I'm a 3.7 miles/kWh flunkee

[aqn]

The folks who get less than 4, are you all driving in 'D' or 'ECO' mode ?

There are many many factors affecting energy economy. ECO versus D does not automatically mean better or worse energy economy. It depends on your specific circumstances. For example, in my case, I live atop a hill. I have observed large inefficiency and large inconsistency of energy use in climbing/descending. On top of that, I do not drive much (7500 miles/year). That means differences arising from other variables: ECO vs D, A/C versus no A/C, 36 psi versus 44 psi tire pressure etc. are lost in the "noise" of inconsistent energy use in climbing/descending, so I can't really claim whether D or ECO is better based on my own data.

 

[Cheezmo]

I would think that driving normally and helping to convince someone on the fence to buy a BEV vs. driving super conservatively and giving people a negative impression of BEV's (causing them to not consider one) would do more to reduce GHG than any small difference the change in driving habits would actually produce. Just a thought.

DesertDenizen, that is really cool and an excellent reason, if not for the savings, just to be able to say you are totally solar.

I'm looking at a solar system myself, I started of with a "just to offset the car" mentality, but the more I learned, a larger system may be in the offing. Best I'll be able to do is around 25% of my total usage though.

 

[Stoaty]

By switching to an electric car you are already saving 99% of the GHG compared to others (yes, I made that number up) so obsessing over trying to make that 99.1% seems kind of past the law of diminishing returns.

Well, I would say that made up number is wrong. It depends on your fuel source, and while I buy Green electricity from LA DWP, I am under no illusion that my usage probably still contributes to the burning of fossil fuels. The study referenced in another thread suggests that in California I am probably doing significantly better than a Prius, but that means my driving still produces GHG. Also, I would not consider using 30% less electricity compared to getting 4 miles per kWh to be "past the law of diminishing returns". It means that I am saving about 600 kWh per year over 10,000 miles.

 

[mycayredleaf]

I've had my Leaf for around 2 weeks now and I am averaging 4.2 miles/kWh. I mostly drive in Eco mode but will put it into D when climbing hills or to keep up with traffic. My daily commute is rolling hills. I don't see myself getting past 4.3 miles/kWh given some of the inclines I have to do on a daily basis.

 

[elmobob]

I have had mine since April 8, 2011. I got 4.3 once. My normal average is 3.4 - 3.8. Welcome to my world. I commute from Vacaville to Sacramento, beat most everybody off the line, drive ~70, a/c or heat when needed. And DO NOT care, cause I ain't using gas :lol: :lol:

that's how I drive mines too, only need 24 miles for my commute so Im not worried about range either. These cars have very good off the line acceleration, I'm making people look twice and wonder how this econo weird looking car takes off like a V6 would. And as you said, I ain't using gas :lol:

 

[N1ghtrider]

Dec/2011 Platinum 574 5.2 miles/kWh
Jan/2012 Platinum 750 5.2 miles/kWh
Feb/2012 Platinum 848 5.2 miles/kWh
Mar/2012 Platinum 769 5.4 miles/kWh
Apr/2012 Platinum 1179 5.3 miles/kWh
May/2012 Gold 2716 4.8 miles/kWh
.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I have had mine since April 8, 2011. I got 4.3 once. My normal average is 3.4 - 3.8. Welcome to my world. I commute from Vacaville to Sacramento, beat most everybody off the line, drive ~70, a/c or heat when needed. And DO NOT care, cause I ain't using gas :lol: :lol:

that's how I drive mines too, only need 24 miles for my commute so Im not worried about range either. These cars have very good off the line acceleration, I'm making people look twice and wonder how this econo weird looking car takes off like a V6 would. And as you said, I ain't using gas :lol:

I've done 80 kW accelerations also, for passing, when someone is following me too closely and the speed limit goes up, or when doing test drives with friends—doing it uphill gets their attention very quickly.

It is possible, however, that drawing power that fast will speed the degradation of the battery. So most of the time I take it easy; I'd like my battery to last awhile.

 

[Cheezmo]

Dec/2011 Platinum 574 5.2 miles/kWh
Jan/2012 Platinum 750 5.2 miles/kWh
Feb/2012 Platinum 848 5.2 miles/kWh
Mar/2012 Platinum 769 5.4 miles/kWh
Apr/2012 Platinum 1179 5.3 miles/kWh
May/2012 Gold 2716 4.8 miles/kWh
.

Looks like you are gradually coming to your senses. A few months away from driving normally again.

 

[Stoaty]

Looks like you are gradually coming to your senses. A few months away from driving normally again.

Looks like I am not coming to my senses then--9,400 miles with 5.7 miles/kWh from the dash for lifetime of my Leaf. I enjoy driving for efficiency; one of my co-workers even recognized that I beat her over a 7-8 mile stretch of freeway while she was trying to race ahead. Traffic's a bitch. :lol:

 

[DeaneG]

In the winter, by the instrument panel "gauge", I get about 3.5 m/kwh - about 3.9 in the summer. Every once in a while I catch myself driving slow enough to get in someone's way (what is it about this car that makes people feel a need to drive around it?), then I remember that life is short and manage to find the accelerator again - back to being the HOV lane bully.

