60 Mile Daily Commute.

[rifleryan]

Hello I live in Arizona and work about 28 miles away which is mostly freeway driving from my house. I would like to purchase a Leaf but worry about the heat in Arizona and the battery life not lasting to get me to and from work and driving to make a circle K run or what not. So my question is are any users that currently own the Leaf making a commute with a similar range. Also because of the heat, and using AC would I even be able to get to work? If so do you require charging during the day or can you get to and from work and come home and fully charge the battery and make the same trip the next day. I already have a Blink EV Charging Station Card and I really want to do this but I have to be practical. I can't spend a lot of time during the day taking the car to a charging station and then busing to work and coming back and picking it up.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

 

[garsh]

I have a slightly greater than 60 mile round-trip commute in Pittsburgh. It's mostly freeway, but it's also very hilly. I have no problems with the range, and neither will you.

I've had to deal with some below freezing days, which appear to be more detrimental to range than high temperatures. I cannot get away with 80% charging, but I usually just charge somewhere between 90-100% and I'm fine, even with a small side trip thrown in.

While the heater in the Leaf is a bit of an energy hog, the air conditioner is actually quite efficient and using it doesn't affect range too much - maybe a couple of miles.

 

[rifleryan]

Thank you so much. So are you able to do 65 MPH most of the way? Do you ever have to pull of the freeway and take side streets to conserve the battery? I read one post someone did say that AC does affect the battery consumption and that it can heavily decrease the battery life. It does get very hot hear. I have read that the key is cooling your car while it is charging and then just use AC to maintain temperature. If I could be assured I could make this daily commute I would buy the leaf in a heartbeat.

 

[ebill3]

Well, I don't think anyone will positively guarantee you will be OK, but I and I think most believe your commute is quite doable. I would pre-cool on shore power, however.

Will a dealer let you have a demo for the day? Enterprise and I believe Hertz rent LEAFs in select areas.

Bill

 

[GRA]

If the OP is concerned about battery longevity in high temps, opting for a car with a thermal management system like the Focus EV (if that otherwise meets your needs) would probably give you more peace of mind. You can certainly make your commute one-way in the Leaf with no problem using A/C, and at least when new can probably make the round trip too, assuming no major detours, delays or more than minor sidetrips, as long as you start off the day with a 100% charge. With experience you may find that you can do it on an 80% charge, but that will be cutting it close. Be sure to have a look at this thread, and the link it contains:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8838" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The car is just too new to know how well the battery will hold up after a few years of high temps, so are you planning to lease or buy, and if the latter, how long do you think you might keep it? Here's some concerns expressed by the chief Volt engineer (which has a TMS, and IIRR uses the same battery chemistry as the Leaf):

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=8833&start=20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[rifleryan]

Gary I would most likely lease the vehicle for 39 months. They have a promo that looks good.

 

[Cheezmo]

Gary I would most likely lease the vehicle for 39 months. They have a promo that looks good.

Why do people do 39 month leases? Seems like a ploy to get you out of warranty for the last few months so that anything that comes up will require you to pay to fix it. 36 months doesn't make that payment that different and you are under warranty for the whole time.

 

[TangoKilo]

I'm here in SoCal with a 60+ mile commute. 18,000 miles in my first year. No problems. Just buy the car and enjoy the ride...

 

[KJD]

Hello I live in Arizona and work about 28 miles away which is mostly freeway driving from my house. I would like to purchase a Leaf but worry about the heat in Arizona and the battery life not lasting to get me to and from work and driving to make a circle K run or what not. So my question is are any users that currently own the Leaf making a commute with a similar range. Also because of the heat, and using AC would I even be able to get to work? If so do you require charging during the day or can you get to and from work and come home and fully charge the battery and make the same trip the next day. I already have a Blink EV Charging Station Card and I really want to do this but I have to be practical. I can't spend a lot of time during the day taking the car to a charging station and then busing to work and coming back and picking it up.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Did you read the thread about the guy who does a 130 miles a day ?

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8838" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[mkjayakumar]

I have done round trip 60 miles several times with AC on at 65 mph cruise and still had 15 miles left in the GOM. Agreed that most or those trips have been when the weather was mild.

Right now I am working towards getting my wife prepared for her 70 mile RT office commute, but that will take some real change in driving habits. But if she manages to do that, I am golden.

 

[rifleryan]

Thanks so much for all your input. I am going to take a demo on Wednesday and see how it does. This was all very helpful info.

 

[rifleryan]

Well I took a 2011 Leaf SL demo out yesterday in 105 degree weather and did over 71 miles getting to and from work and going to lunch and so forth. It was close but I got back to dealer with 5 Mi left and the nice female voice telling me I needed to charge. I am going to take it one more day, but if it works out I think I will become a Leaf Owner.

 

[DANandNAN]

Well I took a 2011 Leaf SL demo out yesterday in 105 degree weather and did over 71 miles getting to and from work and going to lunch and so forth. It was close but I got back to dealer with 5 Mi left and the nice female voice telling me I needed to charge. I am going to take it one more day, but if it works out I think I will become a Leaf Owner.

Ask your employer about a charging station or even access to a 110 outlet. There may be others considering EV's and you don't want to end up turtled one night.

 

[GRA]

Well I took a 2011 Leaf SL demo out yesterday in 105 degree weather and did over 71 miles getting to and from work and going to lunch and so forth. It was close but I got back to dealer with 5 Mi left and the nice female voice telling me I needed to charge. I am going to take it one more day, but if it works out I think I will become a Leaf Owner.

Are you going to lease or buy? If the latter, you should allow for at least 10% and up to 20% battery degradation if you're going to keep the car for 5 or more years.

 

[garsh]

Well I took a 2011 Leaf SL demo out yesterday in 105 degree weather and did over 71 miles...

Was it charged to 100% when you started, or somewhat below?

 

[Bassman]

56 miles roundtrip is easy at 65mph. Also the AC doesn't use that much battery, unlike the heater.

 

[GRA]

56 miles roundtrip is easy at 65mph. Also the AC doesn't use that much battery, unlike the heater.

When new, certainly. With a battery degraded by 10-20%, not so easy, especially when allowing for 'friction'.

 

[Cinnabar]

56 miles roundtrip is easy at 65mph. Also the AC doesn't use that much battery, unlike the heater.

I've found going over 80 mph really cuts down on the range.

However, I also find myself too often going over 80, something I don't think I have done more than a couple times in my long adult life. This car rides very well at speed, eh?

 

[thankyouOB]

56 miles roundtrip is easy at 65mph. Also the AC doesn't use that much battery, unlike the heater.

When new, certainly. With a battery degraded by 10-20%, not so easy, especially when allowing for 'friction'.

the troll half of GRA is back.

 

[mkjayakumar]

Guy,

You need to stop exaggerating and tone down your scare tactics.

56 miles at 65 mph should be doable even allowing for 20% battery degradation after 5+ years.