Nissan LEAF for 70-mile commute (140 miles roundtrip)

Hi all,

I have just started my cars research, I'm planning to move to Florida and live in Orlando, my work will be in Tampa and I will be commuting only twice a week. My commute will be 70 miles not including the return trip, so 140 miles total.

I feel very tempted to lease an EV to save money in my long-distance commute costs, but I'm worried about the range and unpleasant surprises on the road with the batteries.

Nissan LEAF promises up to 80 something mile range, I was thinking I would charge it while at my office, and again when I'm back home. Is that practical? From my research, there are chargepoint stations right next to where I work so I don't think that will be an issue. If not Nissan LEAF, do you recommend other affordable EVs that you think are more suitable to that kind of commute?

Thanks!

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evnoob said:

Hi all,

I have just started my cars research, I'm planning to move to Florida and live in Orlando, my work will be in Tampa and I will be commuting only twice a week. My commute will be 70 miles not including the return trip, so 140 miles total.

I feel very tempted to lease an EV to save money in my long-distance commute costs, but I'm worried about the range and unpleasant surprises on the road with the batteries.

Nissan LEAF promises up to 80 something mile range, I was thinking I would charge it while at my office, and again when I'm back home. Is that practical? From my research, there are chargepoint stations right next to where I work so I don't think that will be an issue. If not Nissan LEAF, do you recommend other affordable EVs that you think are more suitable to that kind of commute?

Thanks!

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It could be done, but it would take some getting used to. You would have to keep your speeds down. My 2013 with 14,000 miles on it would make it easily the way I drive. But you would hit low battery warning every time, which would take some confidence to know what the car will do. Also, climate control will reduce your range a bit, but I still think you would be OK. It would be pushing the limits of what this car is designed to do. If the distance was 80 I would say no. Also, you must have reliable L2 charging at your destination. I drive to San Francisco from my home regularly for fun on occasion. It is about 60 miles and my car easily gets there at highway speeds with charge to spare.

Be sure you have a dedicated level 2 at your office (so no chance of charging conflict with another EV driver), keep it to 55 on the freeway, have a few way stations identified in case of unexpected detours, and track you end power state after your drive every few days to ensure you don't get into challenges with degredagtion.

My 2013 is down 10% at about 256 GIDS (284-292 new), and at 55 on the freeway (its flat in Florida too I believe), I can still get close to 100 miles without climate control.

Unless you're willing to slow down or make other compromises to meet the car's needs, using a LEAF for a 70 mile freeway commute is pushing it, especially for more than a year or two. You'll have essentially no reserve, and any unusual delays or detours will mean you'll have to stop to charge en route instead of just at each end.

A Kia Soul EV, M-B B-class with range option (standard on 2015) or a BMW i3 with Range Extender aka REx would be a better fit for now. AFAIA the Soul and B-class aren't yet offered in Florida; not sure about the i3. The last two are considerably more expensive than a LEAF, so you might want to consider a Volt and just resign yourself to using maybe two gallons of premium gas each commute. Or just wait a couple of years to when you can buy a longer range BEV for about the same as a LEAF costs now. You say you're intending to lease. Good.

Really GRA has nailed it. My 2013 is good for about 62 miles of highway. Winter will cut a few off that. I do try to keep 10 miles of use space left in the batteries ; going by GOM. These numbers are driving my Leaf as I would any ICE car.
You may want to look at Volts. The owners I know love them as much as I do my Leaf.
98% of my driving is by Leaf. Pretty darn kewl !
Don

Dmchose said:

Really GRA has nailed it. My 2013 is good for about 62 miles of highway. Winter will cut a few off that. I do try to keep 10 miles of use space left in the batteries ; going by GOM. These numbers are driving my Leaf as I would any ICE car.
You may want to look at Volts. The owners I know love them as much as I do my Leaf.

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Yep on GRA's comments. How much of that 70 miles in each direction is highway vs. city?

I wouldn't go by the GOM. The range chart at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; may help, but the first chart is on an undegraded battery.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=273048#p273048" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is an example of one of TonyWilliams' range tests, at 100 km/h (~62 mph) w/no climate control on a new Leaf.

OP, can you update your location info via User Control Panel (near top) > Profile (left side)? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it.

Also, in Florida, w/o the "lizard battery" in '15+ Leafs, I'd say the battery will degrade fairly quickly, due to heat. We have no idea how much better the "lizard battery" in 15+ Leafs will hold up than previous ones as Nissan's given us no temperature and calendar loss data on any of the batteries.

My LEAF is good for 45 miles this time of year (2 miles are at 70MPH, 10 miles at 55MPH, and the rest is mostly 45MPH). In January it's even worse. It's not just use of the heater. 2+ year ago, I could make the round trip from my parents house to my house this time of year. Now I can't. It's thanks to battery degradation.

Your question shouldn't be, "Can I make my 70-mile commute in a new LEAF". It should be, "Can I make my 70-mile commute with 30% battery degradation". The answer will probably be "no". You might want to look for another car. My suggestion is to hold out for the next generation Chevy Volt or get a Toyota Prius.

A Prius PHEV doesn't give the same EV Experience (it only has 15 miles EV range), but it does get significantly better long-trip mileage than the Volt. I'd suggest you drive one of those. Make sure they charge the battery pack first. It's roomy and comfortable. My housemate has one, and her "lifetime" fuel economy average with it is about 68MPG.

