New Leaf Owner in GA

[BigNate0730]

Hi all! New Leaf owner in GA. Looking to commute around 37 miles one way (74 round trip) 3x per week. Range shows ~84 miles from 96% SoC (83% SoH). We have level 2 chargers at the office and I plan to charge during off peak times at home and plug in at work, with timers set to limit SoC to <90%. Will this thing handle freeway speeds and give me range, or am I an idiot for buying it to commute?

 

[goldbrick]

It will certainly make it one way but if the charging stations are down or unavailable for some reason, doing a round trip would be nerve racking, IMO.

 

[knightmb]

Hi all! New Leaf owner in GA. Looking to commute around 37 miles one way (74 round trip) 3x per week. Range shows ~84 miles from 96% SoC (83% SoH). We have level 2 chargers at the office and I plan to charge during off peak times at home and plug in at work, with timers set to limit SoC to <90%. Will this thing handle freeway speeds and give me range, or am I an idiot for buying it to commute?

One way, yes, you could rocket down the Interstate both ways with charging on both ends. But plan on some issue such as detours or the L2 at work being down or blocked. In that case, you can still make it to work and back, you'll just have to drive slower, about 50 mph or slower, which would probably mean back roads. Check to see if there is a QC station between the two points as a backup just in case. You can use the charge timer to have the Leaf at 100% right before you go to work (or leave work) for maximum reduction of "range anxiety" as a new owner. Also, read up on the tips posted on this forum for maximizing range such as tire PSI, drive modes, etc.
It sounds like you bought a 11 bar Leaf and the 2015 is well known for the best "24 kWh" battery pack of that generation, so myself would be fine but I also have nearly a decade of driving experience as well as some others here, so our advice might be a little bias.

 

[BigNate0730]

Thanks for the r thoughtful responses! I will definitely be reading more of the excellent posts in this forum as I continue my journey!

I now have 2 full days off commuting under my belt, and I am consistently getting to work and back home with about 50% SoC. The L2 chargers at work put out about 5.4 kW, so charging up there is no problem, and at home, I run the granny plug on the charge timer. I drove very conservatively on day 1, and maybe a little more"normal" today, and I am really enjoying the experience.

My big concern was maintaining 65 to 70 mph sustained and how much that would drain the battery, and it turns out it's maybe 5% more drain over the trip, when compared to slower speeds with a lot of regen. The car definitely does well in typical traffic though and is very pleasant, even fun to drive.

Overall, I'm VERY happy with my cheap used Leaf, and I'm looking forward to many happy miles.

 

[knightmb]

If you plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off, consider investing in an ODBII bluetooth reader and LeafSpy to get all the internal information for reference or just tinkering around with the internal settings.
If nothing else, it also works on other vehicles with similar software for the phone, just like the expensive code readers they sell at the auto store.

 

[NyNewLeaf]

Congrats. That is a lot of charging but should work. Once you get familiar with the drive you can probably figure out exactly what you need with a margin for error. My favorite strategy is to find a Kroger, Wholefoods, Kohls or other stop on the way home where you wouldn't mind plugging in for 15 minutes to make it comfortably home. This is especially important on a cold day when you need to run the defroster. Leafspy is good and it will help you figure out if what you are doing is good for the battery.

 

[Stanton]

My big concern was maintaining 65 to 70 mph sustained and how much that would drain the battery, and it turns out it's maybe 5% more drain over the trip, when compared to slower speeds with a lot of regen. The car definitely does well in typical traffic though and is very pleasant, even fun to drive.

First off: congrats on your purchase! At least you got a "lizard" pack.
For the record, there is a big difference between ~70 mph and ~60 mph in Leaf (I suspect >5% in all weather conditions). The reason being the "drag" graph/ramp is not linear. I sounds like you have charging options on both ends, but as the battery degrades you may want to consider the speed factor.

 

[BigNate0730]

Fantastic recommendations! I got LeafSpy Pro when we were looking at getting a Leaf for my daughter. After looking at a couple of used ones with obvious battery issues, I quickly discovered this would be the key to finding a Leaf with a good battery. I pulled the LeafSpy data on mine during the test drive. Everyone considering a used Leaf should just go ahead and spring for LeafSpy and a OBDII adapter. Better to be safe than sorry.

Moderator's note: I had to remove the quoted text to get the site to allow the post (SQL Errors). I'll paste them into a separate post, if possible.

 

[BigNate0730]

First off: congrats on your purchase! At least you got a "lizard" pack.
For the record, there is a big difference between ~70 mph and ~60 mph in Leaf (I suspect >5% in all weather conditions). The reason being the "drag" graph/ramp is not linear. I sounds like you have charging options on both ends, but as the battery degrades you may want to consider the speed factor.

