So, owners what range are you getting ?

[eddiebo924]

Is your drive to work uphill and drive to home downhill?

Check your profile it says 2014 for Leaf delivery.

Uphill / Downhill. . . It's a little of both. Overall work is only about 200 feet higher than the elevation of my house but there are quite a few ups and downs on my route.

Thanks for the heads up on the profile.

ed

 

[GRA]

Is your drive to work uphill and drive to home downhill?

Check your profile it says 2014 for Leaf delivery.

Uphill / Downhill. . . It's a little of both. Overall work is only about 200 feet higher than the elevation of my house but there are quite a few ups and downs on my route.

Thanks for the heads up on the profile.

ed

Be sure to download and print out a copy of the range chart, and keep it in your glove compartment until you get familiar with your car:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293#p101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

This is a long one but I'm a new owner and I'm pretty happy!

Only day 3 but I'm really digging my new 2015 SL - Here's my story . . .

I live in Colorado and we have a few "hills" here so I was a little bit nervous on how things would go. So far, so good. . . The main use for this car was/is to be for my daily commute which is about 54 miles round trip with a decent number of those hills. Here's how it's gone:

Day 1 - Picked up the car the day before and was only able to drive it a little bit. On day one, I woke up happy to find that the GOM was telling me I had 104 miles to tool around. Well, when I got to work (27 miles) the GOM was down to 61. UGGGG I thought. All day long I really worried about my decision to purchase this car. The ride home was WAY better. I guess the car was just figuring things out because I arrived home with 52 miles showing on the GOM. Ahhhh Felt much better. BTW, all surface streets on this day, speeds 35 - 55 for the most part.

Day 2 - Drove about sixty miles and had 38 left.

Day 3 (Saturday) - Today was time to "play" and try to figure things out. I wanted to experiment with some different routs to my office. At 7:30 this morning the whole Denver metro area where I live it was crazy foggy. I did my normal drive to work (same as I did on day 1) and arrived at work with only 55 miles remaining on the GOM. I figured that may happen so no surprise. On my return trip, I experimented a little more by stopping at a free charging station for :30 minutes and grabbed myself an extra 16 miles. Very cool. Then I decided to try out the highway at 70 - 75 MPH. The car did fantastic and didn't consume nearly as much energy as I thought it would. Sorry, I have no numbers for this but I was surprised.

When I got home, I charged it up to 98% and went for another ride to work. This was the big test. I took the highway all the way there (about 20 miles on the highway at a steady 65 mph, the rest 40 - 55 mph). Got to the office with 55 miles on the GOM. From work, I drove to where we normally go to lunch to make it a "normal" days drive. Drove back to the office and then back home on the highway again. VERY HAPPY to say that I made it home with 38 miles on the GOM. I even used the AC for a good portion of the trip home.

This car drives great, it's fast when you want it to be and so far is performing way better than I expected it would.

Good Stuff!

BTW, for the most part (except when I wanted to go fast on the highway) I drove in ECO mode and threw in some Brake mode occasionally for the downhill parts.

Ed

glad you like your car and its obvious to me your commute home is down hill or down wind and guessing it aint that windy

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Is your drive to work uphill and drive to home downhill?

Check your profile it says 2014 for Leaf delivery.

Uphill / Downhill. . . It's a little of both. Overall work is only about 200 feet higher than the elevation of my house but there are quite a few ups and downs on my route.

Thanks for the heads up on the profile.

ed

As you learn your car you will find you can play those hills to your advantage. A lot of people don't like shifting gears but it can really benefit you in gaining and maintaining momentum.

 

[eddiebo924]

As you learn your car you will find you can play those hills to your advantage. A lot of people don't like shifting gears but it can really benefit you in gaining and maintaining momentum.

So I'm trying to do this but being new I don't think I have it down yet. I'm trying to use the B-Mode when I'm headed downhill and also when I see a stop light ahead that I'm going to need to stop for. I try to ride out the B-Mode before I hit the brake. Does this sound correct? What other advice do you folks have. THANKS!

ed

 

[lorenfb]

As you learn your car you will find you can play those hills to your advantage. A lot of people don't like shifting gears but it can really benefit you in gaining and maintaining momentum.

So I'm trying to do this but being new I don't think I have it down yet. I'm trying to use the B-Mode when I'm headed downhill and also when I see a stop light ahead that I'm going to need to stop for. I try to ride out the B-Mode before I hit the brake. Does this sound correct? What other advice do you folks have. THANKS!

ed

Just always leave it in B-Mode. Trying to maximize momentum by coasting, for me, really yields little.
When cruising and not climbing a grade, try to not exceed two dots of energy demand.

 

[dgpcolorado]

So I'm trying to do this but being new I don't think I have it down yet. I'm trying to use the B-Mode when I'm headed downhill and also when I see a stop light ahead that I'm going to need to stop for. I try to ride out the B-Mode before I hit the brake. Does this sound correct? What other advice do you folks have. THANKS!

Sounds as if you are doing fine. For more information on driving efficiently you might want to start with Stoaty's Guide to Energy Efficient Driving of the Leaf, although it appears that you have the basic idea down pretty well.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

As you learn your car you will find you can play those hills to your advantage. A lot of people don't like shifting gears but it can really benefit you in gaining and maintaining momentum.