The key here is your tolerance for adventure. I have taken 80 mile trips in sub-zero (F) weather (80+ miles each way). That said, not everyone likes to be on the cusp.

Unless the OP can charge while at work his 70 mile commute is pushing the limits of the LEAF to the extreme, and if the comes on he will not make it.
he should consider either a volt, tesla or a hybrid

that is borderline, especially with AC use during the summer months and you have to have L2 charger at work..I'd say Volt or Prius

The good news is that it doesn't get exceptionally cold in Orlando and it's as flat as a pancake. Winter issues are a non-event there (I happen to be typing this from Disney World in Orlando).

Could you make it when new? Of course. Will you make it at 20-30% degradation when you turn the car in from lease? Yes, but that's because you'll be a savy EV driver by then.

60mph max when the car is new and without heater use.
55mph max at the end of it's lease, and this may require a stop enroute for an hour or so. Obviously, no heater.

Pump the tires to 42psi.

Mandatory - dedicated 240 volt 30 amp charge station at work!!! There are a few CHAdeMO stations around Orlando, so that's a great backup.

You can do this, and I wouldn't normally recommend it, but this Orlando area is virtually ideal for an electric car.

Otherwise, I would get a Kia Soul EV, even if you have to buy it out-of-state and ship it.

If the thought is running this distance on I-4 at 75 mph in 95* heat and 90+% humidity, then will be disappointed. Taking some alternate 45 mph highways might be needed in temperature extremes. Expect to need 4-5 hrs on a higher output L2 at work to recover to a solid 100% battery. Would also stay away from dark paint colors and get the glass tinted to cut the A/C load.

DO NOT DO IT!

The LEAF isn't the car for this commute. If you can wait a year and half Nissan might have a new battery that could make the commute, but 70 miles there and back twice a week is a bad idea. You will need a very high tolerance for adventure as someone put it above.

If that's freeway driving you will be pushing the limits on a brand new battery. With a bit of degradation it won't be fun doing 50 in the slow lane hoping you make it.

rpmdk said:

DO NOT DO IT!

The LEAF isn't the car for this commute. If you can wait a year and half Nissan might have a new battery that could make the commute, but 70 miles there and back twice a week is a bad idea. You will need a very high tolerance for adventure as someone put it above.

If that's freeway driving you will be pushing the limits on a brand new battery. With a bit of degradation it won't be fun doing 50 in the slow lane hoping you make it.

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Folks experience with this car is so different. I also think the 2011-2012 have had quite a bit of battery degradation depending on temperature etc. My car is a 2013, and I live in nearly ideal climate for the car. I have 14,000 miles on mine, still with 12 bars, but don't know the true capacity since I don't have LeafSpy etc. Nonetheless, with my car, even at highway speeds (say 62-63 mph) I could easily do this 70 miler twice a week. But the Florida climate may not be right for this commute.

Folks experience with this car is so different. I also think the 2011-2012 have had quite a bit of battery degradation depending on temperature etc. My car is a 2013, and I live in nearly ideal climate for the car. I have 14,000 miles on mine, still with 12 bars, but don't know the true capacity since I don't have LeafSpy etc. Nonetheless, with my car, even at highway speeds (say 62-63 mph) I could easily do this 70 miler twice a week. But the Florida climate may not be right for this commute.

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They are talking about a 140 mile commute, not a 70 mile trip.

LeftieBiker said:

Folks experience with this car is so different. I also think the 2011-2012 have had quite a bit of battery degradation depending on temperature etc. My car is a 2013, and I live in nearly ideal climate for the car. I have 14,000 miles on mine, still with 12 bars, but don't know the true capacity since I don't have LeafSpy etc. Nonetheless, with my car, even at highway speeds (say 62-63 mph) I could easily do this 70 miler twice a week. But the Florida climate may not be right for this commute.

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They are talking about a 140 mile commute, not a 70 mile trip.

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Yes, I understand. I could do that trip with my current car with charging at the workplace without a problem. I drive to San Francisco and back regularly. It is 60 miles one way. I don't even hit low battery warning. About 50 of the miles are freeway.

You might be able to do 70 miles at legal highway speed for the first few months but you will be going from 100% to VLBW every time and I seriously doubt you with be able to go more than 55 mph by the second year. You'll be at the edge every time with no ability to make side trips.

I don't think you should PLAN to use more than 12.5 KWh on a commute. That's 80% to 20% when new. That leaves room for side trips and for some degradation over time. At 65 mph that's a range of 45 miles. Maybe a little conservative, but after 5 years it will still be comfortable. 70 miles each way? I don't think the Leaf isn't going to work out in the long run.

DougWantsALeaf said:

The key here is your tolerance for adventure. I have taken 80 mile trips in sub-zero (F) weather (80+ miles each way). That said, not everyone likes to be on the cusp.

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I think this comment nails it. Twice a week you're be up for an adventure where you could easily be left on the side of the road and I'm sure eventually will.

Sometimes I hop in the car crank up the music and fall back into old driving habits of keeping up with the Jones' in their ICE vehicles (which is a really wasteful, horrible thing to do to the planet btw - especially those F150 and Yukons flying by) then I'll notice at this rate I'll be arriving home on a flatbed and put my driving back in check.

You have a doctor's appointment, you forget something and have to turn around and drive 5 miles back, there's an accident and you get diverted to another highway - there are days you need a cushion for.

If this were a commute you were doing once a month then sure, why not - live on the edge. Twice a week I just wouldn't be up for the challenge. I'd find a better solution.