Freway range

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alvin

Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2014
Messages
6
Hi

I am thinking of purchasing a Leaf, however, I have concern about its range. I will use Leaf to commute everyday on freeway. On average of 65 MPH how far it will take me before I need to charge it. I need to commute 80 miles one way. There are charging stations on the way so I can stop and charge it. How long it would take me to charge on the charge station?

Many thanks in advance
 
There are lots of factors affecting freeway range, but the bottom line is you will need to stop for a partial charge to get to work. Probably 10-15 min if there is a quick charge station (L3, there probably isn't unless you live in LA or San Francisco area) on the way. The "regular" (L2 stations) will take an hour to get 20 miles of charge, which may be enough to get you to work. If there is wind, rain, cold weather or frequent spells of driving over 65, you will need longer. You will also need to charge at work. I don't recommend a Leaf for an 80 mile commute. Get a Prius or Volt.
 
I refer you to Tony William's range chart:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
So, even a NEW, 100% capacity LEAF can only go ~71 miles at 65 mph. The LEAF is the wrong car for your commute.
 
I live in Riverside and work at San Diego. There are charging stations in between, I think L2 stations. Home to work is about 80 miles and home to charging station is about 50 miles. From charging station to work is another 30 miles. We also have two charging stations at work where I can fully charge it while I am working. Would that work?

Thanks
 
Once in awhile I drive to see my sister in Spokane. 285 miles. I spend about 5 hours driving and 7 hours charging. Usually it was a big adventure. But one time, I just needed to get home, and that adventure turned into a very frustrating experience. I think if you try to use a leaf for the commute you described, you will eventually experience similar frustration. The times you are not in a hurry, your charge stops will be a relaxing part of your day, but there is going to be a time you just need to get there (You wake up late, your kid gets sick, etc) and your car just won't deliver. Life just throws you curve balls like that sometimes.
 
alvin said:
I live in Riverside and work at San Diego. There are charging stations in between, I think L2 stations. Home to work is about 80 miles and home to charging station is about 50 miles. From charging station to work is another 30 miles. We also have two charging stations at work where I can fully charge it while I am working. Would that work?

Thanks

Well yes, after a fashion. People have driven LEAF across the continent, after all.

But, do you really want to spend time charging en-route, twice a day, on top of your already-gigantic commute?

If you want to do this with an EV, the Rav4 EV would work without en-route charging, or a Tesla.
 
alvin said:
Hi

I am thinking of purchasing a Leaf, however, I have concern about its range. I will use Leaf to commute everyday on freeway. On average of 65 MPH how far it will take me before I need to charge it. I need to commute 80 miles one way. There are charging stations on the way so I can stop and charge it. How long it would take me to charge on the charge station?

Many thanks in advance
IMHO the LEAF is not well suited for the way you intend to use it.
YMMV
 
To sum up what others are telling you above, you will be using the Leaf on the outer edge of it's performance. Because of this, you may find yourself more frustrated than the gas savings you get with an EV. A longer range EV would be better suited for this commute. Do you have the money for a Tesla? A RAV4ev?

But to answer your original question, YES, it can be done. If you are careful and drive as effeciently as possible, NEVER exceeding 55 mph, I believe you can use the Leaf for this commute for at least 1 to 2 years before the range loss will force you to stop along the way for a recharge. At least there are DCQC's along your route to help you along, along with a Free L2 at the Temecula Nissan dealer, as well as the Escondido Nissan dealer.

Driving slower will actually get you to your destination faster if you do not need to stop to get more juice. Each stop will use up about 10-20 minutes freeway to charging station, plus the time to charge.

The charging rates are approximately:
L3 DCQC = 150 mph
L2 240v = 25 mph
L1 120v/30a = 5mph

Another alternative is a high-mileage ICE, such as the Elio which is due off the production line at the end of next year.

http://www.eliomotors.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I just found another one, the Zing. It goes 40 miles electric at 10 m/kwh, then 100 mpg gas, hybrid.

http://zingcars.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think the Zing will meet both your desire for EV, as well as high mileage on your commute.
 
Thanks all. I think I will start looking at hybrids now. I like the mpg that Prius has to offer but I really do not like the look. What other options do I have besides Tesla?
 
alvin said:
Thanks all. I think I will start looking at hybrids now. I like the mpg that Prius has to offer but I really do not like the look. What other options do I have besides Tesla?
None right now.
Keep driving whatever you have right now and LEAF 2.0 and Tesla Model 3 will be both be here before you know it. At that time buy the car that best suits your needs.
 
alvin said:
Thanks all. I think I will start looking at hybrids now. I like the mpg that Prius has to offer but I really do not like the look. What other options do I have besides Tesla?


