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Dozer105

Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2014
Messages
7
Hello everyone I just leased a 2015 Nissan Leaf SV that has both Charging ports Mine is black very nice car. I am planning on driving to Charleston SC from my area of Richmond Hill GA next week. I plotted a route however I can not find any information on a particular Charging station I found on my route other than what it says "Tesla" does this type of station work for our vehicle. I have not seen any other type of station in that area. The mileage is exactly 121 miles one way I plan on stopping for a quick Charge at the dealership in Hilton Head area and then venturing forward to Charleston so hopefully it will make it to the destination where I can charge it up fully for the return trip. Along the way at some Restaurant is the Tesla Charging station so I was trying to see if anyone knows if that will work on our car. I also plan on taking I-95 up to Fayetteville one day and from Hardeeville SC to Florence SC is about 198 miles so if that tesla point doesn't work are their any suggestions on how I can make that distance because based off the search I found that tesla point is the only charging station in between Hardeeville and Florence. Thanks for your time and I appreciate any feed back received.
 
The Charleston Trip will be pushing the range. The Hilton Head (PlugShare only show a L2 there, {you would spend 3 hours or so there charging.}) To West Ashley is 87 Miles.

The I95 streach will put a big drain to your battery, and It;s Unlikely that you will make it to the 1st Charger in Charleston Area. (you will also run out of power in the middle of nowhere with questionable Cell coverage in that area.)


Did not look at your other trips, But the LEAF is the wrong car for these trips. Take your ICE CAR.
 
flyonpa said:
The Charleston Trip will be pushing the range. The Hilton Head (PlugShare only show a L2 there, {you would spend 3 hours or so there charging.}) To West Ashley is 87 Miles.

The I95 streach will put a big drain to your battery, and It;s Unlikely that you will make it to the 1st Charger in Charleston Area. (you will also run out of power in the middle of nowhere with questionable Cell coverage in that area.)


Did not look at your other trips, But the LEAF is the wrong car for these trips. Take your ICE CAR.

So the leaf can't make the distance of 87 miles? its supposed to be rated at 121 miles on one charge. I don't mind the charging part at the Hilton Head station but that is disappointing that this car could not make the distance of 87 miles. especially since they posted 121 miles on their rating for mileage :? :? well I guess I will have to get a rental because my Jeep is in the shop for a bit. when you say that 95 will put big drain on my battery is that driving with everything on like the radio,AC, etc? what is the most mileage you have gotten with yours so far? Just curious to learn how this car performs thanks for your input though I wa sjust really hoping that this car could make that kind of distance.
 
Dozer105 said:
So the leaf can't make the distance of 87 miles? its supposed to be rated at 121 miles on one charge.
Not sure where you saw 121 miles, but I'm pretty sure that the EPA never posted that. I did see where the 2013 model was rated at 121 kilometers (75 miles). The EPA estimated average range for the 2015 models is 84 miles, but that assumes a good bit of city driving at lower speeds. The estimated highway range is lower for an EV, not higher as in an ICE car.

That said, I believe you can make this trip if the longest leg between charges is 87 miles, but you'll need to go pretty slow. I don't think I would attempt it right out of the box, though. I suggest you practice hyper-miling until you can average 5.0 miles per kWh. That should give you enough cushion.
 
billg said:
Dozer105 said:
So the leaf can't make the distance of 87 miles? its supposed to be rated at 121 miles on one charge.
Not sure where you saw 121 miles, but I'm pretty sure that the EPA never posted that. I did see where the 2013 model was rated at 121 kilometers (75 miles). The EPA estimated average range for the 2015 models is 84 miles, but that assumes a good bit of city driving at lower speeds. The estimated highway range is lower for an EV, not higher as in an ICE car.

That said, I believe you can make this trip if the longest leg between charges is 87 miles, but you'll need to go pretty slow. I don't think I would attempt it right out of the box, though. I suggest you practice hyper-miling until you can average 5.0 miles per kWh. That should give you enough cushion.

