My first winter in NE w/ my 2012 Leaf

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Valid8r

Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2012
Messages
17
Location
Boston, MA
Tips? I'm only just beginning to explore the mysteries of the heating system. I just shortened my commute to about 40 miles RT so I don't think I'll have any issues with using the heater during my morning and evening drive. So the problems I'm beginning to see are the issues around the defrost settings and the way the auto climate control mode work. I've read some of the complex posts about how the mode and auto features work, but to be honest, I still don't think I understand it all. I've figured out the simple aspect of pre-warming the car at a set time in the morning so that's ok, but is there any way to ever get a real blast of heat when your fingers are cold? Does it ever get 'really' hot (if you want to waste the energy)?

Any all thoughts/ideas/help are appreciated.

Thanks,
Jon
 
The steering wheel heater and seat heaters use a fraction of the power that CC uses and you are already doing the pre heat so you should be good to go.

I have done 65 miles on some rather cold days, so 40 miles should be easy. There is also the old school method of cracking the drivers window open 1/4 inch to keep the fog off the windshield.

Do you park inside a garage or outdoors ?
 
defrost usage is a major deal for me as well (we AVERAGE 100% humidity EVERY morning in Winter... so ya, we get fog) but defrost introduces cold air and is a power hog so i usually toggle it on and off as needed. for most Winter days, i can get away with this since our weather is relatively moderate despite our northern lattitude

in the morning because i am coming from a much warmer garage, the heat need is much smaller. i am almost always fresh out of a hot shower (i change my routine during Winter to where the shower is the last thing before i get out the door)

however, the afternoon when the car has been sitting outside all day, the heat need is pretty much required. i have played with the settings and found that cranking the temp control to 90 and slowly building up fan speed works well for me. i dont usually have an extreme need for heat and the typical temps are upper 30's low 40's during late winter afternoons (it is pitch dark by 4:30 here after the time change)
 
KJD said:
The steering wheel heater and seat heaters use a fraction of the power that CC uses and you are already doing the pre heat so you should be good to go.

I have done 65 miles on some rather cold days, so 40 miles should be easy. There is also the old school method of cracking the drivers window open 1/4 inch to keep the fog off the windshield.

Do you park inside a garage or outdoors ?

Thanks for the reply, I do have a garage, but that is relegated to the wife's car so the Leaf is outdoors. I do use the seat and steering wheel heater ('tho the steering wheel heater shuts off after a short while and I have to toggle it on/off as it must have a thermal switch to prevent burning it out)
 
Valid8r said:
Thanks for the reply, I do have a garage, but that is relegated to the wife's car so the Leaf is outdoors. I do use the seat and steering wheel heater ('tho the steering wheel heater shuts off after a short while and I have to toggle it on/off as it must have a thermal switch to prevent burning it out)

You might want to renegotiate that deal: parking the Leaf inside will help with a couple of things:
1) charging efficiency (not to mention bad weather protection)
2) pre-heating in the morning helps a LOT, even in moderate climates like I live in

Again, you can't do much about the afternoon return trip home (sometimes a sunny afternoon helps back off the heat a bit), but you can do a LOT about the overnight charging efficiency and pre-heat by keeping it in the garage.
 
Valid8r said:
KJD said:
The steering wheel heater and seat heaters use a fraction of the power that CC uses and you are already doing the pre heat so you should be good to go.

I have done 65 miles on some rather cold days, so 40 miles should be easy. There is also the old school method of cracking the drivers window open 1/4 inch to keep the fog off the windshield.

Do you park inside a garage or outdoors ?

Thanks for the reply, I do have a garage, but that is relegated to the wife's car so the Leaf is outdoors. I do use the seat and steering wheel heater ('tho the steering wheel heater shuts off after a short while and I have to toggle it on/off as it must have a thermal switch to prevent burning it out)

lower ambient temps will lower your pack's ability to take a charge. i would consider a switch.
 
Valid8r said:
Thanks for the reply, I do have a garage, but that is relegated to the wife's car so the Leaf is outdoors. I do use the seat and steering wheel heater ('tho the steering wheel heater shuts off after a short while and I have to toggle it on/off as it must have a thermal switch to prevent burning it out)
The steering wheel heater does have a thermostat and will cycle on and off. If you wait a bit it will come back on as it cools; no need to toggle the on/off switch. If that isn't enough I suggest driving gloves, but I find it plenty warm enough in my car and consider the steering wheel heater a delight.
 
