So, owners what range are you getting ?

[09Bamb00]

I travel 92.5 miles round trip to work. I use ECO, AC (low fan, recycled air 78F) & radio. Highway 70 with cruise control. When I start it is around 105 but when I arrive at work it is 35 and I must charge to make it home. :shock:
Lowest I ever got was 9 during a rainstorm going to the public library to charge to make the next 20 miles home.

 

[overbergerc]

Headed out Thursday for this Michigan U.P. Trip with the Leaf. Traded an old 3.5K genset for a mostly new Honda eu2000i and verified charging capability. (thank you Phil)..Have a "leakproof" 6 gal. sealed plastic extended run "kit" to run the Honda past 4 hours if need be. I was hoping for a NATO jerry can but, alas, not available any longer due to kiddy proofing laws. I have a Yakima roof rack with a coffin, a bike alligator, and a spare bike rack alligator. I think I'm going to "fix" the gas can to the 2nd bike rack. Hell, I've been hauling around 20-30 gallons of petrol in my gas burners for years anyway..usually closer to me than the roof. The Honda can live in the back.

Counting on 70 miles per L2 charge@2 per day and have routes set up until Traverse City, MI. The Google map on my post shows a hop across Lake Michigan, not going to happen. Over the Big Mac only. Last "charger" at a Nissan dealer in TC. Forty Five MPH on 2 lane roads all the way. Campgrounds, auto garages, etc, for the rest of the trip (400 miles one way.) Charger in Houghton and in Marquette, MI (look it up if you care to) We'll see how friendly rural Michigan can be to a Japanese car..electric or not. Should have video linked to "Copper" FB page...If I can figure that out. Thank god for my iPhone.

89 out today. 100% charge. Month old 2012 SL. Drove from Kalamazoo MI to lake Michigan and back at 53MPH with cruise. Flat terrain. 45 minute 120V boost at lake. 78 miles on trip odo. 18 miles remained on GoM. I'd guess 95 to 100 miles max. I'm driving this beast up north to the U.P. of Michigan in July (620 miles, 400 of which is rural small town Michigan..No EV stations.) I have the EVSE upgrade and a well stocked "kit". Debating on a Honda EU200i with a propane conversion. I hate the thought of a gas can and device in the car. Will camp, and stay at Ma and Pa Hotels, etc. Hopefully they have 240V room AC's or campground electric. I have a home built Easy 240 as well.

Here's the map.

http://goo.gl/maps/D97E

Have a Facebook page set up. Although I'm an IT engineer, I'm an old one. Forgive my clumsiness with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and HTML (wanna know about IP, Data transmission, RS-232, H.323, SATA, I7's, etc, I'm good)

Here's the FB site:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003929650713" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wish me luck. Any insight or ideas from you west coasters (who have had these machines for a bit longer than we have in the Midwest) would be welcome, as long as they are not negative. If you don't like this idea, keep your opinions to yourselves please.

Chuck O

 

[davewill]

... Counting on 70 miles per L2 charge@2 per day and have routes set up until Traverse City, MI. The Google map on my post shows a hop across Lake Michigan, not going to happen. Over the Big Mac only. Last "charger" at a Nissan dealer in TC. Forty Five MPH on 2 lane roads all the way. ...

Have you done much driving with the roof rack? It would be bad to find it cut your range down further than your estimate, although it sounds like you've allowed for it.

 

[overbergerc]

Funny you should mention that. I did check out the difference and at 55 MPH I dropped to about 50 MPC (miles per 100% charge). At 40 MPH, 68 MPC, at 45, about 65 MPC. 70 MPC is vanilla at 45 MPH. My problem is charge stations or "plugs". Michigan has many state park campgrounds along our western shore, more than enough to get up north @ ~65 miles a pop BUT, they are all full for the next 3 weekends. Guerrilla charging has proven to be more difficult than I thought it would be and I found sitting around for 8-10 hours using the generator to be way too "fun". Furthest northern regular L2 charger is Muskegon. (other than far north)

Two of the Muskegon state park 30A 120v circuits using an easy240 worked really well last night. Funny that when I plugged into the 2 20A 120V circuits
(indicator light and DVM indicated 240V), both breakers tripped when I plugged the Modded EVSE into the easy240. Both circuits were GFI protected and were wired correctly (according to my ground detector).