I will give it a shot later on I thought it said 121 miles your right it was Kilometers but the sticker on my car does say 84 miles I did not notice that before I just wish there was a couple more Charging stations in between Hilton Head and Charleston and I think I would be golden. I found out today that the Charger at my local airport is for Teslas only which stinks cause that's the only type they have. The Nissan Dealership I bought my car from said the same thing about possibly making the trip but to wait til I break the car in first. They also mentioned I should write to the areas in between local government to try and get them to install a few charging stations in between that way I could drive there with out issues. but working with the government has taught me that that would be a slow battle.
 
The Leaf is a wonderful car within its ratings. The most I go is one way 39 miles on the freeway at 55 and it does fine. As long as you use it as designed it is a fine car. I love it so much I am on my second. Where it falls down is where people try to push the range.

For my use I do not need public charging stations but it is nice to know that they are there. As previously posted the Tesla network is only for the high end Tesla cars. It is not really free, the fee was paid up front.
 
For point of reference, I made a 116 mile trip this afternoon from Garland, TX to Waco, TX. I started with a full charge and charged to 95% after the first leg, and to 61% after the second leg.

  • Leg 1 - 28.3 miles, 23% usage (=4.8 kWh) at 6.3 miles/kWh (=4.5 kWh). City streets, 29 mph avg. No A/C
    Leg 2 - 49.8 miles, 46% usage (=9.7 kWh) at 5.2 miles/kWh (=9.6 kWh). Rural hwys, 32.4 mph avg. A/C set @ 80F
    Leg 3 - 37.8 miles, 39% usage (=8.2 kWh) at 4.5 miles/kWh (=8.4 kWh). Mostly Interstate @ 65mph, 48.5 mph avg. A/C set @ 76F

I'm going to make the trip in reverse on Wednesday, and I plan to skip the stop between Legs 2&3. That will be an 87 mile trip and I probably won't be using any A/C, so I should be able to average better than 5.0 miles/kWh. That should take between 17 and 18 kWh out of the 20 available. I don't count the 21st kWh as being available - that's my "below empty" reserve.
 
GlennD said:
The Leaf is a wonderful car within its ratings. The most I go is one way 39 miles on the freeway at 55 and it does fine. As long as you use it as designed it is a fine car. I love it so much I am on my second. Where it falls down is where people try to push the range.

For my use I do not need public charging stations but it is nice to know that they are there. As previously posted the Tesla network is only for the high end Tesla cars. It is not really free, the fee was paid up front.

I love this car the majority of its use is perfect for me as I don't really go anywhere but once in awhile I have to go to Charleston for hospital visits but according to the stats I might not make it so I will just use my Jeep when it gets out of the shop for drives with long distance. if there were listed chargers in between Hilton Head and Charleston I would make it no problem but the only one I can see is a campground with level 1 charging ability and I can't wait 12 hours to drive to the hospital one day perhaps I even thought about investing in a commercial chargers and place them along the routes I take to places that interest me that would connect those areas easier for others to travel too but so if I can get enough backers and a business loan to do so I will close the loop on the south east coast. I think it is ridiculous that TESLA Superchargers only work on those cars and yet most of the other EV's are universal. Just a crappy move in my opinion they should have made them so they are accessible by everyone that would truly live up to the way Tesla really was like he wanted to give free electricity to the world and yet for them to make the chargers only available to their line of cars is an Edison style move :( one day though we will all be able to travel further with these cars. but for where I live day to day I have a level 2 charger in my Garage and I get every where I need in town Gas free so I am cool with that.
 
billg said:
For point of reference, I made a 116 mile trip this afternoon from Garland, TX to Waco, TX. I started with a full charge and charged to 95% after the first leg, and to 61% after the second leg.

  • Leg 1 - 28.3 miles, 23% usage (=4.8 kWh) at 6.3 miles/kWh (=4.5 kWh). City streets, 29 mph avg. No A/C
    Leg 2 - 49.8 miles, 46% usage (=9.7 kWh) at 5.2 miles/kWh (=9.6 kWh). Rural hwys, 32.4 mph avg. A/C set @ 80F
    Leg 3 - 37.8 miles, 39% usage (=8.2 kWh) at 4.5 miles/kWh (=8.4 kWh). Mostly Interstate @ 65mph, 48.5 mph avg. A/C set @ 76F

I'm going to make the trip in reverse on Wednesday, and I plan to skip the stop between Legs 2&3. That will be an 87 mile trip and I probably won't be using any A/C, so I should be able to average better than 5.0 miles/kWh. That should take between 17 and 18 kWh out of the 20 available. I don't count the 21st kWh as being available - that's my "below empty" reserve.

