Can I get 70 Miles of range?

[Skindogg79]

Buying a leaf, 2013 SL. Might be road tripping it back! Longest leg will be 70 miles. If I keep it at 55, no climate, think i can make 70 miles WITHOUT the heater on. Daytime driving (no headlights), but its forecast to be cold....25ish!

Mike S.

More on my purchase and planned road trip soon.

 

[johnrhansen]

You will make it i bet. Keep a gps going so you have a accurate indication of how far you have to go. If you get to 55 percent charge and you aren't halfway there, turn around and go back the way you came. Better to find a charge point half way. Look on google maps and try to find a rv park or a mechanics shop, or any kind of place with an outlet, and call them and see if you can charge there. They usually are pretty nice. go to plugshare.com. They list people who share their chargers, as well as public charging stations. Personally when I go on a trip, I try to get a charging point every 30 miles. The only time it adds to the trip for that extra margin of safety is the time it takes to find the station and hook up. You still need to charge an hour for every 25 miles you drive. (below 90-95 percent charge) This way if a station is down, you can still make it to the next one. Also it's a good idea to buy a deluxe aaa membership... just in case. In seattle they have a charging truck for emergencys. Better to be towed than to be stuck!

 

[johnrhansen]

oh, one more thing. If you find your miles to go indicator on the car and your miles to go on your gps are starting to converge the wrong direction, slow way down. until they get 10 miles or more apart..Keeping in mind that going up or down a hill will skew the indicators reading. It definitely is not an exact measurement, but with practice, I've found it to be a very good tool to manage my range. There have been times when I was sort on both range and time, so I had to go as fast as I could, and still be able to make my destination. I can consistently be accurate enough that I can consistently arrive at my destination with the charge showing ---, but not in turtle. Try not to make a habit of that though. It's kind of hard on your battery.

 

[adric22]

Buying a leaf, 2013 SL. Might be road tripping it back! Longest leg will be 70 miles. If I keep it at 55, no climate, think i can make 70 miles WITHOUT the heater on. Daytime driving (no headlights), but its forecast to be cold....25ish!

I would say, as long as you aren't going uphill the whole way, you will make it. Normally when talking about a round-trip situation, hills aren't quite as important because if it is uphill one way, then it will be downhill the otherway and thus somewhat compensate. But being this sounds like a one-way trip, that factor should be kept in mind.

 

[Skindogg79]

Thanks for the advice, I'm going from Pittsburgh, PA to Buffalo, NY, Via Erie, PA. Starting in Pitt, I'll have a 50 mile trip to the 1st Nissan Dealer, then a 70 mile trip the next Nissan Dealer, then 50 Miles to a town (Dunkirk/Fredonia, NY) half way between Erie and Buffalo, then 50 from Dunkirk/Fredonia to Home.

Hermitage PA (1st Nissan Dealer), has an elevation of about 1,000 feet and Erie, PA is 7xx, so at least it isn't uphill.

Mike S.

 

[GregH]

Hopefully the car hasn't been cold soaking outside all night(!) If the battery is really cold the efficiency will suck. Is this from a dealer? If they have DCQC it might be worth while to take it for an aggressive spin around the city (50mi+) then come back and DCQC.. that should warm it up.

 

[Skindogg79]

The car might be cold soaking, but Eaton has a DCQC north of Pitt, was going to spend the night and leave at 8AM on Saturday. I could drive around town then hit up Eaton and charge it up. If connected long enough, with the DCQC get me up to 100%? I know it dramatically slows after 80%.....wondering if another 30 mins would get me up to 100%.

Mike S.

 

[GregH]

It slows down a lot after 80-90%.. On some of the newer dealer Sumitomo units set to 90% (actually 83% real SOC) it was down to 10kW near the end.
But 10kW is still better than 3.3 or 6.3.. Getting the last 5-8% will be no faster than L2. If the charger will go to "100%" and nobody is waiting to use it.. go for it.
Otherwise move to L2 if you can. Oddly the SOC% displayed on the DCQC is coming from two numbers inside the Leaf that both seem to change during a DCQC event. There's an 8 bit (0-25.5kWh) total capacity number and an 8 bit (0-25.5kWh) current energy capacity number. The charger just divides the two... and it doesn't really correlate to true SOC (usually shows lower).

Sorry for spinning off topic, but it seems funny to me the max battery capacity that Chademo 0.9 supports is 25.5kWh yet they amended the spec to allow for charge times beyond 42.5 minutes all the way up to 4.25hrs..

 

[CMYK4Life]

As a veteran cold weather driver I would L2 charge for at least an hour at some point along your route. I did a couple of winter range tests and I could only make it around 60-65 miles and I froze my ass off.

I would much rather keep warm and have to stop and charge someplace over coffee or lunch.

 

[Nubo]

Thanks for the advice, I'm going from Pittsburgh, PA to Buffalo, NY, Via Erie, PA. Starting in Pitt, I'll have a 50 mile trip to the 1st Nissan Dealer, then a 70 mile trip the next Nissan Dealer, then 50 Miles to a town (Dunkirk/Fredonia, NY) half way between Erie and Buffalo, then 50 from Dunkirk/Fredonia to Home.

Hermitage PA (1st Nissan Dealer), has an elevation of about 1,000 feet and Erie, PA is 7xx, so at least it isn't uphill.

Mike S.

