Range of battery level after charging

Have had my 2014 Leaf for 2 months. I charge it at home with the 220V charger, usually overnight. When the battery is "fully" charged, the "miles available" indicator will range from a high of about 101 to a low of 83....the average is 90. I live in Chicago; car is in the garage, so the overnight temp range so far has been probably 55 - 75. Why does a full charge not always give the same amount of miles? What are the factors that affect this, and which can I control? For example, does leaving the heater in the "on" position (even though the car is turned off) affect charging?

thanks

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=14890" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=271853#p271853" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's pretty worthless and the behavior you observe is normal. I've seen GOM values like 80 miles at full charge and after driving 8 miles, it's gone up to 88. If I start with a full charge and have to go up a steep hill at highway speeds (e.g. highway 17 south towards Santa Cruz), I've seen the GOM drop 40 miles after going only 1o.

And people have posted their highest GOM values here:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=16253" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=12899" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

thanks for the info and the links.

The GOM is fairly accurate in sensing the charge left in the battery. It then applies that charge to what it assumes is the driving efficiency, which it calculates from the last few miles driven. So if you drive really hard with heat or A/C running just before parking, GOM after charge will be low. If your last few miles were driven very gently and slowly, GMO after charge will be high. If you coast for a while, GOM will actually rise even though you're not putting charge into the battery!

A more realistic way to get a sense of miles left is to watch the number of bars left, knowing your driving style. If you typically drive 4miles/kWh and figure 20 kWh available from the battery when full, you should have a range of 80 miles on 12 bars, 40 miles on 6 bars, etc. The bars aren't exactly linear, but it's much closer to accurate than the GOM.

I've actually had a day when my car started with the GOM at 60. Then I drove 9 miles to work on back roads in traffic (ie: slowly) and the GOM read 60 when I arrived. But I was down one bar from when I started, so clearly I used some energy from the battery.

Bob

Thanks Bob. Excellent info.

Welcome to EV driving and the forum. Use the search function and you'll find an answer to almost any LEAF question.

As winter comes on, remember to plan for less range, no matter what your GOM says. You'll recover most of that loss next spring as it warms up again.

Bob said:

The GOM is fairly accurate in sensing the charge left in the battery. It then applies that charge to what it assumes is the driving efficiency, which it calculates from the last few miles driven.

Click to expand...

Problem is, this recent driving history may have nothing to do w/future driving as it cannot predict the future. Even if you maintain identical speed, the energy expended will vary depending on various factors (e.g. whether it's up/down a hill, winds, rolling friction changes, HVAC usage, etc.). One may not even realize subtle elevation changes and/or net gains/losses. They can be plotted via Google Earth (http://priuschat.com/threads/google-earth-can-give-you-an-elevation-profile-of-a-route-between-2-points.100653/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false.

It is pretty damned useless for "sensing the charge left in the battery" when there's this other black box variable(s) behind the scenes, as the OP's already observed.

Bob said:

A more realistic way to get a sense of miles left is to watch the number of bars left, knowing your driving style. If you typically drive 4miles/kWh and figure 20 kWh available from the battery when full, you should have a range of 80 miles on 12 bars, 40 miles on 6 bars, etc.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother w/the bars, they aren't granular enough. Better to use the % SoC display.

But yes, figure 20 or 21 kWh usable on a new battery at 100% charge and reset the miles/kWh screen when at full charge.