A LEAF Can Go Over 150 Miles (9.1m/kW h) on ONE 80% Charge!

[LEAFfan]

Did a 15 mile loop (.3m), between 15-17 mph (15 ave.) with no stops, ECO mode, no A/C, 103 on the GOM with an 80% charge, 98 degrees, no wind, relatively flat. I wish someone could 'hack' the Cruise so it will work at lower speeds...my knee just about killed me holding it at 15. Otherwise, I would have gone longer because I noticed the longer I drove, the higher the m/kW h. I don't have a smart phone so can't post the pics from my cheap cell, but ended it with 100 on the GOM. At about 5 miles, I noticed the GOM went to 111. Here are the stats:
9.1 on the console which X 17 = 154.7.
Lost the first bar (third) at 5 m. and second at 7 m.
I believe I could have gotten 160 or more miles if I would have kept driving. :mrgreen:
Think what I could have gotten at 100% charge! At least 200 miles!!
So now Tony can add lower mph to his chart which will be VERY helpful for someone running low on power.

 

[Glenn]

Did a 15 mile loop (.3m), between 15-17 mph (15 ave.) with no stops, ECO mode, no A/C, 103 on the GOM with an 80% charge, 98 degrees, no wind, relatively flat. I wish someone could 'hack' the Cruise so it will work at lower speeds...my knee just about killed me holding it at 15. Otherwise, I would have gone longer because I noticed the longer I drove, the higher the m/kW h. I don't have a smart phone so can't post the pics from my cheap cell, but ended it with 100 on the GOM. At about 5 miles, I noticed the GOM went to 111. Here are the stats:
9.1 on the console which X 17 = 154.7.
Lost the first bar (third) at 5 m. and second at 7 m.
I believe I could have gotten 160 or more miles if I would have kept driving. :mrgreen:
Think what I could have gotten at 100% charge! At least 200 miles!!
So now Tony can add lower mph to his chart which will be VERY helpful for someone running low on power.

NOW we're talkin'!!

I'll be happy to email you some Ibuprofen for the knee. Thanks for taking one for the team; I'd be surprised if no one takes you up on your 200 mile challenge.

Go get two bags of ice, one for the knee and the other for your congratulatory toast!

Glenn

 

[LEAFfan]

LOL, thanks Glenn! I would have done it sooner, but I didn't think of it until Tony and another poster talked about it and did it. I am curious how far I would have to go at 15 mph to reach the m/kW h level (9.5) for 200 miles. Maybe another 5 miles or so would do it. Or, maybe 9.1 is as high as it will go at that speed. When someone tells me how to hack into the Cruise so I can use it at lower speeds, I'll charge to 100% and see if I can hit 9.5 or more.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

thanks for the info! so much for 35 mph being the sweet spot. Nice to know that in a pinch you can slow way down and likely get home. maybe Portland is possible!

 

[LEAFfan]

thanks for the info! so much for 35 mph being the sweet spot. Nice to know that in a pinch you can slow way down and likely get home. maybe Portland is possible!

YW.
I know! I had believed earlier that 38 mph was the 'sweet spot'. Maybe slower than 15 would yield a higher m/kW h. I'm wondering how low it would go (10 mph?) and still have the high efficiency.

 

[TonyWilliams]

In the other thread, I posted my 7.1 mile/kWh run at 25 mph on a 2.5 mile closed loop.

That's projected to be 149 miles on a full charge.

Yes, with some more testing, I'll update my chart to version 5 (already in the works).

Tony

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

This makes me want to go charge up my car and drive around the lake in the middle of the night, ok, maybe at 35 mph.

It's clear to me even more now that speed is the ultimate range extender when in a pinch... if you are running out of range, keep slowing down, assuming it's safe to do so!

g

 

[surfingslovak]

Awesome results, congrats LEAFfan! I'll try to match your numbers in D mode, perhaps it's easier to maintain constant speed in D. And you are absolutely right, it would be nice to have CC work below 23 mph as well.

 

[TomT]

At that point you might as well just get out and walk which would give you almost infinite M/KwH... :lol:

I'm wondering how low it would go (10 mph?) and still have the high efficiency.

 

[surfingslovak]

At that point you might as well just get out and walk which would give you almost infinite M/KwH... :lol:

:lol: Although 10 mph is a pretty brisk pace. It's been a while since I ran a 10K, but I think I was significantly slower then.

All joking aside, I believe that the drive train efficiency drops off again below 14 mph. Watch the circle around the eco tree next to the speedometer. It will indicate lower efficiency at 10 mph.

