Close Call

That was too close, IMO. For similar airport trips, etc. we will just take the ICE car. I understand the temptation to show off the new Leaf to guests, but I'd do that only on a < 40 mi. round trip until I am very, very used to the real range under all conditions.

Wasn't planned. Didn't really care about showing the car off that day (they were here the whole weekend). It's just easier than you think to travel 80 miles in a day without noticing.

Yep, especially around in Southern California.
We might easily go 65 miles just for dinner.

Yes, I think QC is very important here.

I've been charging to 80%. From what I've seen, if you're driving mostly highway, 55 mph or so, 50 miles is near the limit. 70 is really stretching it, despite what the meter says. I've gotten the low battery alert thrice now. Once on long trip from dealer, twice when I charged to 80% and didn't think I'd be going far that day... Range meter said 70 to 82 miles, and I got low battery at less than 50 actual miles. Could probably have gone 65 miles, certainly not 80.

My advice? If you're going to experiment with charging to less than 100%, be careful. Don't do it with a heavy load, unplanned trips or high speeds. You could wind up in trouble. I thought I'd get two days of commuting on 80% charge (35 miles round trip). Won't work. Need to think like a pilot. Keep a ten to twenty percent reserve.

Karl

I asked a Tesla driver what kind of range he got.

His answer was to:

Take the reported range after charging, divide by three;
1/3 for getting there,
1/3 for getting home,
1/3 for "just in case."

Traffic jams, detours, and going well over the posted
speed limit were examples of "just in case."