People say the same thing about the leaf. Looks wasn't a factor for me though. My friend has a prius c and he loves it. It was awfully cheap too. Maybe you can find a used one.
 
As much as I previously disliked hatchbacks (especially the Prius), the Leaf has sort of grown on me.

What I really dislike the most is the way the hybrids are rated in MPG. 52MPG is extremely high, and not really representative of the efficiency. The MPG rating should be the efficiency of the engine, running on gasoline, not the electric motor and battery, which use no gas. The way the EPA rates hybrids and plugins, really skews the energy efficiency metrics in favor of larger batteries. I'm most interested in the energy efficiency of the engine, not the storage capacity of the battery.

I was considering buying a Volt, but I was looking for a higher EV range. The slow 3.3kW charger is also a limiting factor.

Off topic, so back to it. Any vehicle traveling at freeway speeds will be less efficient than the same vehicle traveling at city speeds. This is a physics problem. The reason ICE gets a lower MPG in the city is because 100% of the energy is lost in city traffic conditions. At 60MPH, your energy efficiency is ideally 1/4 of the efficiency at 30MPH. I say ideally, because heat actually makes it worse.
 
alvin said:
I live in Riverside and work at San Diego. There are charging stations in between, I think L2 stations. Home to work is about 80 miles and home to charging station is about 50 miles. From charging station to work is another 30 miles. We also have two charging stations at work where I can fully charge it while I am working. Would that work?

Thanks


Get a RAV4 EV. Easy 100 miles plus at 65 MPH.
 
alvin said:
Thanks all. I think I will start looking at hybrids now. I like the mpg that Prius has to offer but I really do not like the look. What other options do I have besides Tesla?
Among BEVs, your only choices are the Tesla, RAV4, and maybe the MB B-Class. For Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs), you've got cheaper options. All those except the i3 w/REx and maybe the PiP? have a HOLD mode.

Volt (38 mile EPA All Electric Range, or AER. Expect 25-50 miles AER depending on conditions. Similar range variation applies to all PHEVs).
PiP (Plug-in Prius; 11 mile AER, but only 6 miles continuous. Cheapest PHEV you can get with green HOV sticker).
Ford C-Max Energi (19 mile AER).
Ford Fusion Energi (19 mile AER).
BMW i3 w/REx (expensive, but greatest AER - 71 miles + ca. 65 miles on gas)
 
try a ford cmax or fusion energI.you will get 80 mpg.I love mine.Not a single issue.Nice interior & ford is giving them away right now...
 
Range at 65mph (100km ground speed) on dry, hard surface level road with no wind or cabin climate control with new condition battery at 70F, battery capacity is "useable" amount, not advertised amount. Ranges are at maximum available charge and EPA rating is the maximum published.


Nissan
LEAF - 4 miles per kWh (250 wattHours per mile) * 21.3kWh = 85.2 miles / EPA 84


GM / Chevrolet
Spark EV - 5 miles per kWh (200 wattHours per mile) * 19kWh = 95miles / EPA 82


Mercedes
B-Class ED - 3.8 miles per kWh (263 wattHours per mile) * 31.5kWh = 120 miles / EPA 104


Toyota
Rav4 EV - 3.4 miles per kWh (295 wattHours per mile) * 41.8kWh = 142 miles / EPA 113
 
epic said:
try a ford cmax or fusion energI.you will get 80 mpg.I love mine.Not a single issue.Nice interior & ford is giving them away right now...
You can get 80 mpg from your fusion energI? Because my gas money is killing me that is why I was thinking about an EV. However, after all the information I got from here an EV is not an option any more.
 
mctom987 said:
As much as I previously disliked hatchbacks (especially the Prius), the Leaf has sort of grown on me.

What I really dislike the most is the way the hybrids are rated in MPG. 52MPG is extremely high, and not really representative of the efficiency. The MPG rating should be the efficiency of the engine, running on gasoline, not the electric motor and battery, which use no gas. The way the EPA rates hybrids and plugins, really skews the energy efficiency metrics in favor of larger batteries. I'm most interested in the energy efficiency of the engine, not the storage capacity of the battery.
Huh? On a non-plugin hybrid the only energy source is gasoline. It all ultimately comes from there. I'm not sure I understand your point. There's no external source of electricity. Think about it, even in the regen case.

A Gen 3 non-plugin Prius w/o too much effort (and a sufficiently long drive) can achieve 50+ mpg on a tank. I was able to manage on my Gen 2 Prius as long as I kept my highway speeds below 70 mph.

See where the non-plugin Priuses rank at http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/02/the-most-fuel-efficient-cars/index.htm?loginMethod=auto" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/best-city-highway-mpg/index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; vs. other non-plugins. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=34489&id=34639" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has the EPA ratings. (CR's tests are nothing like the EPA's tests.)
 
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