Phil, any insight please? The 30A circuits were not GFI protected (apparently..no button).

We are going to need more charging stations or more miles per charge for my Leaf to be much more than a town car for now in Michigan. I found waiting for 3 hours in Holland, MI, even next to a Barnes and Noble, to be tedious. I fell asleep in my car and was awoken by a public works employee who was thrilled to see me using their charger. (Holland, MI public works promoted the chargepoint chargers there...still free.) I'll probably try again this Fall. May take the '10 Prius up north next week. It's a great car camp vehicle and I don't have to deal with the screaming kids at state parks..we have a great network of federal and state forest campgrounds in Michigan. Outhouses, no electric, but really beautiful. My Prius provides electricity from the HV battery (small custom inverter) so I can watch Slingbox from home, (via my Verizon iPhone tether..when it works) or a nice DVD from my laptop, as well as muted electric light..lot's of bugs in the U.P. No portable AC, but I've considered it. I'm getting old!!

Chuck

... Counting on 70 miles per L2 charge@2 per day and have routes set up until Traverse City, MI. The Google map on my post shows a hop across Lake Michigan, not going to happen. Over the Big Mac only. Last "charger" at a Nissan dealer in TC. Forty Five MPH on 2 lane roads all the way. ...

Have you done much driving with the roof rack? It would be bad to find it cut your range down further than your estimate, although it sounds like you've allowed for it.

 

[davewill]

... Two of the Muskegon state park 30A 120v circuits using an easy240 worked really well last night. Funny that when I plugged into the 2 20A 120V circuits
(indicator light and DVM indicated 240V), both breakers tripped when I plugged the Modded EVSE into the easy240. Both circuits were GFI protected and were wired correctly (according to my ground detector).

Phil, any insight please? The 30A circuits were not GFI protected (apparently..no button). ...

It could be that the breakers themselves were the GFIs rather than the outlet like you see in most homes.

 

[overbergerc]

Yes,
That is what they were Dave.

Ingineer, did you post in that 10 year old Michigan girls student web site? There was a "Phil" who was supporting her efforts..sounded like you..(not davewill..sorry). Hoped Phil is following this thread.

The web site is:

http://61211167.nhd.weebly.com/the-new-electric-car-reform.html

This is great !!!!!!!


davewill wrote:

It could be that the breakers themselves were the GFIs rather than the outlet like you see in most homes.

 

[smkettner]

Today I drove 80 miles on the freeway at 55 mph on CC to VLBW. Mostly level, very little breeze, no heat/air, headlights on for the first hour.
Battery temp at the low end of 6 bars. 18,300 miles on the 14 month old car.

I really needed 90 miles to make it home so I am charging at IKEA :|

 

[oobflyer]

I drove 230 miles yesterday.

I started with 100% charge, drove 65 miles to the nearest ChaDeMo charger, charged up to 80%, drove to the next ChaDeMo charger (50 miles), charged to 80%, moved the car to a J-plug, topped off the batteries while eating dinner, then headed back home, repeating the stops/charges.

The battery temp gauge only showed one bar of increased battery temperature (from 6 to 7 bars) due to the high-speed charging.

I drove just over 55 MPH the whole way - so traffic was flying pass me the while trip, but that just made me grin more as I thought about how much gas they were wasting :lol:

I got my Leaf one month ago and I have 1,000 miles on it - this thing is just incredible. My only question is: why aren't more people driving EVs?

 

[edatoakrun]

I drove 230 miles yesterday.

I started with 100% charge, drove 65 miles to the nearest ChaDeMo charger, charged up to 80%, drove to the next ChaDeMo charger (50 miles), charged to 80%, moved the car to a J-plug, topped off the batteries while eating dinner, then headed back home, repeating the stops/charges.

The battery temp gauge only showed one bar of increased battery temperature (from 6 to 7 bars) due to the high-speed charging.

