2015 S - heat ok?

Hi folks - after looking to buy used I am now shifting toward buying a 2015. It looks like after state and fed credits I can get one for under $15k, and that seems like a good deal to me.

Right now I'm looking at an S with the quick charge. I live in Massachusetts, and commute about 35 miles/day round trip. Is the heat in the S trim a problem? I don't really understand the difference between S and SV level heat...

Thanks!

jdsandler said:

Hi folks - after looking to buy used I am now shifting toward buying a 2015. It looks like after state and fed credits I can get one for under $15k, and that seems like a good deal to me.

Right now I'm looking at an S with the quick charge. I live in Massachusetts, and commute about 35 miles/day round trip. Is the heat in the S trim a problem? I don't really understand the difference between S and SV level heat...

Thanks!

Click to expand...

SV/SL use a more efficient heat pump, so unless temp is way below 32 your heat in winter will be much more efficient and impact your range less. Preheating before you leave will help, but resistive S heater will cause more range loss.

How well does the SL/SV heater work when it is below zero?

For that matter, how well does the car itself work? I could keep it in the garage overnight, but it would sit outside at work, and it can be very cold. As in below zero cold.

leafdecision said:

How well does the SL/SV heater work when it is below zero?

For that matter, how well does the car itself work? I could keep it in the garage overnight, but it would sit outside at work, and it can be very cold. As in below zero cold.

Click to expand...

Do you mean below zero F or C? The car itself is perfectly fine in very cold weather by report of others, even outside. Keep in mind batteries lose usable capacity in very cold temperature and your range will drop in winter. But if you have a L2 EVSE then preheating the car in the winter helps both in that it is comfortable and reduces the battery load to heat up the car.

In subzero (F) weather both heating systems struggle a bit, and the heat eats up range. You'd want to block the grille every Fall and get a heated 12 volt blanket to help stay warm in extreme cold. The heatpump on the SV and SL would really help you in milder Winter weather. If you get the S you will see a big range drop at whatever temp you start to use the heater while driving, while with the heatpump models it would be no worse than turning on the A/C until temps got down well below freezing.

Thanks for the clarification on the heaters. I think I need a heat pump. I'm taking from this that the S is going to be a pain in winter. I don't want to be spending a lot of energy every day thinking about keeping my car battery warm and freezing through my commute.

jdsandler said:

Thanks for the clarification on the heaters. I think I need a heat pump. I'm taking from this that the S is going to be a pain in winter. I don't want to be spending a lot of energy every day thinking about keeping my car battery warm and freezing through my commute.

Click to expand...

It isn't a question of keeping the battery warm - driving faster (or at least harder) would actually do that better. It's a matter of not using so much of your charge for heating that you don't make it to your destination. The heatpump unit can move heat from the outside air into the car even when it's quite chilly out, while the resistance heater has to generate every BTU 'from scratch'.

jdsandler said:

Thanks for the clarification on the heaters. I think I need a heat pump. I'm taking from this that the S is going to be a pain in winter. I don't want to be spending a lot of energy every day thinking about keeping my car battery warm and freezing through my commute.

Click to expand...

The heat pump is very effective when temperatures are above freezing (32°F). Below that temperature it becomes less efficient and the PTC heater phases in. The PTC heater is like a tea kettle, it uses electrical resistance and consumes much power. Around 0°F the hybrid heater will be using about 100% PTC heater. At that temperature there is no effective difference between the PTC heater in the "S"-grade and the hybrid heater in the "SV" or "SL". Should the battery temperature ever get down to about -13°F it would freeze. That would mean zero power because the battery effectively becomes an ice cube. To prevent this from ever happening a battery heater automatically activates. Keeping the car plugged in when it is extremely cold (below 0°F) is important for that reason. The battery has a very large thermal mass so it will take a long time for its temperature to drop, so no need to worry. It will also self warm when you start to drive.

I live in Phoenix where it drops to around freezing (32°F) in the winter. The hybrid heater works fantastic in that condition. Near instant heat and hardly any power consumption. Your experience, and range, will vary according to temperature. Expect the hybrid heater to work very well when it is near freezing or above. Expect slower warm-up times and much more power consumption as it gets into the deep freeze. Using the climate control timer and/or Carwings to pre-heat the car will help a lot. Carwings is only on "SV" and "SL" grades.

I hope this is of help. Welcome to the EV world. You will enjoy your LEAF when you get it.