So I'm trying to do this but being new I don't think I have it down yet. I'm trying to use the B-Mode when I'm headed downhill and also when I see a stop light ahead that I'm going to need to stop for. I try to ride out the B-Mode before I hit the brake. Does this sound correct? What other advice do you folks have. THANKS!

ed

yes. if you know you will be stopping increase your regen asap. but do not hit the brake pedal early. let the car do it. it is difficult to engage regen on the brake pedal without using some power to charge the braking system or engage friction brakes, even if its just a touch.

Another thing to do is shifting to neutral. This is for situations when you are unsure of how much you will need to slow down.

For example; you see a light turn red several blocks ahead and traffic is relatively heavy. you cannot start regen because you will just piss off the people behind you (they don't understand their impatience wastes gas and insures a longer wait at the stoplight) now shifting to neutral will allow you to coast several blocks with only a slight loss of velocity. The ideology here is maintaining as much speed as possible in the hopes the light turns green and the traffic clears the intersection so you are accelerating from say 20-25 mph instead of from a near or complete stop.

this is the toughest thing to judge and it will take practice. It is not uncommon for me to shift from eco (or whatever you have) to neutral a few times approaching a light. But the key thing is maintaining as much speed as possible and minimizing your foot on the brake pedal

 

[dgpcolorado]

...For example; you see a light turn red several blocks ahead and traffic is relatively heavy. you cannot start regen because you will just piss off the people behind you (they don't understand their impatience wastes gas and insures a longer wait at the stoplight) now shifting to neutral will allow you to coast several blocks with only a slight loss of velocity. The ideology here is maintaining as much speed as possible in the hopes the light turns green and the traffic clears the intersection so you are accelerating from say 20-25 mph instead of from a near or complete stop...

I do this too, Dave. I'm dropping from 60 mph on cruise to the first light in a long series of them with a 40 mph limit (if I make the light). It's fun to play with where to shift to neutral to get to the right speed before reaching the light — the heavy, fairly low drag LEAF coasts really well, especially compared to my ICE car. If the light turns red then I turn on D or Eco (no B mode, of course), depending on how much regen I need. It's a game, as well as being efficient.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

...For example; you see a light turn red several blocks ahead and traffic is relatively heavy. you cannot start regen because you will just piss off the people behind you (they don't understand their impatience wastes gas and insures a longer wait at the stoplight) now shifting to neutral will allow you to coast several blocks with only a slight loss of velocity. The ideology here is maintaining as much speed as possible in the hopes the light turns green and the traffic clears the intersection so you are accelerating from say 20-25 mph instead of from a near or complete stop...

I do this too, Dave. I'm dropping from 60 mph on cruise to the first light in a long series of them with a 40 mph limit (if I make the light). It's fun to play with where to shift to neutral to get to the right speed before reaching the light — the heavy, fairly low drag LEAF coasts really well, especially compared to my ICE car. If the light turns red then I turn on D or Eco (no B mode, of course), depending on how much regen I need. It's a game, as well as being efficient.

Amen!! I chronicled a trip down I-5 a few weeks ago where I shifted into neutral while on the slope from the highway 18 to I-5 interchange. Traffic was ridiculous and started about 30 mph but had to shift to eco eventually slowing down to roughly 12 mph. I then coasted over 6 miles without touching the accelerator (had to tap the brakes a few times) getting up over 30 mph while drifting along in traffic. All this was done on a 334 ft loss of elevation!

I am constantly amazed at how well I can coast especially in situations where I can coast several blocks losing only a few mph in velocity

 

[dgpcolorado]

...I am constantly amazed at how well I can coast especially in situations where I can coast several blocks losing only a few mph in velocity

Yup!

 

[eddiebo924]

Thanks guys! Awesome info for the newbie! Thank you. . .

So you all seem to be saying to coast in neutral instead of staying in Drive or B-Mode. I've been staying in one of those modes for the regen, I would have thought neutral is just giving up some good juice as the car is just freely rolling down the road. Why am I wrong here?

Thanks!

 

[lorenfb]

Thanks guys! Awesome info for the newbie! Thank you. . .

So you all seem to be saying to coast in neutral instead of staying in Drive or B-Mode. I've been staying in one of those modes for the regen, I would have thought neutral is just giving up some good juice as the car is just freely rolling down the road. Why am I wrong here?

Thanks!

You aren't! To each his own view.

 

[DaveEV]

Why am I wrong here?

Think of it this way - if you have to use regen or friction brakes, that means that you did not start coasting soon enough.

The most efficient speed is around 12 mph with no change in speed. So ideally you'd modestly accelerate to 12 mph and then coast in neutral until you stop at your destination.

Of course, real life dictates that you will very likely have to travel faster than that, so lets say you have a cruising speed target of 35 mph. Now you modestly accelerate to 35 mph, then coast in neutral until you stop at your destination.

And now you find that coasting causes you to slow down too quickly (annoying drivers behind you), so you use regenerative braking without touching the accelerator to stop at your destination.

