learning my range

So, I had my first range-anxiety scare yesterday - after my regular commute, my wife wanted us to take the new car to my son's baseball game. I checked the GOM (I know, notoriously inaccurate) and it said 28 miles. Round trip to the park is 18 miles, so I figured I'd be good, especially since I knew there was a DCFC charger 3 miles from the park.

So, we got to the park and it was reading 3 bars - ok, but I wasn't comfortable. So during warmups, I scooted over to the nearby DCFC charger only to find out it was broken. No worries, there was another Level 2 charger nearby - locked up behind a new construction fence. By now, the GOM was flashing 14 and I was getting nervous. I knew it was only 9 miles home, but the thought of running out on the way home with the whole crew in the car...

I stressed all during the game, going back and forth on whether I could make it home or not. Long story short, we detoured to another DCFC on the way home, and all four of us sat in the car for 30 min in the pouring rain while it charged (luckily we all had smartphones to distract us).

However, I don't want to go through that again, so I've decided to try and get a better handle on my range. I've read through some suggestions in the Battery/Charging section, but a lot of those assume CarWings, LeafSpy or a navsystem, none of which I have.

So I've started a spreadsheet where I track each trip: mileage, before charge, after charge, settings (ECO, D/B, Climate Control), and any special notes (highway, stop and go, etc.). Does it make sense to just monitor my SOC (battery %) and compare that to my mileage to get a miles/battery % value? What about the miles/kWh display? It's fairly low right now (3.4) since I "sports-car'ed" around when I first got it -- any way to reset that?

dfscott said:

So I've started a spreadsheet where I track each trip: mileage, before charge, after charge, settings (ECO, D/B, Climate Control), and any special notes (highway, stop and go, etc.). Does it make sense to just monitor my SOC (battery %) and compare that to my mileage to get a miles/battery % value? What about the miles/kWh display? It's fairly low right now (3.4) since I "sports-car'ed" around when I first got it -- any way to reset that?

Click to expand...

Hold the trip reset button (the little dot button to the left of the steering wheel, to the right of the button with the pages). It'll also reset your trip distance.

If you do not want to get one of the various measuring devices you can just test you Leaf as is with what you have.

On my MY2013 there is a lot of miles hidden on the bottom, so when it reaches --- I still have more miles to go. On my Leaf the only way I knew was to just keep driving it until it stopped. The first time was on the freeway so we called Nissan towing (service included when we purchased the car). The second time we drove up and down the street until it finally quit and I was able to coast into the EVSE charging station. In both cases we ran it all the way down on purpose just to see what we actually had in the car.

On the freeway going 65mph it used the electricity quickly. However, going 25-35 mph on surface streets we were able to almost double the miles and were able to qualify for both the 100 mile club and the 200K club.

Knowing how many miles you have left to get home is something you can only learn by doing it. In your case, I am sure you had plenty to get you there without all the running around trying to get a charge. Even with that you probably could have gotten home without the 30 minute charge. Have faith in your leaf.

You may also want to print this out (or store it as a PDF on that smartphone) for future reference:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293#p101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's Tony Williams' own range estimator chart which takes into account how full the battery is, your speed or miles/kWH figure, and he even has a different chart for cars with more degraded batteries.

RonDawg said:

You may also want to print this out (or store it as a PDF on that smartphone) for future reference:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293#p101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's Tony Williams' own range estimator chart which takes into account how full the battery is, your speed or miles/kWH figure, and he even has a different chart for cars with more degraded batteries.

Click to expand...

Actually, I did print that out but I have to admit that I was a little overwhelmed by the data (and I was a math minor in school!) I get the rows, but do I use the column that corresponds to my miles/kWh (mine is currently 3.4) or do I use the speed I plan to drive the rest of the way?

Also, about the "add one mile" section at the bottom -- is that saying that if I plug in for an hour at a level 1 charger that I can expect to add a little over 4 miles to my current range?

And thanks, everyone, for putting up with all my newbie Q's....

