My Nissan Leaf Forum

I was referring to the latter actually, as in X-Files...

No it does not..

Regarding using Mountain Mode from Tahoe to Sacramento.. just flip the switch and turn MM on as you leave your house, all it does is reserve a bit more energy in the battery... on a long distance trip the extra drop or two of gasoline you will use is inconsequential.

Yeah, I know, I was more interested in whether the ICE can maintain freeway speed up the hill by itself (I'd think not), and if not, how far you could go in the respective modes before the battery power ran out and you were stuck in the truck lane getting your power from the ICE only.

unless you trip ends on the uphill, or just on the side, you don't have to waste anything.. just turn off MM after you are done the mountains. But even if you are going just up (e.g. to a ski condo), you can turn it off a bit before the trip ends and not waste anything. Going up I70 to summit county, I did just that but missed by estimated by 1-2 miles and had reduced propulsion mode that limited me to 65mph.


On the positive side I've found that using MM on trips with modest hllls can increase MPG_CS.. allowing me to have days with 50MPG_CS on 130mile trips.

I believe it can sustain 55 indefinitely.. that 80hp engine will suffer going up a mountain since its not turbocharged, add some headwind plus a heavy load and you have trouble. It should be easy to determine that steady speed by keeping an eye on the power flow status.

I'm just going to have to rent one, and drive it up to Tahoe or Yosemite to see. Probably Yosemite, as Tioga Pass tops out at 9,941 so I'd get the ultimate test (in California), from Oakdale at ca. 125'.

The engine is about 75 horsepower. The electric motor is about 150 horsepower. So, at peak use, the engine can not provide necessary power for the 150 HP motor, and when this happens, it supplements the engine with the ~3kWh reserve power. When you run out of that, you will not be able to maintain highway speeds. The mountain mode is supposed to allow the Volt to drive to the highest peaks in the country and maintain speed, as long as it is activated in plenty of time to give it the extra 10% state of charge it needs.

Any thoughts on whether the Volt power train would be adequate for a small CUV like the Equinox?

depends on how much performance you want in that CUV.. better than a Volt or equivalent?

Maybe equivalent to the gas version. Or maybe just "good enough". Equinox 4 cylinder claims to be 182hp @ 6700rpm and 172ft-lbs @ 4900rpm.