I drove just over 55 MPH the whole way - so traffic was flying pass me the while trip, but that just made me grin more as I thought about how much gas they were wasting :lol:

I got my Leaf one month ago and I have 1,000 miles on it - this thing is just incredible. My only question is: why aren't more people driving EVs?

You answered your own question.

Most American drivers don't have access to fast chargers. Without the ChaDeMos, your trip would have required 10-12 hours of additional time waiting for slow charges.

I have ~12,300 miles on my LEAF, and it's more than a little frustrating that I haven't seen a working fast charger yet, just the one in Vacaville CA that has been turned off ever since I got my LEAF.

And, unfortunately, many American vehicle manufactures and promoters of ICE "plug-ins" have worked to block the essential infrastructure, public fast charging, that will allow BEVS to replace ICEVs as the dominant participant in the US vehicle fleet.

It will happen, since BEVs are already inherently superior to ICE powered vehicles for most applications, and with improved and lower cost batteries, BEVs lead over ICEVs/PHEVs will only increase.

It's just very unfortunate, that the business plans of many corporations, happen to conflict with, and have been allowed to delay the achievement of, America's greater goals.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Ed I feel your pain. DCFCs in this area has pretty much made it acceptable to have a vehicle with a 50 mile range...almost. Still got a way to go to get to that point but with the handful we have access to now, it had really changed the game

 

[oobflyer]

...just the one in Vacaville CA that has been turned off ever since I got my LEAF.

I spoke with Brian McLean, Fleet and Transit Manager for the City of Vacaville, on July 31, 2012 - he stated that the City of Vacaville has plans to install another DCFC "in the next couple of months".

Hopefully by the end of September....

 

[EatsShootsandLeafs]

I drove 230 miles yesterday.

I started with 100% charge, drove 65 miles to the nearest ChaDeMo charger, charged up to 80%, drove to the next ChaDeMo charger (50 miles), charged to 80%, moved the car to a J-plug, topped off the batteries while eating dinner, then headed back home, repeating the stops/charges.

The battery temp gauge only showed one bar of increased battery temperature (from 6 to 7 bars) due to the high-speed charging.

I drove just over 55 MPH the whole way - so traffic was flying pass me the while trip, but that just made me grin more as I thought about how much gas they were wasting :lol:

I got my Leaf one month ago and I have 1,000 miles on it - this thing is just incredible. My only question is: why aren't more people driving EVs?

As mentioned,you answered your own question. Slow speed of travel and even still you had to charge a bunch of times. Most people, myself included, would not bother with any of that.

The Leaf works for me, but only relying on home-charging. I'd hate to be out somewhere reliant on a port and it not function, not to mention it's generally too slow anyway, so unless it's somewhere I want to be anywhere like a mall it's of no use whatsoever. I doubt I'll go further away than my battery can return me to home often at all.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Yesterday; about 90, today? probably about 80.

yesterday got up for a job at 4 AM, it was about 65º. this morning at 6 AM its like 45º. also got rain yesterday so our dry streak (we do not have a drought...) ends at 48 days. precip was like .03 inches or something...pretty lame way to end a record breaking streak

 

[penorman]

Drove our new Leaf 64 miles from the charging station at Fred Meyers in Hillsboro OR over the coast range thru Tillamook to Netarts, OR. There are no public chargers yet in that area of the Oregon Coast, so had to trickle charge at our destination.

Starting SOC : 100%
Range (till battery low) : Did not get to low battery. 2 bars remaining on the state of charge meter
Range (till turtle) : Did not get to turtle
Distance travelled: 64 miles.
Efficiency : Sorry, did not take note of miles/kWh.
Driving : Averaged 53MPH. Two 300 ft climbs and one 1200 ft climb. Other than those three climbs, road mostly flat. Ending point at the coast was about 200 ft lower than starting point in Hillsboro. Mostly in ECO mode. No coasting.
Climate : Mid-60's. Moderate tailwind most of the way. Just ran the fan on outside air. No lights.
Payload: 500 lb (2 adults and some luggage).

