Dashboard range estimates

New owner of a used 2018 Leaf. About 25,000 miles or so on the odometer.

This is my first electric vehicle and I am already starting to get range anxiety and wondering if I made the right choice.

Is it normal for the range estimate to be so damn inaccurate?

For reference I have a 65 mile round trip commute, so just over 32 miles one way. I left the house this morning with an estimate of 113 miles on the battery. Got to work with 57! That's a loss of 56 miles. If that is accurate now I won't likely make it home this afternoon without stopping for a quick charge. I haven't noticed it drop this fast every time but definitely today.

Computer says I am at 3.2 miles/kwh after I reset it on taking ownership 9 days ago. So by that token, I should be getting around 128 miles on a charge which would be more than enough for my daily commute, but going by the range estimates on the dash this doesn't match up.

Yes I had the heat on, set to 70 degrees (it is 33 out this morning). I did kill the heater about halfway through after nervously watching the numbers drop.

I am stating to think that an EV was not a viable option for me, unless it was something with over 200 mi range.

Is there anything I am missing here? Is my vehicle degrading more than is normal?!

The range estimator, commonly referred to as the "Guess O Meter" because it isn't very good, uses the last few minutes of driving energy use as the basis for its estimate. so unless you drive it hard just before parking it, it starts out too optimistic. It is actually worse on older Leafs. You need to give more information on your car: model, whether or not it has the All Weather Package, and your climate. Then we can help you. Also, read this:

https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=23297&p=482154

I will say that the GOM on our Leaf Plus is really not much better than on our older 2015, it still can not figure out that if you coast downhill for ten miles you will PROBABLY have to climb that hill to get home. This can not be a hard algorithm to design...... And I agree that using the heat is a substantial draw, although it should not be more than a quarter to a third of the energy used or so (based solely on a month's worth of casual observation....)

I will say that the GOM on our Leaf Plus is really not much better than on our older 2015, it still can not figure out that if you coast downhill for ten miles you will PROBABLY have to climb that hill to get home.

Click to expand...

The company that wrote that code can't seem to figure out how to implement adjustable charge limits, or understand that not everyone who can afford an SL wants a leather interior. They wouldn't, after all, want their cars to be smarter than they are, would they...?

@RedBeard,

There are countermeasures you can take to get better range. It just takes a little practice and attention to details.

Preheat the car on defrost mode while plugged in to the EV_SE. This gets the inside warm and doesn't use the pack.

Use the seat heater and steering wheel heater; wear an extra layer, a jacket, gloves and a hat if necessary.

Only run the defrost as necessary for safe vision.

Shift into ECO instead of D; stay off the brakes as much as possible--never accelerate toward a red light, coast up to stop lights; don't exceed the speed limit; if not in traffic drive at 5 under the limit.

You should be able to squeeze at least 4 miles/kwh, and with practice get above 4.5 up to 5. Every little bit helps and it becomes a game to see how far you can go.

On the center console select the energy info button to see how much the climate control is using, also shows your driving consumption and regen level while coasting, much better than the dashboard bubbles.

Preheat the car on defrost mode while plugged in to the EV_SE. This gets the inside warm and doesn't use the pack.

Click to expand...

This applies to L-2 charging (240 volts) of at least 16 amps. If you are using a 120 volt EVSE then there will be a net loss of charge, but a 5 minute preheat will still help, as about half of it will be using "shore power."

Original Poster: is it possible that you climb uphill to work, and coast on the way home? The GOM won't tell you much about that- by now you already know whether it reduces your Miles Left to Travel by the same amount both going to and returning from work but this can be deceiving to the new driver until you get used to the terrain....

Your actual SoC will also be lower when you get less than 60% remaining. I think it will be about 10% higher when it says 20% remaining. Get an obdii adapter and Leafspy to see your actual SoC.

RedBeardNP said:

Is it normal for the range estimate to be so damn inaccurate?

Click to expand...

In the LEAF, the answer is yes.

LeftieBiker said:

The range estimator, commonly referred to as the "Guess O Meter" because it isn't very good, uses the last few minutes of driving energy use as the basis for its estimate. so unless you drive it hard just before parking it, it starts out too optimistic. It is actually worse on older Leafs. You need to give more information on your car: model, whether or not it has the All Weather Package, and your climate. Then we can help you. Also, read this:

https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=23297&p=482154

Click to expand...

All range or length estimators are "Guess O Meters", term is far older than the LEAF. At least as far back as 1943, perhaps older.

Yes, the LEAF's range estimate isn't very good, much of the time.

For the first time ever yesterday I left the house with fewer miles showing on the GOM than when I returned. Drove about 25 miles, left with 188 showing and returned with 189. It was seriously guessing.....