Planning a Trip Slightly Beyond Range

[rfelty]

I have a possible trip coming up that would be fun to try since the total distance means refueling. My question is only about one way, since I have ample charging and time once I reach my destination. I have a 2013 SL and I live in New England, so this trip (with the exception of occasional hills) will be at sea level and it won't be very hot or cold. There are about 4 Level 2 (208/240V 30A J1772) charging stations located near each other at around 30 miles into what is about a 95 mile trip. I drive very conservatively, averaging about 4.7 miles/kWh and so my full GOM is often in the 105 mile range. However much of the drive is highway which is different from my usual "around town" routes, so past history may not be relevant. Anyway, I expect to drive 30 miles and stop to recharge and would plan to leave that recharging station full. And I have a fairly precise time deadline near the end of my route. So I need to plan how long I might I expect to be at the Level 2 station to put the equivalent of 30 miles back into the car at the full end of the battery's capacity. I know that with a trickle, I figure around 4-5 miles per hour charging, but don't know what the equivalent is for Level 2, especially as the battery nears full. Any thoughts about this question would be appreciated. - Rick

 

[Reddy]

I would check Tony's range chart, but here's a quick guess. Assuming 30 mi driven to get to the station, divide by 4 mi/kWh and you get 7.5 kWh needed to replenish. Divide by charging rate (3.3 or 6.0). If you have the 6 kW charger, you need around 1.25 hr while the 3.3 kW charger will require 2.25 hr. Now, if you're charging at 208 V instead of 240, then multiply by 240/208 (about 1.15) to get 1.44 hr or 2.62 hr. Add in a little fudge factor and round up to 3 hr on 3.3 kW vs 2 hr on 6 kW. Yes, the charging will slow down slightly (especially with the 6 KW charger), but those number should give you a starting place. I would always plan a bit on the pessimistic side to allow for time finding the station, parking, etc. If you absolutely must be there at a specific time, then make sure you have an alternative station just in case one has another EV charging. BTW, I recently helped a 40 kWh Tesla owner travel 200+ mi from Seattle to Pasco. I estimated that he would arrive at the charging station at 6pm. He thought he would make it by 4pm. He got there at 5:58.

 

[Bateman]

Something else to keep in mind - your car will charge faster in a mid-range than the high-range of SOC. In other words, your car will charge faster from 50% ->80% than it would from 70->100%. Maybe you skip the first charge point 30 miles in and spend more time at the second charger.

Finally, I've noticed the Leaf app is really, really bad about estimating that last few percents of charge. The app will tell me it has 40 to 50 minutes left to charge and it's really at 97 to 99% charged already. Not worth taxing the batter or waiting. Just unplug and go!

 

[rfelty]

Thanks folks for the tips so far. I'm actually not going to need a second charger on this trip, and there really is no better further location prior to my destination. There is a great big empty in terms of public charging stations. But I get your point. I will think about that some more. What you're pointing out is that I can add 30 miles of range faster in the middle of the battery's capacity than the top. Also good to know that I can probably stop charging (if necessary) before the blue lights stop flashing near the very full point.

 

[johnrhansen]

it's kind of counter intuitive, but the slower you drive, the faster you will make it there. Because you have to stop and charge longer the more power you burn.

 

[JimSouCal]

+1 on driving slow. Also, watch for headwind. I had a heck of surprise one afternoon into the California sea breeze up the coast... Driving 45 ate energy like going 65...

 

[michapok]

I just did two 95 mile trips in the same day, charging only at the destination (national plugin day). The key is to average lower than 50mph and you'll make it with a couple miles till turtle.
My best tip is to play with Google maps and see if there are local roads you can take instead of the highway. You may be able to have a shorter distance trip and like the other poster said it's faster to drive slow and not charge along the way.
Also, use the leaf spy app - the soc on there is more accurate than your dash and you'll feel more confident. Fyi you should hit turtle at about 2.5% based on some other threads.

 

[davewill]

... there really is no better further location prior to my destination. There is a great big empty in terms of public charging stations. But I get your point. I will think about that some more. What you're pointing out is that I can add 30 miles of range faster in the middle of the battery's capacity than the top. ...

It's kind of a shame because 30 miles is just too early to charge on this trip. I would guess that the difference in charging time could cost you an extra hour vs. waiting until 50-60 miles in.

Since you'll be doing mostly highway driving at constant speed, the range chart should help a bunch in figuring out the range you can expect: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293#p101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[smkettner]

Prerun the 30 miles if you must be exact. Time the fill to 100% and drive home. Then you will know.
Same test could be done locally when down about 30 miles.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

It won't be very cold? Guess the trip isn't anytime soon then. We've got a couple of balmy 40 degree days, but then it's back to the freezer. Remember to calculate for heater use, and that charging takes longer in the cold.

So, your going from Natick to where? Not being nosey, but knowing might be able to yield some suggestions. Ski trip?

 

[thankyouOB]

you will get a bit more than a range bar per half hour at L2.
you should figure your range from that.
if you are there 2 hours you will get at least 4 bars, maybe five.

 

[walterbays]

So, your going from Natick to where? Not being nosey, but knowing might be able to yield some suggestions. Ski trip?

Yes, it sure matters. E.g., if he happened to be going 94 miles from Natick to Rochester, NH, he could detour through Lawrence for a total of 98 miles but broken up as 42 miles, quick charge, 57 miles. Easy trip, no waiting, if he would be there during business hours when the QC was open.

Even if there were no convenient QC location, another thing plugshare might show you could be a residential L2 stop at a better location than the public L2 you found. For the price of a bottle of wine or a pie you might have an hour or two of pleasant conversation with new friends. Or it might be dreadful.

And most Interstate highway routes up that way seem to have local road alternate routes where it would be easier to keep your speed down and your range up.

 

[johnrhansen]

you can also make your own charging stops. Call around rv parks and auto shops. Maybe you can find someone along the way who can sell you some electricity. Also look at plugshare there might already be someone on there who has shared a 240 volt outlet.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

So, your going from Natick to where? Not being nosey, but knowing might be able to yield some suggestions. Ski trip?

Yes, it sure matters. E.g., if he happened to be going 94 miles from Natick to Rochester, NH, he could detour through Lawrence for a total of 98 miles but broken up as 42 miles, quick charge, 57 miles. Easy trip, no waiting, if he would be there during business hours when the QC was open.

Even if there were no convenient QC location, another thing plugshare might show you could be a residential L2 stop at a better location than the public L2 you found. For the price of a bottle of wine or a pie you might have an hour or two of pleasant conversation with new friends. Or it might be dreadful.

And most Interstate highway routes up that way seem to have local road alternate routes where it would be easier to keep your speed down and your range up.

+1

Our old secondary highways often parallel the interstates, and often are the better routes for a LEAF here. Honestly, looking at Plugshare, I can't find a route that matches the OP's description, there are so many L2's around now, and a few QCs as well. Southern VT and SW NH would be the worst, or the far end of Cape Cod.

rfelty, download the free LEAF Energy app, it automates Tony's range charts and you'll get a better approximation of your range. You might have to break the route up into legs to get the map to work well, but I haven't found any of the map apps to be fantastic yet, usually use several and work out a consensus. Sometimes, if you search a route in pedestrian mode, you can get the most direct line, but you have to watch out for paths it might give you that you can't drive on.