Range in cold weather (not Bad driving 35-45 MPH )

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MIKEA

Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
17
Mileage Report 12/10/13 A.M
2013 Leaf SV
Outside Temp. 15 F
Pre Heat 20 MINUTES
Climate control use (0)
Charge Level Before Pre Heat 100 % After Pre Heat 97%
Starting Charge 97% Ending Charge 75%
Miles Traveled 21.7
Average Speed 24.9
Average Miles Per KW 4.6 :)
Guessometer start 105 Guessometer end 78
Battery Temp 3 BARS
Starting Mileage Bars 12 Ending Bars 9
Total Time of trip 47 MIN
Notes: SPEEDS AROUND 35-45 MPH LOTS OF STOP LIGHTS
Flat little elevation gain of loss .
Eco mode and mode B ON
2013 Red SV 1778K miles/12 bars/284Gids/67.19AHr/100% SOH/108.8% Hx on 23 Dec13
 
My trip to work every day is a 50 mile round trip. Depending on temp and weather I get to work with 60-70 percent left in battery with a full charge. That's doing all hilly highway for 24 miles and one mile city streets. I do not use the heater at all on the way to work . I've tried using city streets more but I've found that actually uses more energy due to stop lights. Regency isn't 100% efficient so any time us use Regency your losing a little bit of energy. I've been averaging 3.5-4.0 miles/kwh on Highway doing 50-55mph. Overall the key that I've found to the best range is yes low speeds but also low stops. Low speed with a lot of stops can be worse than high speeds with very few stops.
 
My commute is 23 miles one way and I do use the climate control. I didn't buy this car to freeze myself. At 80% full I always managed to get home with about 10-14 miles left on the "meter". As I said I do run the heater all the time. Outside temps were in the single digits last few days.
 
Falco said:
My commute is 23 miles one way and I do use the climate control. I didn't buy this car to freeze myself. At 80% full I always managed to get home with about 10-14 miles left on the "meter". As I said I do run the heater all the time. Outside temps were in the single digits last few days.

I on the other hand do not use climate control other than to defrost windshield. I am curious what percentage do you have left when you get home. Guess-o-meter is highly unreliable. I end with 25-35% normally.
 
The temperatures in Denver Colorado was hovering around-7 and 5f last week. My 2013 Leaf range performance was terrible. Driving with heater and seat warmers, I averaged 2.1 miles/kwh. One specific round trip to and from work with mixed city and hwy driving 27 miles, I burned 70% of the battery. I cold probably turned all heat off and frozen, but why? The Leaf has no business in artic or cold climates yet.

I'm driving a Leaf Model S
 
ottok62 said:
The temperatures in Denver Colorado was hovering around-7 and 5f last week. My 2013 Leaf range performance was terrible. Driving with heater and seat warmers, I averaged 2.1 miles/kwh. One specific round trip to and from work with mixed city and hwy driving 27 miles, I burned 70% of the battery. I cold probably turned all heat off and frozen, but why? The Leaf has no business in artic or cold climates yet.

What model Leaf do you have? Heat pump or not? Which driving mode do you use and what temp is the climate control set for? I still seem to be getting about 4 M/kwh and that's with the heat set to 76 and on about 95% of the time. I use Eco mode and cruise control, staying under 58MPH indicated.
 
Seattle has been hit by really cold weather (for Seattle) and got down to the 20s during the day. From driving this week, I learned that slowing down really help as cold air is harder to push thru and drag is even more magnified as temperature drops.

'13 SL
Charge to 80%
Commute 23 miles on way
max freeway speed 55MPH
Heater on at 60F
Seat Warmer low

I would get to work with 50% charge and about 15% when I get home (there is a 1 mile 7% grade hill right before home that sucks up all the charge). So far, winter range hasn't been as bad as I had feared.
 
LeftieBiker said:
ottok62 said:
The temperatures in Denver Colorado was hovering around-7 and 5f last week. My 2013 Leaf range performance was terrible. Driving with heater and seat warmers, I averaged 2.1 miles/kwh. One specific round trip to and from work with mixed city and hwy driving 27 miles, I burned 70% of the battery. I cold probably turned all heat off and frozen, but why? The Leaf has no business in artic or cold climates yet.

What model Leaf do you have? Heat pump or not? Which driving mode do you use and what temp is the climate control set for? I still seem to be getting about 4 M/kwh and that's with the heat set to 76 and on about 95% of the time. I use Eco mode and cruise control, staying under 58MPH indicated.

I'm driving in Eco mode, Cabin heater set at 75F, pre heating at home and work. Usually stop and go traffic avg 25 mph.
 
MIKEA said:
...Average Miles Per KW 4.6 :) ...
I got the same mileage efficiency today. Roads are mostly snowpacked and slick but not slushy, so little rolling resistance. I don't use the heater; the steering wheel heater is enough since I am dressed for winter when I venture outside. I do have to run the defroster periodically, with the heat/AC off, to clear the windshield.

Tomorrow morning (7 AM) I will preheat and run the heater some — set at 61ºF — to be kind to my carpool partner. But he's originally from New Hampshire so cold is no big deal to him (by contrast, I'm a fifth generation Hawaiian).
 
I don't know how some of you guys are getting 4.5+/kwh. I'm struggling to reach 4. Yes, I checked tire pressure and have all set around 40psi.

My commute is 25 miles each way, mostly flat. 90% country road crusing at 45-50mph, the other 10% is light traffic city driving. I charge to 100% and preheat. I get home with about 30% battery, yesterday I think it was a bit less than that. I run the heater some, but not often.
 
Klayfish said:
I don't know how some of you guys are getting 4.5+/kwh. I'm struggling to reach 4. Yes, I checked tire pressure and have all set around 40psi.

