renton, WA to Olympia which is almost 50 miles on 3 different Freeways. i did not exceed 50 mph at any time.

so, now lets hear about how that is not possible in your backyard. when gas hits $6 a gallon, we will see what is possible.

Since I got my LEAF last September I haven't purchased gas since. I was out today and looked over at a gas station and was shocked to see that the price of regular was over $4.00 / gallon! That makes driving pretty expensive even in my Prius. I pity my wife. She drives the Prius and has to fill the tank.

 

[widgetboy]

OK, so I get that you can quickly pop the LEAF in N by selecting R while driving at speed.

Once in N, does it matter what speed you're going if you want to put in back in D/ECO?

Thanks!

 

[Stoaty]

OK, so I get that you can quickly pop the LEAF in N by selecting R while driving at speed.

Once in N, does it matter what speed you're going if you want to put in back in D/ECO?

No, but if you put it in ECO and you are going fairly fast there will be quite a bit of regen. I usually put it in D, push some on the accelerator, then change to ECO and press more on the accelerator to avoid unneeded regen.

 

[garsh]

Once in N, does it matter what speed you're going if you want to put in back in D/ECO?

No. Remember, the motor is constantly connected to the drivetrain. Putting it in neutral only disconnects the motor electrically, not mechanically. So putting it "back in gear" just switches the power electronics again.

As Stoaty says, you'll want to push a little on the accelerator when shifting back to D, otherwise, regen will kick in. I usually don't bother putting it into ECO at highway speeds.

 

[widgetboy]

WOW!! Thank You, Thank You.

My daily commute just went from an average of 4.2 to 5.2 mi/kWh.

This little car can coast!

 

[GlennD]

I purchased a Champion backup generator to have on hand. For the first time since December 18 I purchased gas (0nly 4 gal).

 

[Stoaty]

WOW!! Thank You, Thank You.

My daily commute just went from an average of 4.2 to 5.2 mi/kWh.

This little car can coast!

Yes, once you know how to drive it you can easily beat 5 miles per kWh (on the dash) if you aren't in a hurry. At 8400 miles I still have a lifetime average of 5.7 miles per kWh--and my daily commute involves over 1,000 feet of elevation gain (and loss, of course).

 

[TonyWilliams]

WOW!! Thank You, Thank You.

My daily commute just went from an average of 4.2 to 5.2 mi/kWh.

This little car can coast!

Yes, once you know how to drive it you can easily beat 5 miles per kWh (on the dash) if you aren't in a hurry. At 8400 miles I still have a lifetime average of 5.7 miles per kWh--and my daily commute involves over 1,000 feet of elevation gain (and loss, of course).

I was cruising down the freeway at almost 80mph today, not getting 5.7 miles/kWh, and a LEAF pulled up along side and waved hi.

I wonder if he was getting 5.7 ?

 

[Stoaty]

I was cruising down the freeway at almost 80mph today, not getting 5.7 miles/kWh, and a LEAF pulled up along side and waved hi.

I wonder if he was getting 5.7 ?

I would guess that together you WERE getting 5.7 -- 2.85 + 2.85 :lol: