What is the actual miles from a full charge on the freeway

[Kenkuramoto]

:? I recently purchased a Leaf and was going to commute to my job which was 70 miles from home. I found out within the first 30 miles I would not make it if I was driving too fast so I drafted a truck for 20 miles and drove less than 60 MPH on the freeway I had only 4 miles on the battery when I arrived. On the way home I drafted a truck for 20 miles and was happy to be caught up in heavy traffic and I arrived with only 8 miles on the battery. Any other people with this experience? I am concerned I was hoping for at least 85 miles from the battery that is still a 15% loss but I got a 30% loss of life on the battery was I crazy to think the sales people was right for 100 miles on a charge? :!:

 

[Kenkuramoto]

:? I recently purchased a Leaf and was going to commute to my job which was 70 miles from home. I found out within the first 30 miles I would not make it if I was driving too fast so I drafted a truck for 20 miles and drove less than 60 MPH on the freeway I had only 4 miles on the battery when I arrived. On the way home I drafted a truck for 20 miles and was happy to be caught up in heavy traffic and I arrived with only 8 miles on the battery. Any other people with this experience? I am concerned I was hoping for at least 85 miles from the battery that is still a 15% loss but I got a 30% loss of life on the battery was I crazy to think the sales people was right for 100 miles on a charge? :!:

 

[palmermd]

Stay under 60mph and 70 miles is doable, but you need to be able to remain calm and just drive slowly. It does not really matter what the salesman said, the sticker in the window said 73.

 

[LEAFguy]

It takes 47% more energy to drive at 70 miles per hour than it does at 60 miles per hour. Allow yourself a few more minutes at each end and you'll be fine.

 

[planet4ever]

Also, please read the four-page "2011 LEAF CUSTOMER DISCLOSURE FORM" that you had to sign, stating that you had read it before purchasing the LEAF. This is not just legalese mumbo jumbo. It tells you that with freeway driving you will get considerably less than 100 miles, and that capacity and range will decline even more as the battery ages.

Ray

 

[mwalsh]

You must have been driving really hard to only get 35-40 miles out of a full charge.

Yes, you need to develop a more zen like state of mind when driving. I just did a 72 mile r/t with a little bit to spare and no charging in-between. It's doable. However, it took speeds of between 60 and 65mph, somewhat gentle use of acceleration, and no use of the climate control. Any variation from any of those behaviors and I would have expected less range.

 

[daniel]

... was I crazy to think the sales people was right for 100 miles on a charge? :!:

Not crazy. But you were perhaps overly optimistic. If you had been following the development of EVs over the past few years you'd have known that mileage numbers tend to be overstated. Even gas cars must be driven conservatively to achieve the EPA stated numbers. The 100-mile figure is for the EPA LA-4 cycle, which is slow speed. One car mag, mentioned elsewhere on this chat board, got something like 120 or 130 miles by driving at 35 mph around a track without stopping. If the salescritter told you you'd get 100 miles at freeway speed, it was misinformation. As LEAFguy and Palmermd point out above, driving slower should get you to work and back.

Disclaimer: My own experience is with a small, slow-speed EV. Nissan has not seen fit to ship my Leaf yet. I think they are waiting for Hell to freeze over.

 

[daniel]

You must have been driving really hard to only get 35-40 miles out of a full charge.

The OP lives 70 miles from work. Presumably gets a full charge at work for the return trip.

 

[mwalsh]

You must have been driving really hard to only get 35-40 miles out of a full charge.

The OP lives 70 miles from work. Presumably gets a full charge at work for the return trip.

Ah, I see...not enough coffee yet. I thought it was a 70 mile r/t.

But my recommendations still apply. But now for each leg of the journey.

On a personal note....in a different economic environment, where jobs would be relatively easy to find, a 70 mile one-way to work would have me seriously reconsidering my choice of either job or home location.

