Have you ever run out of power in your LEAF?

[GaslessInSeattle]

We've gone about 14,000 Leaf miles and never been stranded! I have found that in reality there is very little need for public charging except mostly it helps me feel more confident to know it's there. a substantial quick charging network would really allow me to do more and think about range less. public slow charging is a bit of a crapshoot, for how slow it is, it's often just not worth going out of the way for and for it to be everywhere, it's going to take having millions of charging stations installed... and maintained. Even a few hundred fast chargers per state would do wonders for EV consumer confidence!

 

[Nubo]

...Many public areas have plugs in place for soda machines, etc, so stealing a charge from these closed businesses would be possible. As for those that call this stealing, if it is less than a dollar worth of power, it isn't prosecution worthy, so don't worry too much on that unless you are doing it every night, all night.

A larger concern would be whether or not my EVSE would introduce any harm. A 12 amp draw is substantial on a 120V circuit, and you'd have no way of knowing what other load was already present vs. the circuit rating. You could trip a breaker that supplies a refrigerator, computer, or surveillance equipment for example, resulting in real or potential loss for the proprietor. Or worse, overdrawing a marginal circuit/receptacle could be a hazard.

I'd definitely try to find a spot where I could get express permission. At the very least, look for a 20 Amp receptacle:

 

[DesertDenizen]

I have never even gotten below three bars remaining. I plan my trips and drive conservatively, and in level Tucson where I never need to use the heat it is pretty much an ideal area for a Leaf.

 

[EdmondLeaf]

I did that because encouragement on this forum. Energy Economy meter and Trip meter reset after charging car to 80% and picture is after day of driving. I guess is good to know your limits

 

[klapauzius]

I did that because encouragement on this forum. Energy Economy meter and Trip meter reset after charging car to 80% and picture is after day of driving. I guess is good to know your limits

Unfortunately this is as helpful as Nissan's claim that the car has 100 mile range. E.g. here in Seattle with all the hills, traffic and current temperatures, 100 miles on an 80% charge are not possible.

Range is really heavily dependent on your local environment.

 

[Aeolus]

Nope. I have been very successful in planning so that I'm within several miles of home when I get into low battery warning mode and I have some good choices for charging in the LA Basin when I'm planning on driving more than 80 miles in a day.

 

[LEAFfan]

I'd have probably made it home, but it was easier just to pick up a couple kWh so I'd be sure to make it.

Just so you know, when you reach LBW, you can still drive at least 8 miles @ 60mph (relatively flat, no wind, etc.) before you reach VLBW (ignore the GOM). Then you would have about 4 more until Turtle. If you happen to be in the city with relatively flat terrain, then you could go at least 13 miles @ 38mph before VLBW and 7 more until Turtle.

 

[LEAFfan]

I've never ran out. I've gotten a "low battery warning" twice... but never gone to Turtle mode.

You've never run out because you will get VLBW before you get Turtle. Have you ever gone to 'VLBW'?

 

[garygid]

120v electricity is almost everywhere people LIVE (not work), so ...

1. Keep a well-sealed bag of good cookies in the car.
2. Many homes will have somebody home who is likely to let you charge on their 120v ...
3. Knock and ask nicely, offering the "bait", ... and
4. Make a new friend while chatting (and charging) for an hour or so.
5. Possibly offer to pay for their electricity (about one and a half kWh used each hour). So, $1 per hour would usually be plenty.

Note: Keep the "bait" in the "trunk", otherwise the driver might "nibble".

 

[TNleaf]

I did that because encouragement on this forum. Energy Economy meter and Trip meter reset after charging car to 80% and picture is after day of driving. I guess is good to know your limits

Unfortunately this is as helpful as Nissan's claim that the car has 100 mile range. E.g. here in Seattle with all the hills, traffic and current temperatures, 100 miles on an 80% charge are not possible.

Range is really heavily dependent on your local environment.

I laugh when people use absolutes. I could drive a LEAF on a 80% charge in Seattle and get 100 miles. Will it be difficult? Yes. But saying something like that is "not possible" cracks me up. Maybe it's just not possible for you.

Also your statement "this is as helpful as Nissan's claim that the car has 100 mile range," you realize you said that after this person JUST posted you a picture of them getting 100 miles on an 80% charge. So not only did that person just prove that the car can have a 100 miles, but that it can do it from 80%. It's mostly about the driver and driving conditions.

 

[edatoakrun]

120v electricity is almost everywhere people LIVE (not work), so ...