In reply to the "does it ever get really hot (if you want to waste the energy)", I would answer YES.

Even my 85+ y.o. Mom (who tends to be cold easily) is kept quite comfortably warm once the heat has built up. It does take some power (huge understatement). I concur with those who set it at 90 and use lower fan speeds. If I have a short distance (35 miles rt), I don't worry about using the heat if I start cold.

I park in a driveway, no garage available, and preheating generally gives me about 20 good minutes of travel before I get cold (here in NC, where a "cold" morning is 22 degrees and a "frigid" morning is 15). I've also been known to toss a throw blanket/fleece in the car and put it around my legs in the winter.
 
I'm anticipating how my LEAF (2012) will keep me warm this winter, as well, and in particular, how well it will get me back home from work (will pre-heat each morning). In the Kansas City area, we get most of our snow in January and the temps can stay pretty frigid (single digits to 30s). I only intermittently get a covered parking spot and will face some frost and snow removal. My commute is ~8 miles one way (~17 RT), nearly all highway, one minor elevation change (uphill sloping bridge over the Missouri river). How do snowy, slippery drives affect range & energy consumption, with or without using heat? I charge to 80% and currently use ~2 bars on the first leg of my commute. On this short drive, should I worry about range on the home trip in snowy weather? I should have ~8 battery bars, but with limited BEV experience and my first winter, I'm a little concerned. Are there any LEAF snow bunnies who can share their winter experience and comment (dgpcolorado?)?
 
eclecticflower said:
My commute is ~8 miles one way (~17 RT), nearly all highway, one minor elevation change (uphill sloping bridge over the Missouri river).... On this short drive, should I worry about range on the home trip in snowy weather? I should have ~8 battery bars, but with limited BEV experience and my first winter, I'm a little concerned.

There isn't any situation that you won't be able to drive 17 miles in the next many, many years. I wouldn't even think about it; just preheat for comfort (not to save power, since you'll have plenty).
 
I bought a set of 2002 Altima rims and some used Blizzaks for winter. I'm looking forward to seeing how well this car will go in the snow. :mrgreen:
 
Traded my Subaru (doh) for a Leaf which i really enjoy. But hearing all the talk about lower battery output and possibility of snow (Im in the mid-atlantic region) Im starting to wonder if i need to place the leaf in standby and get a cheap jeep or truck for the snowy days (if we get the storm) I do mosty city 45-50mph driving 33-35miles each way (~68RT) i preheat in the morning and use the bum warmer for my trip if needed. I arrive home with 3-4bars ~25-30miles on the GOM with getting 4.6-4.7 miles per kWh. I think im doing pretty well. Any suggestions? I thought about the spare wheels with blizzaks as well.....
 
TonyWilliams said:
eclecticflower said:
My commute is ~8 miles one way (~17 RT), nearly all highway, one minor elevation change (uphill sloping bridge over the Missouri river).... On this short drive, should I worry about range on the home trip in snowy weather? I should have ~8 battery bars, but with limited BEV experience and my first winter, I'm a little concerned.
There isn't any situation that you won't be able to drive 17 miles in the next many, many years. I wouldn't even think about it; just preheat for comfort (not to save power, since you'll have plenty).
I agree with Tony, your commute seems easy even in winter conditions. I think that you will be pleased when you try preheating your LEAF: getting into an already warm car in winter is very pleasant. When at work you can just use Carwings to tell the car when to start preheating or you can set the Climate Control timer to come on at a certain time. You will need to experiment with how long it needs to run; no sense in preheating longer than needed. In moderate cold five to ten minutes ought to be plenty. If the car has been sitting in single digits fifteen minutes might be needed. You will learn what it takes. While at home try preheating while still plugged-in before leaving, using the CC timer.

The LEAF handles in snow quite well, having front wheel drive and a low center of gravity. However, the stock LRR tires are not snow tires, although they did pretty well for me. If you need to drive in snow regularly I'd suggest buying an extra set of rims and snow tires. If you drive in snow infrequently you might get by with cable chains, although they are a nuisance. I don't really have a feel for how often roads in KC are snowpacked. Here in sunny Colorado they get plowed and sanded so quickly that my only problem is getting up my long steep driveway; shoveling 400 feet of gravel driveway takes time.

