I Beat EPA's 2.9 Miles/KWh : Report Your Monthly Mileage

[edatoakrun]

April mileage:

Wall-to-wheels: 4.0 miles/kWh

Dash: 4.6 miles/kWh

Charging efficiency at 240 V, 16 A: ~84% (included some charges to 100%, which are less efficient than charging to 80% or less)

As the weather warms, and April was unseasonably warm and dry here, my miles/kWh continues to increase. I'm curious as to what sort of numbers I will get in summer. I'll never get the numbers that the mild-weather flatlanders get, but I think I might get as high as 5.0 on the dash...

If you take a look at your CW report for April, you might find that it matches your “dash” (behind the wheel-right?) average.

If you also recorded a monthly m/kWh report from the nav screen, it might be more accurate, as both the dash and CW may be under-reporting m/kWh by the same 2.5%. (due to the same odometer error?)

Below are my CW averages since delivery, from the “Regional Rankings” page.

Your rank for the past 12 months
Month and Year Grade Rank Energy Economy
May/2011 Gold 492 5.4 miles/kWh*
Jun/2011 Gold 695 5.7 miles/kWh*
Jul/2011 Gold 1651 5.3 miles/kWh*
Aug/2011 Bronze 3622 4.2 miles/kWh
Sep/2011 Silver 3457 4.5 miles/kWh
Oct/2011 Silver 3640 4.2 miles/kWh
Nov/2011 Gold 2792 4.2 miles/kWh
Dec/2011 Gold 2827 4.0 miles/kWh
Jan/2012 Gold 2547 4.2 miles/kWh
Feb/2012 Gold 2354 4.4 miles/kWh
Mar/2012 Gold 2975 4.3 miles/kWh
Apr/2012 Gold 2992 4.5 miles/kWh


May, June an July 2011 not comparable, since these are from before I had the CW update done, at the beginning of August.*

Everyone’s annual m/kWh curve will look somewhat different, for various climates, and as they modify their driving, charging, and climate control use, seasonally.

I doubt I’ll ever get much outside of the 4.0-4-5 range though (at least until DC charging comes to I-5, allowing me to add a lot of high-speed, and low m/kWh, freeway miles).

I may even begin to see a smaller dip in efficiency show up in midsummer, as I do most of my driving in the Northern Sacramento valley, where daily temperatures are frequently over 100 F, and AC use is significant.

[EdmondLeaf]

[dgpcolorado]

If you take a look at your CW report for April, you might find that it matches your “dash” (behind the wheel-right?) average.

If you also recorded a monthly m/kWh report from the nav screen, it might be more accurate, as both the dash and CW may be under-reporting m/kWh by the same 2.5%. (due to the same odometer error?)

I did take a look at the Carwings report yesterday for the first time (had some trouble finding it). It was just gibberish. Whether that is because I don't always push the "yes" button or because there is no cell reception in my garage I don't know. But the information was not accurate or useful.

I reset the dash mileage meter monthly and the console one daily (because I like to watch it fluctuate from the sevens to the low fours on a single trip). The nice thing about a monthly reset is that it averages out individual trip variations and is giving a very consistent pattern from the warming weather. It doesn't really matter that the reading is fairly coarse because my "wall" readings of kWh are what really counts for mileage cost and that meter is likely quite accurate:

[edatoakrun]

...I did take a look at the Carwings report yesterday for the first time (had some trouble finding it). It was just gibberish. Whether that is because I don't always push the "yes" button or because there is no cell reception in my garage I don't know. But the information was not accurate or useful...

Cell reception shouldn't be a problem. Mine is marginal at home, but it updates and recovers all CW driving reports, whenever I drive into Cell range.

But yes, CW will only function if you "accept" it.

If you do, you should get the same consistency and accuracy as shown in EdmondLeaf's post of daily use above.

Just check your car odometer and CW against another source (like google maps) for miles, and correct as necessary, for the greatest accuracy.

Most have reported the same experience I have had, a 2.5% constant under-report for CW (on new stock tires) and that the dash odometer is very close to accurate.

[dgpcolorado]

Cell reception shouldn't be a problem. Mine is marginal at home, but it updates and recovers all CW driving reports, whenever I drive into Cell range.

But yes, CW will only function if you "accept" it.

If you do, you should get the same consistency and accuracy as shown in EdmondLeaf's post of daily use above.

Just check your car odometer and CW against another source (like google maps) for miles, and correct as necessary, for the greatest accuracy.

Most have reported the same experience I have had, a 2.5% constant under-report for CW (on new stock tires) and that the dash odometer is very close to accurate.

I have noticed that the console mileage meter runs about 0.1 miles higher than the dash one, when I run them simultaneously at the beginning of the month. That's about the 2.5% you mentioned. Others have reported the same.

I doubt that Google maps could handle the complex terrain where I live with accuracy. But it isn't really necessary anyway since the car odometer, whether precisely accurate or not, is consistent, except over long time periods due to tire wear. Carwings isn't necessary to get mileage data, I just log the car odometer several times a week. That's a lot easier than remembering to push the "yes" button ten times a day.

[N1ghtrider]

Month and Year Grade Rank Energy Economy
Dec/2011 Platinum 574 5.2 miles/kWh
Jan/2012 Platinum 750 5.2 miles/kWh
Feb/2012 Platinum 848 5.2 miles/kWh
Mar/2012 Platinum 769 5.4 miles/kWh
Apr/2012 Platinum 1179 5.3 miles/kWh

[edatoakrun]

...I doubt that Google maps could handle the complex terrain where I live with accuracy. But it isn't really necessary anyway since the car odometer, whether precisely accurate or not, is consistent, except over long time periods due to tire wear. Carwings isn't necessary to get mileage data, I just log the car odometer several times a week. That's a lot easier than remembering to push the "yes" button ten times a day.

IMO, Google maps is at least as precise as the odometer, as long as your road is in its database.

I'd just suggest all Leaf drivers check a long trip by an accurate third source occasionally, if they wish to calibrate both their dash and CW odometers for greatest accuracy.

No need to check frequently, as CW is as entirely "consistent" as the dash odometer, and should actually be more accurate than the dash, for LEAFs with significant tread-wear, or that have replacement tires with slightly smaller circumferences.

I don't find that pushing "accept" is all that difficult.

I start-up, and while I'm buckling in, the accept screen comes up. I then accept, and put the nav screen in my preferred mode in one step.

[edatoakrun]

Month and Year Grade Rank Energy Economy
Dec/2011 Platinum 574 5.2 miles/kWh
Jan/2012 Platinum 750 5.2 miles/kWh
Feb/2012 Platinum 848 5.2 miles/kWh
Mar/2012 Platinum 769 5.4 miles/kWh
Apr/2012 Platinum 1179 5.3 miles/kWh

Unless you are determined to sweat it out, you might find those high averages hard to maintain, over the Florida Summer.

[mkjayakumar]

I thought summer is when it is relatively easier to get better mileage

[edatoakrun]

I thought summer is when it is relatively easier to get better mileage

In terms of total range, I'd expect that probably to be so, even in Florida, where reduction of available battery capacity in Winter is minimal.

But I expect that AC use could exceed summer efficiency gains, as calculated in m/kWh.

We should see the seasonal results, in various climates, over the next few months.