1. Keep a well-sealed bag of good cookies in the car.
2. Many homes will have somebody home who is likely to let you charge on their 120v ...
3. Knock and ask nicely, offering the "bait", ... and
4. Make a new friend while chatting (and charging) for an hour or so.
5. Possibly offer to pay for their electricity (about one and a half kWh used each hour). So, $1 per hour would usually be plenty.

Note: Keep the "bait" in the "trunk", otherwise the driver might "nibble".

Your suggestion, Gary, shows why I have been careful to never run out of power, in the relatively remote rural region I live in.

Long before I would make a new bipedal "friend", I might have the opportunity, to make a new quadruped one.

Pit Bulls, and various Wolf hybrids, are some of the popular "pets", in this part of California.

They are kept principally to serve the purpose of deterring "friendly" visits, when the bipeds are away.

And they tend to manage this task, very well.

So, I'd probably be better off carrying different "bait", than cookies.

But, I think I'll just avoid making new "friends", using this approach.

 

[Caracalover]

I'd have probably made it home, but it was easier just to pick up a couple kWh so I'd be sure to make it.

Just so you know, when you reach LBW, you can still drive at least 8 miles @ 60mph (relatively flat, no wind, etc.) before you reach VLBW (ignore the GOM). Then you would have about 4 more until Turtle. If you happen to be in the city with relatively flat terrain, then you could go at least 13 miles @ 38mph before VLBW and 7 more until Turtle.

Thank you for sharing this info. I have read the board enough to know what others have experienced, but I live in a mountain area, so much of it is not really apples to apples. It all comes down to watching the energy gauge for me, and guessing the amount of time I have to use X amount of energy. WIth the first LBW you have a bit less than 20% of usable energy left, or about 4 KWH. Use just 4kw on the meter and you can drive for an hour. Use 8KW and you will only drive for half that amount of time. 16KW you get about 15 min, which is the amount of power you would need to go 60MPH in most cases. If you are ten minutes from home - no problems. 12 miles, as in your estimation, and you will hit turtle. Same results, different way to look for them. I have trouble watching miles - stresses me more than thinking in time to get there.

 

[edmorin]

Here is my story from my odyssey last Saturday:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/seattlenissanleaf/permalink/381247361906707/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[surfingslovak]

Here is my story from my odyssey last Saturday:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/seattlenissanleaf/permalink/381247361906707/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's a hell of a story, Ed! Welcome to the forum BTW. I'm in your FB group, in case you wondered

 

[lpickup]

I just had to mention that as I was riding my bike yesterday I noticed a car that had ran out of "power" on a stretch of road. It wasn't a LEAF though. It belonged to two guys carrying a gas can back to the car. Pretty much the same result though. At least with the LEAF you get plenty of warnings that yes, you really are low, you'd better get off this 4-lane road with 45mph speed limit. Apparently gas cars don't have that feature.

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[Caracalover]

I don't even carry the "emergency" charger with me anymore, unless I plan to use it elsewhere.

Ok, so this turned out to be a problem.

I drove 70 or so miles to Rosamond as I do almost every Sunday. Problem is, I left my charging cord at home. I have a modified EVSE, and plug into a welder outlet normally. Not realizing my error until I arrived at my destination, I was in a bit of a pickle. One bar of energy, closest charger said 11 -12 miles. Trouble with that was when I got to the adult school in Lancaster, it was closed and the gate ws secured - no way to get to the charger. This being Sunday I wasn't sure if it would open at all. There were two other schools that have chargers near that one, but with my energy really low now, I opted to head for the Nissan dealer in Palmdale. It was another 7-8 miles away. I ran out of power 50 feet away from the charger, which Nissan Palmdale leaves access to at all hours. I pushed it up the driveway and plugged in, thanking the car for once again getting me where I needed to go - even if I was stupid enough to leave home without the charge cord. I had reset the mile gauge shortly after I left the EFBC-FCC (Wildcatzoo.org) and managed to get 29.1 miles (Thanks to the shortest route option on the GPS taking me into a dead end once.) out of that last bar on mostly flat roads at 30 - 40 mph. I think this trip puts me in the 100 miles travelled on a single charge, but I have to retrace my journey to be sure. I had taken a different route to get there this time, and it was a bit longer than the usual route. This is a trip with a net gain of about 1000' of elevation, so I am very happy with the cars perfomance on this day.

Saddest part is I bought a home charging unit, but I am waiting on the LADWP to get it installed. After that I will always have the charge cord with me, as I won't be using it everyday as I do now. First time in over 16,000 miles, and I am not at all concerned that I hurt the car as I would be had I run out of gas in another vehicle.