Driving tips and concern re efficiency

[cwerdna]

All the back and forth and needing info is exactly why I put together the questionnaire at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=275421#p275421.

 

[speedski97]

Its ok I drove mine for 2 years before I got a new battery. I was down to 14.7 KWHs. What part of the world are you in? Look at leaf spy, it is more accurate then the car. I hope you have nav? understand the battery range will dissipate slower now. find all the charging stations in the area and use them one time at least. just so you know where they are and that they work. this is helpful if you find yourself out of range of home. look at Tony Williams chart. the speed you drive is a big deal on range. The driver is the biggest part in range. most of all have fun with your new toy. message me if you have questions.

 

[minivini]

I do have LeafSpy Pro and a decent wifi reader. Is that "nav?" an app? I'm out of town this weekend. I left the car unplugged after trying to figure out the timer to charge only to 80% - unsuccessfully. I set the percentage, but it still charged to 100%. I just unplugged to keep from staying on trickle with a full battery. Will be ho,e Sunday afternoon, so I'll run the numbers again Monday morning.

My one longer commute (two days/week) is an 85 mile round trip. There is a level two charger across the street from the office, so that works out well. I've only driven it once in the Leaf. The trip in was pretty white knuckle. I made it to the charger showing one mile range left. I drove it pretty normally, although a little slower than normal at 70mph on the highway. On the way home, I drove no faster than 60(ish) and made it with 11 miles to spare. Still working out the learning curve. I'm stuck,with it now, so is better figure it out! I'm enjoying, though. Just hoping the battery is either ok, or really bad so I can get a replacement sooner than later.

Oh, regarding where I live... I'm in upstate SC, in the foothills geographically speaking. Near the mountains, but clearly this car won't be making any mountain runs!

 

[jmk]

I also got one 2012 SL 'one bar loser' for my 42mi one way commute in Finland. I have the possibility to charge at work @ 230V/16A, so I have been assuming that the range is not an issue for the commute. For the previous two weeks Leaf has been managing fine with around 3 bars (and 20mi/32km) left after each one way trip. This is done with limited heat and gentle steady speed driving at 80-100km/h. Given that the temperature here is now hovering between 0 -10C, this Leaf is managing according to expectations? Can I expect to manage this commute at -15C ?

 

[GerryAZ]

I also got one 2012 SL 'one bar loser' for my 42mi one way commute in Finland. I have the possibility to charge at work @ 230V/16A, so I have been assuming that the range is not an issue for the commute. For the previous two weeks Leaf has been managing fine with around 3 bars (and 20mi/32km) left after each one way trip. This is done with limited heat and gentle steady speed driving at 80-100km/h. Given that the temperature here is now hovering between 0 -10C, this Leaf is managing according to expectations? Can I expect to manage this commute at -15C ?

The battery energy storage capacity drops and rolling resistance increases as temperature drops, but not a lot so I don't think a drop of 5 degrees C will be too noticeable if climate control is off. Since you have a 2012, you may want to consider a modification to the climate controls to allow you to turn off (or reduce the power draw of) the heating element and still have fresh air for ventilation (there is a plug-and-play kit being marketed by someone (TorC) in Norway so take a look at this thread: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=20446

Gerry

 

[Arlington]

My kids cannot be persuaded that it is their job to wear a coat if they are cold, and have come to believe (spoiled by a Toyota Sienna) that cars are supposed to be heated like an orangerie, and you should be able to wear just one layer as a passenger all through a Boston winter. Humph.

Not wanting to be a Bad Dad, but not wanting to crank the heat, I'm trying this:
A 12V outlet splitter: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WY6SZFK (should be helpful with i-devices too)
A 12V electric blanket: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V8QVX6
A seatback organizer: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041K6X9M (which will either hold the blanket, or all their other stuff)

 

[speedski97]

So how are you doing after a few weeks with the car and leafspy? any questions or comments?

 

[LeftieBiker]

I used a 12 volt fleece blanket the last Winter I commuted, and it worked pretty well. Make sure they wrap it around their selfish little legs as well. ;-)

 

[powersurge]

I have an electric blanket also, and it covers both the driver and passenger... GOOD>>