My commute is 25 miles each way, mostly flat. 90% country road crusing at 45-50mph, the other 10% is light traffic city driving. I charge to 100% and preheat. I get home with about 30% battery, yesterday I think it was a bit less than that. I run the heater some, but not often.
Struggling for 4? I can't even get 3 in the winter unless I drive like a total panzie and absolutely no heat. '12 Leaf. This even in mid teens F, and not a mile on the highway. I'm at 2.5 kWh so far in Western NY for the month of Jan after 149.8 miles. Of those I'd say heat is on perhaps 2/3rd of the time. Dec was 2.7 kWh average for the whole month so sayeth carwings.
 
Latest trip !!!!!


Mileage Report 01/10/14 WORK AND BACK
2013 Leaf SV
Outside Temp. 42 F
Pre Heat 0
Climate control use (0)
Charge Level Before Pre Heat N/A After Pre Heat N/A
Starting Charge 84% Ending Charge 35%
Miles Traveled 43.1
Average Speed 23.7
Average Miles Per KW 5.5 Guessometer start 87 Guessometer end 44
Battery Temp 4 BARS
Starting Mileage Bars 10 Ending Bars
Total Time of trip 1 HR:47 MIN.
Notes: SPEEDS AROUND 30-45 MPH LOTS OF STOP LIGHTS
Flat little elevation gain of loss .
Eco mode and mode B ON
RAINY weather
 
Klayfish said:
90% country road crusing at 45-50mph, the other 10% is light traffic city driving.
Your speeds are higher - and being country roads not much stop / start (that reduces average speed a lot).
 
MIKEA said:
Latest trip !!!!!


Mileage Report 01/10/14 WORK AND BACK
2013 Leaf SV
Outside Temp. 42 F
Pre Heat 0
Climate control use (0)
Charge Level Before Pre Heat N/A After Pre Heat N/A
Starting Charge 84% Ending Charge 35%
Miles Traveled 43.1
Average Speed 23.7
Average Miles Per KW 5.5 Guessometer start 87 Guessometer end 44
Battery Temp 4 BARS
Starting Mileage Bars 10 Ending Bars
Total Time of trip 1 HR:47 MIN.
Notes: SPEEDS AROUND 30-45 MPH LOTS OF STOP LIGHTS
Flat little elevation gain of loss .
Eco mode and mode B ON
RAINY weather

I'm going to guess you don't have a Gidmeter or LEAF Spy app?

Assuming you reset the dash miles/kWh at the beginning of this trip, then 43.1 miles / 5.5 kWh = 7.83kWh burned.

Unfortunately, we don't know the actual starting status of your battery without additional info, but let's say you burned 84% - 35% = 49% of a new condition, non degraded battery.

That means your battery had a cold weather usable capacity of 15.7kWh of a normal 21.3kWh when warm and new, or 73.7% of new capacity.
 
Today in KC, it was about 15 deg F this AM early. My garaged 2012 Leaf was 4 temp bars. I had charged to 80% the night before, and then restarted charging at around 5:30 AM. An hour later, I left with 12 charge bars showing, but the 12th bar was clearly not fully charged.

Driving with only the occasional shot of defrost for the first 9 miles, I delivered my wife to the airport. Some of the distance was at 65 mph, others far less.

Proceeding on to work, 22 miles away, using no defrost or heat except for seat and steering (I wear ear muffs and driving gloves, actually not uncomfortable at all, and the windows do NOT fog -- just do not turn off the outside air). Some at 65 mph, some slower.

Got to work, exterior temp around 15. 4 battery temp bars. 5 charge bars. Car parked in unheated, covered garage.

Left work, 11 hrs later. Outside temp better at 30 deg. But battery bars had fallen to 4. Needed 16 miles.

Temp bars hand out at 4 consistently. I start 16 mile trip, chosing "shortest route" via GPS to perhaps reduce useage.

Avoided most of the 65 mph freeway, but lots of lights. 1 mile from home, got Low Battery Warning, 8 mile left on GOM.

Last bar still showing at arrival at home, LBW flashing.

47 miles total. In relatively cold weather. Some good slow driving, but with lights. Some fast at 65 (I never drive over 65, as this seems to be a "point of no return" where the battery gets eaten FAST) Took almost the whole battery.....

That's my report
 
1/20/2014, 2012 Leaf.

Starting: 100% (12 bars)
Temps: Averaged high teens, 4 bars on temp gauge entire time, though.
Heat: On as much as I wanted
Drove: 32 miles
Final: 1 bar, 5 miles range, low battery warning. Project car would have turtled no more than 40 miles total.

Doesn't change the fact that 100% charge this morning at 5F it was still pretending I had 66 miles range. That GOM is just egregious and shameful.

Again I assert that in fairly normal freezing temperatures for the North East if you--how dare I even say it--want to use heat on this car you're best to not even attempt more than 40 miles because risk goes up hugely you won't make it. cdherman above me did 47 when he hit LBW, but without heat.
 
its wintertime in KC charge to 100%

there is no sense in not charging to 100% especially in winter!


charge charge charge charge 100% all the time.

set a timer to complete 100% within 1 hour of your am departure time.


forget the 80% mumbo jumbo, Nissan has
 
kmp647 said:
its wintertime in KC charge to 100%

there is no sense in not charging to 100% especially in winter!


charge charge charge charge 100% all the time.

set a timer to complete 100% within 1 hour of your am departure time.


forget the 80% mumbo jumbo, Nissan has
That's fine for flatlanders to say but some of us in the mountains need regen to descend hills. 100% = no regen = friction brakes the whole way down steep grades.

It is a safety issue; in my ICE car I use a low gear and engine compression.
 
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