 

[davewill]

Dec/2011 Platinum 574 5.2 miles/kWh ...

You just want to boast. I don't think that anyone who gets more than 4.0 should even be allowed to post in this thread.

 

[bernie82]

You can't do a round trip averaging 65 to 70 MPH driving from Sacramento to Vacaville. You must be recharging in Vacaville.

 

[MaxPower]

So, if you are someone that is always trying to get a high m/kWh. Why?


I have a photo voltaic system that powers my all electric house and my Leaf. I drive the way I do with a 5.8 m/kwh long term average to keep my electric bill to zero. If I drive 'normally' I get a small bill, and though it is small it is very gratifying to use zero net electricity in a month. Two other points I would note: Driving this way became habitual and is not work for me, nor does it require my attention. Secondly I find I am a calmer driver. Catching lights or getting cut off just doesn't push my buttons anymore. (Or maybe it is my daily yoga.)

I also have a PV system, and it makes about 10-12 kWh a day of excess power that the Leaf could use. Still, it is nice to be able to get home without being forced to stop for an hour or two of charging. L2 chargers are beginning to cost 2.50 an hour in some locations. I still haven't got a L2 charger at home (waiting to hear from Blink for a month now...) so a really deep discharge takes 2 nights to get back to 100%.

So, my driving habits are tending towards observing speed limits, gentle acceleration, and less stress / more situational awareness / more enjoyment of my surroundings. I avoid rushing up to the next stop light, and the other people that do rush to the stop light cause me to slow down even more to avoid rear-ending them when the light turns green just after they stop. If I drive like this, I can get over 5 miles/kWh even in rush hour traffic on city streets. It doesn't add much time to the trip, and it makes the drive a lot less stressful. Sometimes it's just too irresistible to do a jackrabbit start, uphill acceleration, or a sneaky lane change, but those times are few and far between.

I did upgrade the horn because I have been through a couple near-misses where a real car horn (instead of a scooter horn) would have helped prevent the other cell-phone driver from doing something stupid. If the 115 dB 2-tone horn doesn't give good results, I'll go all-in and install a set of Nathan Airchime K5LA train horns. (Are those street legal in Kommunist Kalifornia?)

-- John

 

[thankyouOB]

i find the Leaf-style driving has changed my driving habits in my ICE, as well.
Maybe even added a touch of courtesy.


Though, truth be told, I had already increased my ICE MPG to 24 from 22 in the months before the Leaf arrived last April.
It was sort of practice runs, not so much to save money (though that is cool), but to just do less business with the oil companies, which I hate.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I see that folks on this bulletin board are routinely getting above 5 miles per kWh. I pretty consistently get around 3.5 - 3.8 kWh driving around the San Francisco Bay Area. Granted:

- I have to drive home to the Oakland hills every night (elevation = 1100 ft)
- I take a couple freeway trips every week to Fremont (round trip = 54 miles)
- I drive it like a V6 (70 mph on the freeway, but pretty mellow around town)

Are there others keeping quite on this board for whom 3.7 miles/kWh is average, or am I really a flunkee?

Kevin

nah....there is no doubt plenty of people who drive like you do. you are actually doing pretty well considering

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i find the Leaf-style driving has changed my driving habits in my ICE, as well.
Maybe even added a touch of courtesy.


Though, truth be told, I had already increased my ICE MPG to 24 from 22 in the months before the Leaf arrived last April.
It was sort of practice runs, not so much to save money (though that is cool), but to just do less business with the oil companies, which I hate.

my Leaf did not change my driving style. the Prius did that, but my mileage on the Prius also increased but only because its role in providing very short trip errands was greatly reduced (not quite eliminated but close) and that is where the big hits on mileage come from. the Leaf handles 95% of the trips to Safeway, Dairy Queen, Papa Murphys, the teriyaki take out place on the corner...

 

[ElectricPeter]

I've been getting an average of 3.8 miles/kWh since I got my 2013 SV 45 days ago.
I live and work in Seattle and drive mainly in the city with stop lights and some hills. I use the Eco button all the time and in B mode about half of the time. The climate control is constantly on Auto but the wether has been mild so far so not much heating or cooling thus far.

On a side note, the fact that we are having this discussion is great. I wonder if there is a similar thread on the Hummer Owner's Portal.

 

[mwalsh]

Ha! F you hypermilers. 2.9 m/kWh since my last reset! :mrgreen:

 

[dgpcolorado]

Ha! F you hypermilers. 2.9 m/kWh since my last reset! :mrgreen:

Wow. That seems hard to do in such a warm climate. Lots of 75 mph on the freeways?

 

[mspisars]

First full week of ownership... 500+ miles on the odometer... 3.8 mi/kWh