The unofficial Leaf dropout thread

[surfingslovak]

afraid its all still brand new for most areas but for CA? they should be way farther ahead of this game

Agreed, and there are many reasons why they aren't. Uncooperative utilities would be one of them. The repeated delays with the launch of Nissan's $10K quick charger would be another. Let's see if the NRG settlement will help accelerate things. I scaled my own expectations back quite a bit, and anticipate that my next production EV will either have a significantly greater electric range than the Leaf or include a range extender.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

afraid its all still brand new for most areas but for CA? they should be way farther ahead of this game

Agreed, and there are many reasons why they aren't. Uncooperative utilities would be one of them. The repeated delays with the launch of Nissan's $10K quick charger would be another. Let's see if the NRG settlement will help accelerate things. I scaled my own expectations back quite a bit, and anticipate that my next production EV will either have a significantly greater electric range than the Leaf or include a range extender.

ya, we need a MAJOR overhaul of the legal system. there are laws on the books written decades ago for a completely different scenario that hamper us today...just one of what I am sure are many examples

http://daveinolywa.blogspot.com/2012/11/charging-for-charging-cheaper-than-free.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[dfriedla]

Update: Nissan insists that the car is operating normally and that I must drive like a speed demon. (Um...ok. Because *that* is a habit Prius drivers tend to pick up in whatever alternate reality in which Nissan operates.)

So it looks like we have 8 more months together before I can buy out the lease. I am, shall we say, less than thrilled.

I am, however, still documenting instances in which I lose an entire bar while the car is parked and off—at a rate of 1-2 per week. I did a search, and didn't see anything similar popping up—is that something you guys have seen/heard about before? Is that common? Because I can't imagine Nissan would expect much success from a car that basically causes gas to evaporate whenever you park it outside.

Needless to say, without a home charging station, that particular quirk makes my life much more unpredictable. (Given my past experience with being towed, in which Nissan decided to cancel the tow truck order after two hours without telling me, I would REALLY prefer to never run out of juice again, even if I am in the middle of a big city.)

I am over this car.

 

[Boomer23]

I am, however, still documenting instances in which I lose an entire bar while the car is parked and off—at a rate of 1-2 per week. I did a search, and didn't see anything similar popping up—is that something you guys have seen/heard about before? Is that common? Because I can't imagine Nissan would expect much success from a car that basically causes gas to evaporate whenever you park it outside.

This is routine and well known for the LEAF and it doesn't indicate a loss of charge. If you turn off the car and then turn it back on again immediately, you will often see one fewer bar than when you turned it off. What's happening is that you were on the edge of losing that bar when you turned the car off and the instrumentation resets when you turn the power back on.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Update: Nissan insists that the car is operating normally and that I must drive like a speed demon. (Um...ok. Because *that* is a habit Prius drivers tend to pick up in whatever alternate reality in which Nissan operates.)

So it looks like we have 8 more months together before I can buy out the lease. I am, shall we say, less than thrilled.

I am, however, still documenting instances in which I lose an entire bar while the car is parked and off—at a rate of 1-2 per week. I did a search, and didn't see anything similar popping up—is that something you guys have seen/heard about before? Is that common? Because I can't imagine Nissan would expect much success from a car that basically causes gas to evaporate whenever you park it outside.

Needless to say, without a home charging station, that particular quirk makes my life much more unpredictable. (Given my past experience with being towed, in which Nissan decided to cancel the tow truck order after two hours without telling me, I would REALLY prefer to never run out of juice again, even if I am in the middle of a big city.)

I am over this car.

ok then, try the "game" charge to 100% and drive 60 mph. use cruise control if you have to. then see how far you can get.

as far as losing charge bars while just sitting there? you would be 2nd person to report that.

 

[vrwl]

Yes, this happens to me frequently as well, I can drop a SOC bar between parking and starting it back up. The State Of Charge bars really don't mean much in the scheme of things, you're not really LOSING your charge, it's just that their instrumentation sucks. You might want to try and see if someone has a GID counter in your area that you could borrow for a few days to plug into your car to monitor and see if you have a problem. Then you could see how much of a charge the car has remaining when you park it and again when you start it up.

 

[dfriedla]

My gut says this is more than instrumentation. I started yesterday with six bars and ended up with two. I drove a grand total of 15 miles, all between 3 and 4 m/kWh. I did, however, have to park outside three times in 40º weather.

Thanks for the GID meter suggestion; I'll see if I can track one down. I'd love to have more concrete data.