Totally normal. Takes a while to relearn how to drive, constantly calculating distance vs SOC. You'll laugh about it in future, having 3 bars and only 9 miles to go. Tony's charts are a good stàrt, or your own spreadsheet. Every day is a range test for some folks. But best to get Leaf Spy, knowing your exact remaining GIDs is invaluable.

There's nervousness at first but if you pay attention to your energy consumption vs. speed and conditions, you quickly learn how to estimate your range. I suggest to reset the trip odometer and miles/kwh displays for each drive for awhile to get a good feel for it. After that, I find that using the percent charge display is generally all the accuracy I need. I do have battery apps and the OBD2 adapter but mainly I use that to keep tabs of the battery condition with occasional checks, rather than a full-time display. The guess-o-meter is more useful for second-order information. That is, I largely ignore it's estimate of range but I find it useful to keep tabs on how quickly its estimate changes. It's a game you learn to play.

You definitely did dig yourself a bit of a hole with all of the driving around looking for a charge. Don't worry, it gets easy fast.

DNAinaGoodWay said:

Totally normal. Takes a while to relearn how to drive, constantly calculating distance vs SOC. You'll laugh about it in future, having 3 bars and only 9 miles to go.

Click to expand...

I think the problem is that when I see something flashing, my first reaction isn't "hmm, maybe I should think about recharging," it's more like "Oh god, oh god, we're all going to die."

Just another reason to ignore the GOM and instead notice the calm little yellow light that's saying, "psst - might want to plug in when you get a chance..."

Someone else posted this before, don't remember who. "slowing down is quicker than an L2".

Also I would recommend pumping your tires up to side wall max to extend range, they can take 44 psi cold. Dealers are notorious for pumping up tires hot to a normal car 32 psi and never checking the door panel. That can be as low as 25 cold. I checked mine the day I after I got my leaf, 30 cold. It's suppose to be 38. My cousins nitrogen filled stock tires at the end of the winter were 25. Nitrogen isn't suppose to lose psi nearly as much as regular air so there's no way they had been at 38 cold less than a year ago when he got his car.

minispeed said:

Someone else posted this before, don't remember who. "slowing down is quicker than an L2".

Also I would recommend pumping your tires up to side wall max to extend range, they can take 44 psi cold. Dealers are notorious for pumping up tires hot to a normal car 32 psi and never checking the door panel. That can be as low as 25 cold. I checked mine the day I after I got my leaf, 30 cold. It's suppose to be 38. My cousins nitrogen filled stock tires at the end of the winter were 25. Nitrogen isn't suppose to lose psi nearly as much as regular air so there's no way they had been at 38 cold less than a year ago when he got his car.

Click to expand...

Good idea -- I normally keep my tires firm but I haven't checked these since it's so new. Anyone know if it's a problem adding regular air to the tires if they're nitrogen filled? Air is mostly nitrogen anyway, but just thought I'd check.

dfscott said:

Anyone know if it's a problem adding regular air to the tires if they're nitrogen filled? Air is mostly nitrogen anyway, but just thought I'd check.

Click to expand...

http://www.cartalk.com/content/i-recently-heard-about-filling-tires-nitrogen-gas" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Like many sales pitches, the nitrogen idea has a molecule of truth in it. You're right that normal atmospheric air is about 80 percent nitrogen already. The rest is made up of oxygen, argon, water vapor, cat dander, bad breath and coal-plant particulates. And the truth is, atmospheric air is absolutely good enough for filling your tires.

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-- Ray Magliozzi, "Car Talk"

dfscott said:

So, I had my first range-anxiety scare yesterday - after my regular commute, my wife wanted us to take the new car to my son's baseball game. I checked the GOM (I know, notoriously inaccurate) and it said 28 miles. Round trip to the park is 18 miles, so I figured I'd be good, especially since I knew there was a DCFC charger 3 miles from the park.

Click to expand...

LEAF lesson #1 is to have an L2 charging source at your home. This is a common scenario, run your normal commute and arrive home on a depleted battery. Then, realize an unplanned short trip is needed. 30-60 min. on an L2 upon arriving home after work is a quick cure for this problem.