Not sure I am familiar with the term "lizard pack". I did enough research shopping for my daughter's to learn that the 2015 was the best 24kW Leaf for battery efficiency and longevity though. I definitely plan on keeping to the speed limit for the most part. I'm coming from a Mustang, so I am used to more "sportier" driving, but even in my Mustang, I generally try to keep to within 5 MPH of posted speed, unless overtaking. One thing I do love about the Leaf is the ability to overtake quickly when needed. Running in ECO most of the time, it is a big surprise when I mat the accelerator and get all that torque. Chews the battery up though, so I don't do it much. Now that I know what the car can do, I am going to see if I can squeeze the 74 mile round trip out of it. I've identified several 6kW-capable EVSE stations along the way now, so if I get uncomfortable with the SoC level on the return, I can stop and get a top off.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Here are the quoted posts from above:

Congrats. That is a lot of charging but should work. Once you get familiar with the drive you can probably figure out exactly what you need with a margin for error. My favorite strategy is to find a Kroger, Wholefoods, Kohls or other stop on the way home where you wouldn't mind plugging in for 15 minutes to make it comfortably home. This is especially important on a cold day when you need to run the defroster. Leafspy is good and it will help you figure out if what you are doing is good for the battery.

If you plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off, consider investing in an ODBII bluetooth reader and LeafSpy to get all the internal information for reference or just tinkering around with the internal settings.
If nothing else, it also works on other vehicles with similar software for the phone, just like the expensive code readers they sell at the auto store.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Not sure I am familiar with the term "lizard pack".

Nissan nicknamed the 2015 - 2016 24kwh pack the "Lizard pack" to make it clear that they had improved the heat resistance. I nicknamed the original 2011-3/2013 pack the "Canary Pack" because it isn't resistant to any kind of degradation, except maybe cold weather. I also nicknamed the intermediate pack the "Wolf Pack" because it is tough in most cases but was susceptible to extreme heat. (Wolves don't do well in Hot climates.)

 

[Stanton]

Running in ECO most of the time, it is a big surprise when I mat the accelerator and get all that torque. Chews the battery up though, so I don't do it much.

I'm sure you've figured out by now that ECO mode is not the best mode for rapid acceleration. And yes--that type of driving (in any mode) won't get you the best efficiency. Your biggest problem will most likely be high sustained speeds (whatever they are): no opportunity to "coast".

 

[NyNewLeaf]

That kick when you turn off eco mode. I only ever turn it off when traffic is rough and I need to be aggressive. I hit sport mode when test driving the Niro and it was like I got kicked. When you put it back in eco mode you can literally feel the regenerative drag of the motor

 

[LeftieBiker]

In the '21 and later Leafs, Eco is so damned slow that I drive in Normal mode - something I never did before this, and I've been driving Leafs since 2013.

 

[knightmb]

In the '21 and later Leafs, Eco is so damned slow that I drive in Normal mode - something I never did before this, and I've been driving Leafs since 2013.

Wow, I'm going to have find someone with a 2021 or later model because I've heard that a lot but never experienced it myself. My wife's 2018 is a 40 kWh Leaf and it's Eco mode feels like that to me compared to Eco mode in my 2020 + , so I wonder if it's the battery size or if they just made all models have the same Eco mode mapping? :?

 

[LeftieBiker]

2020 is, as far as I'm concerned, the last good year for the Nissan Leaf. If you want a Prius-like appliance and don't mind weak, stand-on-the-pedal-and-curse brakes, then the later years are ok. I don't hate mine, but as long as we get to keep the 2020, I won't shed tears when I turn it in.

 

[BigNate0730]

Not sure I am familiar with the term "lizard pack".

Nissan nicknamed the 2015 - 2016 24kwh pack the "Lizard pack" to make it clear that they had improved the heat resistance. I nicknamed the original 2011-3/2013 pack the "Canary Pack" because it isn't resistant to any kind of degradation, except maybe cold weather. I also nicknamed the intermediate pack the "Wolf Pack" because it is tough in most cases but was susceptible to extreme heat. (Wolves don't do well in Hot climates.)

:lol: Makes sense now, thanks!

Thanks for all the responses folks! With 2 weeks commuting in the Leaf now, I have learned a lot, and have moderated my driving style quite a bit. I'm finding out that the Leaf LOVES traffic! With enough time in regen, I can go miles in heavy traffic and the battery stays at a certain level. I now no longer despise slow downs and stop-and-go traffic. I'm not saying I enjoy traffic, I just mind it a little less, especially with a good podcast on. It makes the whole experience of commuting a little more "zen".

I have installed a 240v 40a line in my garage for level 2 charging, as, even with the Nissan charger, the breaker kicked a couple of times when charging and trying to run other things on the 120v 15a circuit that feeds the garage. I also picked up the Duosida L1+2 charger, so I am only getting "slow" 3.8k L2. Since my daughter's car does not have the charging pack, it's perfect for her, and it's okay for me, since I don't have a need for quick turnaround. The Duosida was very affordable, and gives us options if one of our Nissan chargers ever break. Also, we have a free (during Target business hours) Chargepoint station right around the corner if I ever need a quicker top-up.

So far, I'm loving the Leaf experience!

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Yep, heavy yet slow moving traffic is mega range extending.