 

[mark13]

Leaffan I enjoy all your post..Im surprised you experimented in the AZ. heat..I think Im still another month away before Ill start the quest again....It will be interesting to see who can get to 150 miles on a charge first..I did get a estimate of 148 miles on a charge last spring..
If I do it tho,it will be done in my normal 60 mile drives to work and back and a avg. of 25 mph with all the coasting involved into red lights..I will also experiment with neutral-coasting next month..

 

[garygid]

I guess this helps those who live in flat-land, and have nowhere nearby to drive to, and have a LOT of time to (not) get there. :lol:

Estimating that you could go 150 miles based on the console miles per edi (kWh) number ... is wishful thinking, I suspect.

There could easily be non-motor energy usage that is not accounted for in that number. On a 10-hour drive the car's "other" usage (say 300 or 400 watts?) uses 3 to 4 kWh by itself.

But, still very interesting, and impressive performance. Good Work.

PS: Old Guy's CC for times like this: a right-sized pebble under the Go-Faster, or (more high-tech) a wedge and a brick.

 

[evnow]

Estimating that you could go 150 miles based on the console miles per edi (kWh) number ... is wishful thinking, I suspect.

There could easily be non-motor energy usage that is not accounted for in that number. On a 10-hour drive the car's "other" usage (say 300 or 400 watts?) uses 3 to 4 kWh by itself.

Console m/kwh definitely reflects AC/Heater. I've tons of data to prove that (well, being in NW, just heater not AC).

 

[TomT]

Yes, at some point fixed parasitic losses are going to overwhelm any advantage of going slower...

At that point you might as well just get out and walk which would give you almost infinite M/KwH... :lol:

:lol: Although 10 mph is a pretty brisk pace. It's been a while since I ran a 10K, but I think I was significantly slower then.

All joking aside, I believe that the drive train efficiency drops off again below 14 mph. Watch the circle around the eco tree next to the speedometer. It will indicate lower efficiency at 10 mph.

 

[Stanton]

If you look at that range spreadsheet (I think posted on the Wiki) that was extrapolated from a Tesla spreadsheet with Leaf battery pack capacities, it clearly shows that 38 mph (or even 28) is NOT the "sweet spot" for range. It's more like 15-20 mph.

 

[Herm]

..Im surprised you experimented in the AZ. heat..

Thats when you get the best performance out of the battery.. Chemistry is more energetic, voltage is highest and internal resistance is lowest.

 

[LEAFfan]

Estimating that you could go 150 miles based on the console miles per edi (kWh) number ... is wishful thinking, I suspect.

I suspect you are mistaken. I can't speak for your console numbers, but mine are only 1-2 m/kW h different from the dash, and sometimes I see them the same. So I KNOW I could go over 200 miles with a 100% charge. I noticed the longer I drove (made close to 60 laps/one hour) the higher the m/kW h. Like I said, when someone can show how to make the CC work at 15mph, I'll drive it again and see how high the m/kW h console will go. If I can hit 9.7 (a 2kW h cushion), that will prove at least 200 miles. We're not even positive yet if 17 and 21 are the numbers to X by...could be 18 and 22 or 17.5 and 21.5. I'm using the lower numbers as a cushion.

 

[gbarry42]

As to holding your foot like that: (1) Use ECO--as you said you did, and (2) Move your seat back!

As to the premise of slow driving: Maybe we can get special stickers to let us drive on bike paths!

As to surfingslovak's "tree" observation: IMHO the tree algorithm believes it, but we still need some real evidence.

As to the future: Maybe someone would like to consider the old "pulse and glide" technique. Not sure how it applies to EV's. It sure as heck applies to gassers!

 

[KeithFrechette]

Oh, you guys are driving me nuts! I want to do some real-world range experiments, but my LEAF is still about 3 weeks out as far as I can tell.

I'm thinking of doing a 100%-charge-to-low-battery-warning drive on a closed loop around Duvall, WA. It's a loop with some good variety: flat roads, hills (steep inclines as well gentle ones), traffic lights, 40mph, 30mph, 25mph, deer crossing, etc. While not the laboratory-like-condition numbers that you folks are coming up with, my numbers will help me evangelize the LEAF in my town.

 

[TonyWilliams]

would like to consider the old "pulse and glide" technique. Not sure how it applies to EV's. It sure as heck applies to gassers!

No pumping losses from piston compression and throttle plate restrictions in an electric motor.