 

[Martytdi]

We have 10123 miles on our 2012 Leaf SL so far.
What is normal driving? Driving the speed limit on the highway or 35-40 mph through the countryside?
Driving on the highway in western Connecticut we get upper 60 miler range, heat on take away 12 from that.
It doesn't seem to matter if in eco mode or not when in cruse control.
It would be great if it got close to 100 miles on the highway and a little less with the heat on.
Charging stations are few and far between still in the state, most are at nissan dealers.
I should have waited for the 2013 model with a better battery, heater, charger, and interior.
I wish I paid attention to the actual range like the EPA range that is more like the real range, but after a year or two count on 20% less. It's kind of after the battery gets broken in and has less storage.
Over all we are happy and we never got stranded.
Calculate out how much gas we didn't need to buy is simply amazing.

 

[kickingas]

Have around 6,000 miles on my LEAF and drove to work last week which is 54.8 miles. Most of my drive is 60 - 70 mph on highways and Interstates with significant hills. The outside temp was 24degreesF and I never turned the Climate Control on once. On a full charge in eco mode, when I arrived at work I had a low battery warning and 4 miles remaining. The battery temp only had 4 bars and I preheated while I was still hooked up to the charger.

 

[MrIanB]

7,900 miles
80 miles w 4 miles left w low battery coming on at 70 miles
Mostly flat roads w small inclines at time
Average speed between 34-50mph
Average 5.1 m/kw
Charged to 100%
All bars still showing at 11 months from purchased this year.
Temp bars between 5-6
Garage kept all day
Outside temps between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Still loving passing by gas stations.

Ian B

 

[thwarren]

I'm new here so if this is not the right place for this, let me know.

I have had my Leaf 6 days now.

Today I drove 36.5 miles, all in eco mode with no climate control despite 45 degree F temperatures (some seat heating). Much of it was interstate, driving around 62-63 MPH. The computer says I am averaging 3.7 miles per kWh. When I started--at 80% charge--the Leaf estimated 80 miles. When I finished, the Leaf estimated 27 miles to go. So the estimate dropped by 53 miles for 36.5 miles of travel. This is roughly consistent with my experience to date, which is that the estimated range drops about 1.5 miles for each mile I travel. At 27 miles left, I showed 3 bars of battery left.

My question is whether I should be concerned that I am getting unusually poor "mileage" or if this is normal. And should I expect the estimate to continue to drop at about 1.5 miles per mile traveled, so I should expect a range (starting at 80%) of only about 54 miles?

Finally, any thoughts as to whether charging to 100% once a week will significantly degrade the battery over the long term? I know no one really has long-term experience yet but welcome any knowledge.

I know "mileage will vary" but as a new owner I'm very nervous about overextending it. Thanks for any insights.

 

[derkraut]

I'm new here so if this is not the right place for this, let me know.

I have had my Leaf 6 days now.

Today I drove 36.5 miles, all in eco mode with no climate control despite 45 degree F temperatures (some seat heating). Much of it was interstate, driving around 62-63 MPH. The computer says I am averaging 3.7 miles per kWh. When I started--at 80% charge--the Leaf estimated 80 miles. When I finished, the Leaf estimated 27 miles to go. So the estimate dropped by 53 miles for 36.5 miles of travel. This is roughly consistent with my experience to date, which is that the estimated range drops about 1.5 miles for each mile I travel. At 27 miles left, I showed 3 bars of battery left.

My question is whether I should be concerned that I am getting unusually poor "mileage" or if this is normal. And should I expect the estimate to continue to drop at about 1.5 miles per mile traveled, so I should expect a range (starting at 80%) of only about 54 miles?

Finally, any thoughts as to whether charging to 100% once a week will significantly degrade the battery over the long term? I know no one really has long-term experience yet but welcome any knowledge.

I know "mileage will vary" but as a new owner I'm very nervous about overextending it. Thanks for any insights.

I think your mpkwh is pretty much normal, considering the temperature and your speed. The "guess-o-meter is horrendously inaccurate. I just disregard it until it gets down to under 15mi; after that it's pretty accurate. How much air do you have in your tires? Were you driving in "D" or ECO?

 

[thwarren]

In response to prior post, I drive in eco mode all the time. I have no idea how much air is in my tires--I will get a pressure gauge and be sure my tires are always properly inflated. Thanks!