How to Maximize Range?

[Arvind]

Just bought a 2013 Leaf and am new to EVs.

What sort of driving style will maximize my range?

How does Eco mode affect range?

How does the B "gear" affect range?

Pls share tips, experience, etc.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Drive in a perfectly straight line with a tailwind at exactly 12 mph, preferably on a downgrade, with the A/C off, windows closed, on a dry day. That should do it.

 

[KJD]

Just bought a 2013 Leaf and am new to EVs.

What sort of driving style will maximize my range?

How does Eco mode affect range?

How does the B "gear" affect range?

Pls share tips, experience, etc.

See Stoaty's guide to energy efficient driving

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5508" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[TonyWilliams]

Drive in a perfectly straight line with a tailwind at exactly 12 mph, preferably on a downgrade, with the A/C off, windows closed, on a dry day. That should do it.

Also, at the highest elevation on the hottest day for the least dense air and the tires replaced with solid carbon fiber discs... oh, and don't turn... straight only.

 

[apvbguy]

Drive in a perfectly straight line with a tailwind at exactly 12 mph, preferably on a downgrade, with the A/C off, windows closed, on a dry day. That should do it.

:lol: :lol: :lol: you forgot to add that he can only drive in the daylight because if he didn't get the LEDs the headlights drain
a lot of energy.
all kidding aside, the OP needs to keep his speeds lower. anticipate stoppages for lights or traffic as to get some regen from coasting and ALWAYS make sure that his tire pressure isn't down. heating isn't much of an issue for those of us in warmer climates and the A/C only steals a minimal amount, if any range.

 

[TonyWilliams]

... heating isn't much of an issue for those of us in warmer climates and the A/C only steals a minimal amount, if any range.

The Denso 6kW heater went out in my Rav4, and I didn't even notice it. My wife did, though.

 

[TomT]

Oh, and with 100 pounds of air in your tires! :lol:

Drive in a perfectly straight line with a tailwind at exactly 12 mph, preferably on a downgrade, with the A/C off, windows closed, on a dry day. That should do it.

 

[MikeD]

LTLFTcomposite: You forgot a really humid day as well!

 

[FairwoodRed]

Your range is mostly determined by two things – how much power you use for climate control and how much for the traction motor.

Your ’13 is supposed to have a pretty efficient heat pump climate control, so it probably won’t be the energy hog like the resistance heater on my ’11. Assuming that you don’t have the “S”, learn to keep an eye on the ENERGY screen as that shows your how much power is not going into moving you down the road.

Which brings us to the traction motor. You’ll find lots of opinions (some backed up with good research) on how to drive the most efficiently, but how you implement/execute them can have large impact on the benefit you’ll see. The lower dash has an efficiency meter that looks like a bar going from zero to eight. That tells you your miles per kilowatt at any given moment. This will be an invaluable tool to help you learn how to get more out of your car.

A few quick tips are: drive slow, turn the heater off, take surface roads instead of highways, avoid hills, and try to pace yourself so you don’t have to stop at lights.

PS – What city are you in?

 

[braineo]

Always, always put it in revese when going down hill.
:lol:

 

[Arvind]

A few quick tips are: drive slow, turn the heater off, take surface roads instead of highways, avoid hills, and try to pace yourself so you don’t have to stop at lights.

PS – What city are you in?

I live in San Jose, work in Milpitas, have a 30-mile round-trip commute, 2/3 on city streets, 1/3 on highway 680. I have a 2013 SV with navigation and the around-view cameras (love it). Have not had to use the heaters so far.

So should I always drive in ECO mode? Should I always drive in B "gear"?

 

[Nubo]

I live in San Jose, work in Milpitas, have a 30-mile round-trip commute, 2/3 on city streets, 1/3 on highway 680. I have a 2013 SV with navigation and the around-view cameras (love it). Have not had to use the heaters so far.

So should I always drive in ECO mode? Should I always drive in B "gear"?

With a 30 mile commute you can drive any way that suits you.

For efficiency, speed is the #1 factor, all else is secondary with the runner-up being use of climate control.

Whether or not Eco will garner efficiency depends on how hard you want to work. Hypermilers can do better than Eco, Eco is probably better for someone who is not particularly adept at hypermiling, or doesn't care to.

I use Eco mostly because I prefer the way the throttle behaves in that mode and because it lets me do more speed control with just the one pedal -- i.e. less work for me

 

[Arvind]

My commute is actually 10.5 miles one way, 7 mi on city streets, 3.5 mi on a freeway. The last two days I drove in B ECO mode and averaged 5.3 mi/kwh. Not as hard as I first thought. I was no speed demon, but I wasn't holding up traffic either. Just going with the flow and restraining the impulse to step too hard on the brake or the accelerator. This means I can probably get 120 mi on a full charge. Not bad at all.