LEAF lesson #2 is to avoid Murphy's Law entirely by not having to depend on public charging stations or driving there on your already depleted battery. One of the coolest aspects of a LEAF is having a sense of independence from vended fuel sources.

I recall you were asking about a buying 2nd charge cord in another thread. The best investment you could make is installing a 240v. outlet & getting an EVSEUpgrade cord or installing a permanent mount L2 station. It will greatly enhance your LEAF experience.

rogersleaf said:

LEAF lesson #1 is to have an L2 charging source at your home. This is a common scenario, run your normal commute and arrive home on a depleted battery. Then, realize an unplanned short trip is needed. 30-60 min. on an L2 upon arriving home after work is a quick cure for this problem.

Click to expand...

I wish I could, but I don't own my home and my landlord is not open to that sort of modification. I saw one of those Quick 220 systems, but I don't really know how reliable/safe those are.

dfscott said:

Actually, I did print that out but I have to admit that I was a little overwhelmed by the data (and I was a math minor in school!) I get the rows, but do I use the column that corresponds to my miles/kWh (mine is currently 3.4) or do I use the speed I plan to drive the rest of the way?

Click to expand...

If you know your "fuel" economy for a given stretch of road, use that, as it will be more accurate. The speed/economy correlations are figures that Tony came up with during his own testing, but of course 60 MPH on a flat road is not going to be the same as 60 MPH up a steep grade. It is particularly useful to demonstrate how with BEV's that even a 5 MPH difference in speed can make a huge difference in range especially at higher speeds.

Also, about the "add one mile" section at the bottom -- is that saying that if I plug in for an hour at a level 1 charger that I can expect to add a little over 4 miles to my current range?

And thanks, everyone, for putting up with all my newbie Q's....

Click to expand...

More like 5 miles (one mile for every 12 minutes) but I think that's for "ideal" (flat, relatively warm, no wind) conditions at 60 MPH. Basically, a fully charged and non-degraded Leaf battery has 21 kWH accessible to the user, and if brought to Turtle would take 20 hours to fully charge at L1 speeds. So you're basically gaining 1 kWH per hour of L1 charging. So if you know how many kWH it will take to get somewhere, you can calculate how long you will need to charge.

Feel free to ask questions, that's what this forum is all about.

dfscott said:

rogersleaf said:

LEAF lesson #1 is to have an L2 charging source at your home. This is a common scenario, run your normal commute and arrive home on a depleted battery. Then, realize an unplanned short trip is needed. 30-60 min. on an L2 upon arriving home after work is a quick cure for this problem.

Click to expand...

I wish I could, but I don't own my home and my landlord is not open to that sort of modification. I saw one of those Quick 220 systems, but I don't really know how reliable/safe those are.

Click to expand...

Throwing out some ideas....Does your home have an electric clothed dryer/240v. outlet? Is the receptacle accessible and have a place to park anywhere near enough to reach it with an extension cord? If so, EVSEUpgrade with adaptor ends would be ideal.

Check around this forum, has several threads about portable L2 charging kits. Built mine over several months, but basically starts with an EVSEUprgrade cord, several adaptor ends, 50' #10 extension cord, and 5 gal. bucket w/ snap lid to store & protect the hardware. Usable at home but also completely portable.

rogersleaf said:

dfscott said:

rogersleaf said:

LEAF lesson #1 is to have an L2 charging source at your home. This is a common scenario, run your normal commute and arrive home on a depleted battery. Then, realize an unplanned short trip is needed. 30-60 min. on an L2 upon arriving home after work is a quick cure for this problem.

Click to expand...

I wish I could, but I don't own my home and my landlord is not open to that sort of modification. I saw one of those Quick 220 systems, but I don't really know how reliable/safe those are.

Click to expand...

Throwing out some ideas....Does your home have an electric clothed dryer/240v. outlet? Is the receptacle accessible and have a place to park anywhere near enough to reach it with an extension cord? If so, EVSEUpgrade with adaptor ends would be ideal. .

Click to expand...