Interesting stats was there a QC along the way there or did you spend a long time charging at the stops? I am going to recon the area fully from the route I normally take from my house to Charleston SC and note down all the areas with Charge points on the map and places with access to a plug cause I think if I find a source of power to plug in along that 87 mile stretch even if I only charge it up for as little as 45 minutes to an hour and drive at a steady pace with no AC it might make it cause 116 miles like you described would definitely accomplish what I would need to make it to the next Charge point.
 
Dozer105 said:
Interesting stats was there a QC along the way there or did you spend a long time charging at the stops? I am going to recon the area fully from the route I normally take from my house to Charleston SC and note down all the areas with Charge points on the map and places with access to a plug cause I think if I find a source of power to plug in along that 87 mile stretch even if I only charge it up for as little as 45 minutes to an hour and drive at a steady pace with no AC it might make it cause 116 miles like you described would definitely accomplish what I would need to make it to the next Charge point.

I don't have a QC port, just the 3.3kW charger that comes with the base S model. I charged for 55 minutes at the first stop and 45 minutes at the second. I arrived with about 22%/25 miles in reserve.
 
billg said:
For point of reference, I made a 116 mile trip this afternoon from Garland, TX to Waco, TX. I started with a full charge and charged to 95% after the first leg, and to 61% after the second leg.

  • Leg 1 - 28.3 miles, 23% usage (=4.8 kWh) at 6.3 miles/kWh (=4.5 kWh). City streets, 29 mph avg. No A/C
    Leg 2 - 49.8 miles, 46% usage (=9.7 kWh) at 5.2 miles/kWh (=9.6 kWh). Rural hwys, 32.4 mph avg. A/C set @ 80F
    Leg 3 - 37.8 miles, 39% usage (=8.2 kWh) at 4.5 miles/kWh (=8.4 kWh). Mostly Interstate @ 65mph, 48.5 mph avg. A/C set @ 76F

I'm going to make the trip in reverse on Wednesday, and I plan to skip the stop between Legs 2&3. That will be an 87 mile trip and I probably won't be using any A/C, so I should be able to average better than 5.0 miles/kWh. That should take between 17 and 18 kWh out of the 20 available. I don't count the 21st kWh as being available - that's my "below empty" reserve.

Well, best laid plans, etc. My return trip was not nearly as efficient, even though I didn't use the A/C at all. I think the big difference was the wind. I had a 10 mph tailwind on the trip down and a 10 mph headwind on the way back. I also spent a little more time on the Interstate and therefor had a higher average speed. I was not able to skip either charging stop and actually charged a little longer, but made the trip in 20 minutes less time overall. Here are the stats, which I will present in the same order, although I did them in reverse.

  • Leg 1 - 28.0 miles, 23% usage (=4.8 kWh) at 6.0 miles/kWh (=4.7 kWh). City streets + Interstate, 31.8 mph avg. No A/C
    Leg 2 - 50.2 miles, 56% usage (=11.8 kWh) at 4.6 miles/kWh (=10.9 kWh). Rural hwys + Interstate, 38.7 mph avg. No A/C
    Leg 3 - 34.2 miles, 47% usage (=9.9 kWh) at 3.5 miles/kWh (=9.8 kWh). All Interstate, 55.1 mph avg. No A/C

I assumed a battery capacity of 21 kWh for my SOC% calculations, and I see that it closely mirrored the Avg Miles per kWh calculation shown on the dashboard for most legs. On my trip down, I averaged 5.1 mi/kWh and on the return I averaged 4.3 mi/kWh, for an overall average of 4.7 mi/kWh.

If anyone is interested, here is the spreadsheet with all the details of the expedition.
 
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