(Is there a point at which I should start a different thread? I don't want to hijack this one.)

 

[TonyWilliams]

My gut says this is more than instrumentation. I started yesterday with six bars and ended up with two. I drove a grand total of 15 miles, all between 3 and 4 m/kWh. I did, however, have to park outside three times in 40º weather.

Was the heater on?

 

[vrwl]

My gut says this is more than instrumentation. I started yesterday with six bars and ended up with two. I drove a grand total of 15 miles, all between 3 and 4 m/kWh. I did, however, have to park outside three times in 40º weather.

Was the heater on?

Good point Tony.

 

[dfriedla]

My gut says this is more than instrumentation. I started yesterday with six bars and ended up with two. I drove a grand total of 15 miles, all between 3 and 4 m/kWh. I did, however, have to park outside three times in 40º weather.

Was the heater on?

Yes. CC set at 70, because I am sick and tired of babying this car and freezing myself with little to no effect.

 

[LEAFer]

(Is there a point at which I should start a different thread? I don't want to hijack this one.)

Now ... would be good ... :lol:

 

[vrwl]

The heater WILL suck the range out of the car, right before your eyes. That and your low mileage efficiency (3-4miles/kWh) probably explains a lot about your poor range. But I'd still try to borrow a GID meter for a few days just to be sure.

 

[surfingslovak]

(Is there a point at which I should start a different thread? I don't want to hijack this one.)

Could you set up a separate thread and keep everyone updated about the progress of your case like some other folks did? That would be much appreciated. I know you've done a lot already to research this problem already, but if you were not resetting the energy economy gauge after each charge, it would be very helpful if you started doing that. Taking a photo of the dash on occasion, and posting it online so that the board can get an idea of your car's performance would a good idea as well.

 

[saintyohann]

OK, I'll make an on topic post.

My Leaf goes back to Nissan on Tuesday. I started looking for a replacement, but the C-max (Hybrid, no Energi around me at all) was a little underwelming. I didn't feel like I fit in the Focus EV. I guess I'm leaning towards a Volt, but the lack of 5 seats bothers me (I do on occasion have 5 people in my car).

There's just no clear winner to me in alt/fuel category.

 

[GRA]

OK, I'll make an on topic post.

My Leaf goes back to Nissan on Tuesday. I started looking for a replacement, but the C-max (Hybrid, no Energi around me at all) was a little underwelming. I didn't feel like I fit in the Focus EV. I guess I'm leaning towards a Volt, but the lack of 5 seats bothers me (I do on occasion have 5 people in my car).

There's just no clear winner to me in alt/fuel category.

So wait a few months, and consider a Fusion Energy or an Accord PHEV.

 

[davewill]

OK, I'll make an on topic post.

My Leaf goes back to Nissan on Tuesday. I started looking for a replacement, but the C-max (Hybrid, no Energi around me at all) was a little underwelming. I didn't feel like I fit in the Focus EV. I guess I'm leaning towards a Volt, but the lack of 5 seats bothers me (I do on occasion have 5 people in my car).

There's just no clear winner to me in alt/fuel category.

I know that you probably won't want to consider this, but if the LEAF's range, etc... works for you, you might want to lease another one. You almost certainly won't have the same experience in a new LEAF.

 

[kubel]

If you didn't fit well in the focus or the cmax, you probably won't fit well in the fusion energy. All of ford's new cars seem to give my knees claustrophobia (they are smashed between cup holders in the doors and the center stack. I wasn't even impressed with the taurus, which is supposed to replace the crown vic as fords full size sedan.

 

[KeiJidosha]

OK, I'll make an on topic post.

My Leaf goes back to Nissan on Tuesday. I started looking for a replacement ...

How about Toyota RAV4 EV? More room, more range (more money).

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

OK, I'll make an on topic post.

My Leaf goes back to Nissan on Tuesday. I started looking for a replacement, but the C-max (Hybrid, no Energi around me at all) was a little underwelming. I didn't feel like I fit in the Focus EV. I guess I'm leaning towards a Volt, but the lack of 5 seats bothers me (I do on occasion have 5 people in my car).

There's just no clear winner to me in alt/fuel category.

which is EXACTLY the dilemma. The LEAF for all its shortcomings is still the only option for me. now others have different needs and different circumstances based on their location, climate and public charging infrastructure and what not, but if i had to do it all over again knowing all that I know now...2nd choice is a very distant choice.

now, some might want the Focus EV and it would be tempting to me if it had quick charge...but oh well