The LEAF is just about ideal for a short commute like yours.
 
eclecticflower said:
OK, I'm used to all-season radials coming standard on my past new-car purchases. Am I back to having to buy snow tires for the LEAF??
Personal choice. I haven't bought snow tires for my previous vehicles, but I found some good deals on craigslist so I thought I'd try it. Snow tires perform better in snow than all-season tires, but if you wait for plows to take care of the roads before venturing forth, it shouldn't matter too much.

If it works out well, I'll probably replace the OEM Ecopias with summer (performance) tires instead of all-season tires when they wear out.
 
When I lived in KC (back in the early 80s), I got through the winters fine with my front wheel drive car and no snow tires. That said, I grew up in New England, driving on snow. Not everyone gets to learn that skill, and when faced with snow very occasionally (as here, in NC), it is not worth trying to drive -- too many of the residents did not learn and the roads are hazardous because of beginners' errors.

If you are experienced with driving in snow in KC, you should be fine with the Leaf.
 
mazdaboi said:
Traded my Subaru (doh) for a Leaf which i really enjoy. But hearing all the talk about lower battery output and possibility of snow (Im in the mid-atlantic region) Im starting to wonder if i need to place the leaf in standby and get a cheap jeep or truck for the snowy days (if we get the storm) I do mosty city 45-50mph driving 33-35miles each way (~68RT) i preheat in the morning and use the bum warmer for my trip if needed. I arrive home with 3-4bars ~25-30miles on the GOM with getting 4.6-4.7 miles per kWh. I think im doing pretty well. Any suggestions? I thought about the spare wheels with blizzaks as well.....
I don't think you can reliably do 68 miles RT in a snowstorm in the LEAF. Unless you have destination charging it just isn't going to work. Even on dry roads on cold days you will be pushing the range a bit. To put it in perspective: I get about 4.9-5.0 miles/kWh on the dash in summer and about 4.0-4.1 miles/kWh in winter. (But I charge in a garage that never goes below freezing, so my battery will hold more charge than those who charge in subfreezing temperatures.) If you had a similar decrease you could still make your commute on dry roads, but pushing through a snowstorm with the heater on? Not likely, unless you have reliable destination charging. I use a Jeep for such conditions, but I also deal with very steep hills so it is a safety issue.
 
nlagnew said:
...Not everyone gets to learn that skill, and when faced with snow very occasionally (as here, in NC), it is not worth trying to drive -- too many of the residents did not learn and the roads are hazardous because of beginners' errors...
The scary time in Colorado is the first storm of the season. It takes time for drivers to realize that they need to slow down now that winter conditions are back. That's for the cities and highways, at least. Where I live there is so little traffic that a few cars sliding off the roads isn't a safety problem.
 
(dgpcolorado)The LEAF handles in snow quite well, having front wheel drive and a low center of gravity. However, the stock LRR tires are not snow tires, although they did pretty well for me.

(nlagnew) When I lived in KC (back in the early 80s), I got through the winters fine with my front wheel drive car and no snow tires....If you are experienced with driving in snow in KC, you should be fine with the Leaf.


Thanks so much for all the input, everyone! My pre-warming depletion fears have been put to rest. I think I'll also be OK commuting in snow and will give the stock LRR tires a chance before deciding if I need to get snow tires. The 4 front-wheel drive cars I owned prior to the 4WD vehicle (sold to get my LEAF) handled KC snow conditions pretty well (got stuck/towed out of a drift once in my Honda Del Sol :oops: ). I was fortunate to have had real-life, hands-on driver training in high school (don't ask how long ago!), so I'm good with snow driving and have years of experience. The main arteries & highways get cleared quickly here; secondary roads in neighborhoods lag behind (mine's a slightly hilly neighborhood), but I have an alternate flat path out to a main trafficway. IMHO, in extreme weather it's better (and cheaper) to stay home and use a vacation day, than to risk incurring the expense (!) of my insurance deductible in an accident.

Sincerely,
Kathy M.
 
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