So in short, coasting is better than regen which is better than friction brakes which is better than crashing to a stop.

 

[mbender]

Thanks guys! Awesome info for the newbie! Thank you. . .

So you all seem to be saying to coast in neutral instead of staying in Drive or B-Mode. I've been staying in one of those modes for the regen, I would have thought neutral is just giving up some good juice as the car is just freely rolling down the road. Why am I wrong here?

Thanks!

You aren't! To each his own view.

Actually, in matters like this (scientific, physical, kinetic), one can be wrong, and not every "view" is equal or right. i.e., being in neutral is not giving up good juice (or any juice at all)*.

Think of it this way: if you can do it safely, coasting in neutral is very nearly 100% efficient, 100% free energy and 100% good use of momentum and/or potential energy that you have already built up. It doesn't get any better than that.

Regen on the other hand, is not 100% efficient, etc. and will require you to use more "juice" to get back up to the speed that you would have been going had you just coasted in neutral instead. (The assumption is that it was safe to coast.)

It's hard to put it more "plainly", but I think as you experiment and learn more (intellectually and "viscerally"), this will become more and more apparent.

The only time regen is desirable/useful is when you need to slow down or stop sooner than coasting would allow (and this can be due to traffic conditions or time constraints). And of course, regen is also safer, since you are still "in gear"; but again, the assumption is/was that the conditions were safe (and you had the time) for coasting.


* Note, on the other hand, that the part about the car freely rolling down the road IS correct. ;-)

 

[LeftieBiker]

To put it another way, regeneration recovers about 40% of the energy from slowing down. Coasting, OTOH, allows you to "drive" along while using no energy: the car slows down, but until you have to apply the juice again, you are using free kinetic energy instead of electricity. Think of it as being at least 90% efficient.

 

[Slow1]

Ah, but how about "coasting in neutral" vs "coasting in drive by keeping the accelerator neither braking or using power" - if one can do the latter perhaps it is of equal value and avoids the risk of having to put the car 'in gear' if a sudden move is needed (i.e. that crazy person pulls out of the driveway next to you and you need to jet out of their way).

Also note - it appears several states have "no coasting on a downgrade" laws on the books. Likely for the reasons listed above... See the link here for info (the question is about neutral at stop lights, but the answer addresses coasting on downhills) - http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/14159/is-it-illegal-in-any-u-s-jurisdiction-to-be-in-neutral-at-a-red-light" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[bbrowncods]

I have an SL and use the Energy page of the Nav almost constantly. It really halps me to drive efficiently.

I do have a question - Does holding the accelerator at zero energy as displayed on the energy usage page the same as Neutral?

 

[mkjayakumar]

I have always said, 'No regen is the best regen' (except when you have to brake to stop).

In fact for someone who drives mostly on highway, I wish I could disable regen completely. It is a nuisance. And I bet I can get better range without it, than with it for highway driving.

More the reason I think Tesla and i3, I believe, have taken the wrong approach by going the opposite route of generating more regen. Especially Tesla I was told does regen only when coasting (foot of the brake) and the braking is thru friction only.

 

[lorenfb]

Thanks guys! Awesome info for the newbie! Thank you. . .

So you all seem to be saying to coast in neutral instead of staying in Drive or B-Mode. I've been staying in one of those modes for the regen, I would have thought neutral is just giving up some good juice as the car is just freely rolling down the road. Why am I wrong here?

Thanks!

You aren't! To each his own view.

Actually, in matters like this (scientific, physical, kinetic), one can be wrong, and not every "view" is equal or right. i.e., being in neutral is not giving up good juice (or any juice at all)*.

Think of it this way: if you can do it safely, coasting in neutral is very nearly 100% efficient, 100% free energy and 100% good use of momentum and/or potential energy that you have already built up. It doesn't get any better than that.

Regen on the other hand, is not 100% efficient, etc. and will require you to use more "juice" to get back up to the speed that you would have been going had you just coasted in neutral instead. (The assumption is that it was safe to coast.)

It's hard to put it more "plainly", but I think as you experiment and learn more (intellectually and "viscerally"), this will become more and more apparent.

The only time regen is desirable/useful is when you need to slow down or stop sooner than coasting would allow (and this can be due to traffic conditions or time constraints). And of course, regen is also safer, since you are still "in gear"; but again, the assumption is/was that the conditions were safe (and you had the time) for coasting.


* Note, on the other hand, that the part about the car freely rolling down the road IS correct. ;-)

Do you want to quantify the benefit of constantly determining when to coast and not coast
and then shifting to neutral? No one has provided any data, e.g. the 'significant' range increase
by coasting.

If you're thinking that 'hard' about coasting, you might start to consider not driving more than 55 mph,
or better yet never accelerating more than three dots.

Again, to each his own view!

"More the reason I think Tesla and i3Visit the i3 Forum, I believe, have taken the wrong approach by going the opposite route of generating more regen. Especially Tesla I was told does regen only when coasting (foot of the brake) and the braking is thru friction only."

And Leaf owners are more knowledgeable about energy efficiency than Tesla & BMW engineers, right?