 

[davewill]

... So should I always drive in ECO mode? Should I always drive in B "gear"?

It depends. If you can keep your speed down and avoid heavy acceleration without ECO, then you don't need ECO. If you can avoid excessive braking without the "B" mode, then you don't need "B" mode. Conversely, if you push the accelerator harder and go fast in ECO mode, then it won't help you. Some goes for "B" mode. If you wait and brake hard at the last second, "B" mode won't make it any better.

They are just tools to help you drive efficiently. The way you drive is what matters.

My commute is actually 10.5 miles one way, 7 mi on city streets, 3.5 mi on a freeway. The last two days I drove in B ECO mode and averaged 5.3 mi/kwh. ... This means I can probably get 120 mi on a full charge. Not bad at all.

Might be a little optimistic. Use the friendly range chart: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[LEAFfan]

... So should I always drive in ECO mode? Should I always drive in B "gear"?

It depends. If you can keep your speed down and avoid heavy acceleration without ECO, then you don't need ECO. If you can avoid excessive braking without the "B" mode, then you don't need "B" mode. Conversely, if you push the accelerator harder and go fast in ECO mode, then it won't help you. Some goes for "B" mode. If you wait and brake hard at the last second, "B" mode won't make it any better.

They are just tools to help you drive efficiently. The way you drive is what matters.

My commute is actually 10.5 miles one way, 7 mi on city streets, 3.5 mi on a freeway. The last two days I drove in B ECO mode and averaged 5.3 mi/kwh. ... This means I can probably get 120 mi on a full charge. Not bad at all.

Might be a little optimistic. Use the friendly range chart: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ECO isn't just for braking or regen as it reduces your car's energy usage which will definitely increase your m/kW h. Using B mode is great for braking. You coast and if you're close to your stop, then you use B ECO. For one pedal driving, I keep it in B ECO.

 

[Yogi62]

Having driven a 2012 and a 2013, I find it nice to be able to leave it in ECO all the time because it keeps the same accelerator pedal mapping. In the 2012 shifting between ECO and D caused some surges if you didn't adjust the pedal just right. I think it is easier to drive with "zero regen" in ECO.

I use B mode around town, but if I am going to be on 50+ highways I would use D so that regen doesn't kick in so fast. When exiting the highway I shift to B, tap the brake to alert drivers behind and then let B mode slow down the car.

 

[Arvind]

Having had the Leaf for 3 weeks now, I have been tracking my mileage and battery state of charge % to figure out how efficient the car is. The first thing I learned from this board is that the estimated range on the right of the dash display is not to be trusted (Guess-O-Meter). This chart shows actual miles (odometer) vs the Guess-O-Meter miles. The relationship is not at all linear. And when the GOM is wrong, it could be an underestimate or an overestimate.

So I ignored the GOM and focused instead on actual miles vs the state of charge % (SOC%).

This is interesting in that this relationship is not linear either! I can drive the same 11 miles and use anywhere between 7% to 13% of battery charge.

I have noticed that I get varying miles/SOC% depending on the total charge of the battery. Will post more data on this later today. Meanwhile, does anyone know how I can get more precision on the SOC%, like a tenth of a percent?

 

[Stoaty]

I have noticed that I get varying miles/SOC% depending on the total charge of the battery. Will post more data on this later today. Meanwhile, does anyone know how I can get more precision on the SOC%, like a tenth of a percent?

Yes, get the Leaf Battery App (info in my signature).

 

[mctom987]

I live in San Jose, work in Milpitas, have a 30-mile round-trip commute

Keep a lookout for me
I'm the only Green Leaf in the area, potentially in the world.

So should I always drive in ECO mode? Should I always drive in B "gear"?

Mostly preference. If you make heavy use of the A/C or heater, ECO mode reduces the output power, which obviously can extend range. Otherwise, D/B modes are only different in the amount of regen applied with no throttle.

I drive in B mode, and control slowing down with the throttle instead of the brakes. As previously mentioned, brakes should only be needed <10MPH where there is very little energy to recoup.

I've found the regen to be somewhere around 60-70% efficient. Doing the math on conversion losses, this seems pretty accurate. At 65MPH, you only get about half the energy back. This is mostly because wind resistance starts taking a huge toll at these speeds.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I live in San Jose, work in Milpitas, have a 30-mile round-trip commute

Keep a lookout for me
I'm the only Green Leaf in the area, potentially in the world.

Did you get a custom paint job? A wrap? Please share a picture - I'd love to see the Leaf in green!