It does but a) it's on the 2nd floor and b) it's got our dryer plugged into it.

In a pinch, I suppose could unplug the dryer, throw the cord out the window (it does happen to be located directly above the parking pad), and then plug it all back in once I'm done, but I'm not sure if I can sell that idea to my wife. :?

dfscott said:

rogersleaf said:

LEAF lesson #1 is to have an L2 charging source at your home. This is a common scenario, run your normal commute and arrive home on a depleted battery. Then, realize an unplanned short trip is needed. 30-60 min. on an L2 upon arriving home after work is a quick cure for this problem.

Click to expand...

I wish I could, but I don't own my home and my landlord is not open to that sort of modification. I saw one of those Quick 220 systems, but I don't really know how reliable/safe those are.

Click to expand...

They should be pretty reliable, safety would best be left to brining an electrician in and asking about it as it would depend on your home. This might be the kind of thing that many electricians will not touch because it's so easy for them to do it in the fuse box they might not care to try anything else.

My limited knowledge of how they work they basically move the point that makes a wire 240 volt from 2 120 volt away from the fuse box and bring it together somewhere else. You need 2 good 120 v outlets that aren't used for anything else around the area you want to use it. Those 2 outlets have to be on their own breaker and from different sides of the box. So there's already an element of chance for if it will work or not for you. Since most homes are wired in a way that has all the plugs in an area on one breaker the odds aren't good. To do it safe you'd have to inspect 2 outlets around your car to ensure they are wired and the plug you are using is in good condition, use 2 very high quality extension cords to the Quick 220, minimal unplugging of the unit to ensure the contacts are in good shape and don't wear down and you wouldn't be able to use anything else on those 2 circuits except for a few LED lights while it's charging. To be safe you'd probably want to block off the other plugs on those circuits.

If you are using 120 volt charging at home you should be doing this for 1 outlet anyways. For example I use 120v at work and put an adapter on that is a twist lock to avoid wear and tear on the stock 120 volt outlets that aren't designed to carry 10+ hours of 12amps 202 days a year and being plugged in and out every day.

minispeed said:

If you are using 120 volt charging at home you should be doing this for 1 outlet anyways. For example I use 120v at work and put an adapter on that is a twist lock to avoid wear and tear on the stock 120 volt outlets that aren't designed to carry 10+ hours of 12amps 202 days a year and being plugged in and out every day.

Click to expand...

Good point. I leave my Panasonic charger plugged in all the time since I don't use that outlet for anything else (it's a weatherized outdoor outlet) but I don't really know if there's anything else using that circuit. There shouldn't be since it's part of an unfinished basement, but you never know how things are wired.

dfscott said:

minispeed said:

If you are using 120 volt charging at home you should be doing this for 1 outlet anyways. For example I use 120v at work and put an adapter on that is a twist lock to avoid wear and tear on the stock 120 volt outlets that aren't designed to carry 10+ hours of 12amps 202 days a year and being plugged in and out every day.

Click to expand...

Good point. I leave my Panasonic charger plugged in all the time since I don't use that outlet for anything else (it's a weatherized outdoor outlet) but I don't really know if there's anything else using that circuit. There shouldn't be since it's part of an unfinished basement, but you never know how things are wired.

Click to expand...

I'd recommend throwing the breaker to it to off then walking around and trying everything in the house to see what doesn't work.

If there are any lights on it get LEDs and or use less bulbs or put the lights on timers so they can't be left on all night, any plugs that you don't need put the baby proof things in them to remind you if you use it the car should be off. That will avoid something like accidently plugging the vacuum cleaner in while the car is charging.

You also never know if a basement circuit was used upstairs sometimes. Remember when the house was built the electrician was there with just a frame. It might be easier for him to go up sometimes than across. If there have ever been renos they might come up from an unfinished basement instead of going through a room that's not part of a reno.

I trust Cecil to provide the straight dope on matters like this. ;-) Although he doesn't address "mixing" air with Nitrogen, the minimal difference the two have in the first place suggests that mixing them would cause no problems and make almost no difference at all.