The quick charging will warm up the battery pack. At the 2nd QC before your 70 mile leg, make sure you get the charge up to 100%. Don't rely on the quick-charger's display of your state of charge -- check the car. Some QCs will stop short of 100%, in which case you can initiate a 2nd charge or move to a L2 to get the remaining charge. At that point either will take about the same amount of time to charge the remaining few percent.

 

[Skindogg79]

As a veteran cold weather driver I would L2 charge for at least an hour at some point along your route. I did a couple of winter range tests and I could only make it around 60-65 miles and I froze my ass off.

I would much rather keep warm and have to stop and charge someplace over coffee or lunch.

I would add some juice during my 70 mile leg, problem though is that there are no chargers anywhere north of Pittsburgh. Checked plugshare, etc, There is one house with a dryer plug but that would require me buying an extra cord, etc. I have an offer for the dealer to free ship the car to me...but I figured this would be a cool adventure and I could get the car a few days sooner.

BTW: No making a joke here, how does roadside assistance work? They'll tow it right? Not charge it? If I fall short in the last 10-15 miles, I'm sure I can just have it towed to my next Nissan charge stop.

 

[Reddy]

This looks challenging due to the cold and especially since Plugshare shows nothing between Hermitage and Erie. Yes, you can do it, but you'll probably want to slow down below 55 mph whenever possible for some extra cushion. The biggest problem I foresee is wind/rain/snow. If you have any of those, especially a north wind, you're screwed because all of them will increase friction and reduce efficiency.

You've got a newer vehicle and "possibly" slightly more efficient engine and heater. Definitely pre-warm at 90F before leaving. If you have the 6 KW charger, you'll definitely see the benefit.

Another possibility, if you're willing to spend some time on a quick modification, would be to insulate the heater fluid reservoir with insulation. Of course, since you're not planning to use the heater (except when parked and charging), it won't really help much except to keep the reservoir warm longer. Here are some descriptions and pictures:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=11412&hilit=insulation&start=60#p306850
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=11412&hilit=insulation&start=60#p321002

See my signature for my coldest drive. Still, it will be colder, and yes it will be cold in the cabin. Wear boots in addition to the normal cold weather coat/hat/gloves. Drive the back roads and travel at 45 mph for as much as you can and it will work out fine. If you get in a real bind, stop at a coffee shop and "beg/ask" to buy $0.50 worth of electricity from a 120 V plug while you eat/drink. Yes, there is always the 800 number for a tow truck, and they will tow you to the nearest Nissan dealership. Also, I would contact the dealerships along the route and obtain pre-permission for charging just in case.

 

[Skindogg79]

Thanks for the helpful comments guys!

I did contact both Nissan dealers already and they are supportive.

I need to find out about Eaton's charger and I need to get my charge point keys for Dunkirk/Fredonia.

Mike S.

 

[gbarry42]

I checked the Range Chart at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293#p101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and since your car is new, it shows 89 miles at 55MPH. And "subtract 1% for each 4 degrees", so (70-25) = a 45 degree hit. That's 12%, so 12 percent off of 89 gives you 78 miles. It's still possible, and remember that slowing down will give you even more. You'd definitely get to see all the warnings

If you need to add a few miles near the end of the trip, keep in mind that it doesn't take nearly as long as a full recharge.

 

[davewill]

Have a backup plan, no matter how inconvenient it might be. For instance if you've got a relative/friend that might be even 5-10 miles closer than your final destination, that would be helpful. Don't turn your nose up at a 120v outlet, if that's all you can find. An hour or two even at 120v could make the difference. You might also try calling some of the other EV dealers (Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Smart, etc...) if they've got a possible charging location. They may be willing to help you in a pinch.

 

[EatsShootsandLeafs]

If cold-soaked down to 25 F my money is on you not making it.

I think you should just get it transported on a flat bed. Leapfrogging from station to station and waiting hours between charges may sound fun now, but in practice it won't be at all.

 

[LeftieBiker]

One last bit of advice: inflate the tires to 40psi before the trip. That will get you another 2-5 miles of range, and if it has Ecopias the handling and tire durability will improve as well. The recommended pressure is just too low.

 

[Publius]

I wouldn't bet on going 70 miles in the weather we've been having lately. I imagine that it's possible, but prepare to drive slowly and very carefully without using the heater if you decide to try it.

 

[jsongster]

Don't forget the recirc to cut off the cold air from outside. Turn on seat heaters before leaving on dock power and then only use them sparingly on trip. Also enter trip in Navi and set the settings to ECO route to ensure the easiest route to make it on. My routes often involve driving 4 miles through towns at lower speed before hopping on freeway for needed links then back to the frontage roads when possible. Keeps you from getting run over on the highways at low speed. Let it coast downhill whenever possible.

On one of my routes up to halfway there it looks like we will not make it... then we hit the long downhill run and get lots of it back and make the round trip easily.

Good luck!

 

[mbender]

BTW: No making a joke here, how does roadside assistance work? They'll tow it right? Not charge it? If I fall short in the last 10-15 miles, I'm sure I can just have it towed to my next Nissan charge stop.

Yes, that's how it works -- they will drive to the nearest dealer or "charging station". I've used the service twice, and they answered right away (late at night) and the garages they contracted with were prompt and aware of the LEAF, etc.

I enjoy adventures of this sort ("Learn things, you will." -- Yoda ) and don't think you'll have problems if you follow all the advice given. If for some reason you DO end up needing a tow, just be sure to pull over with enough juice remaining to run the heater while you wait!