 

[BlueSL]

Ken, welcome. Your needs are on the bleeding edge of the car's capabilities. I do not think it will prove to be the right commuter car for you. Drafting behind trucks is nerve-wracking and dangerous. What if you had to go out mid-day to visit a client or attend a meeting and your work re-charging was interrupted?

 

[jamesanne]

As a rule I do not respond to posts from new users that have suspiciously basic problems or complaints. Especially, when their delivery date is after their post or problem.

Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:59 am
Posts: 2
Delivery Date: 01 Jun 2011
Leaf Number: 1157

 

[mwalsh]

He could have taken delivery already. The date referenced is likely "week of" June 1.

 

[garygid]

The "Plan B" would be to locate one or two convenient re-charging locations along your route. Then, handling unexpected charging conditions or adverse driving conditions (rain, wind, climate control, speed, side trips, errands ... which WILL happen occasionally) just takes some extra charging time, not a failed-to-arrive trip.

Note that driving faster (saving 10 minutes) costs you an hour or more in on-route charging time. So, the least-time trip is the one driven slower, perhaps 55 to 60 mph, and avoiding time-consuming extra charging.

The advent of even one QC station along your route would change the speed vs. recharge tradeoff.

Note also, that you are not as bad off as you think, since you have the "new" firmware with a modified SOC-bars display. With your "fuel gauge" there are apparently some "hidden miles" (a modest or small e-fuel reserve) at the low end of your "fuel gauge".

The one shown above (with the Low Battery Warning at 2 bars) is the "old" SOC bar gauge, which has essentially no "hidden reserve".

 

[mwalsh]

The one shown above (with the Low Battery Warning at 2 bars) is the "old" SOC bar gauge, which has essentially no "hidden reserve".

Reserve? We don't need no stinkin' reserve!*



*Or at least I don't. YMMV. :lol:

 

[daniel]

I don't want a fuel gauge that lies to me!!! One of my biggest complaints about my Prius is that I have no idea how far I can really go, because it says Empty when there are many miles of gas remaining. Maybe there are damn idiots who need to be protected from their own stupidity by a fuel gauge that tells them to fill up when they still have 1/4 of their range left, but I am not one of them. I want to know (as accurately as the instrumentation can determine) how much "fuel" (whether gasoline or kWh) I really have left!!!

On a personal note....in a different economic environment, where jobs would be relatively easy to find, a 70 mile one-way to work would have me seriously reconsidering my choice of either job or home location.

Cheap gas made it possible for people to adopt a commuting lifestyle. Now that commuting is becoming expensive, people are stuck with hard-to-sell houses far from work.

I agree that a 70-mile commute each way would disincline me towards buying a Leaf.

 

[evnow]

I agree that a 70-mile commute each way would disincline me towards buying a Leaf.

Ironically, it is that kind of commute that will make Leaf economically worthwhile.

 

[occ]

As a rule I do not respond to posts from new users that have suspiciously basic problems or complaints. Especially, when their delivery date is after their post or problem.

Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:59 am
Posts: 2
Delivery Date: 01 Jun 2011
Leaf Number: 1157

Also, if his battery were low, and he charges at work with the level I charger? Wouldn't that requires 18hrs to charge enough to go home? I don't know of many businesses (maybe Google excepted) that has level II installed for their employees (except at malls or city halls, but they are not really meant for employees )

 

[UkrainianKozak]

I don't know of many businesses (maybe Google excepted) that has level II installed for their employees (except at malls or city halls, but they are not really meant for employees )

In Seattle area Microsoft, Adobe, Bank of America has Level II chargers for employees already, Amazon is almost there - electrical wiring is done and dedicated parking spaces are there waiting for chargers...

 

[Fabio]

In the Bay Area:
Netflix, Citrix, Adobe, Google, Apple, EA, VMWare, Agilent, Fenwick-West (just the ones I am aware of).

I don't know of many businesses (maybe Google excepted) that has level II installed for their employees (except at malls or city halls, but they are not really meant for employees )

In Seattle area Microsoft, Adobe, Bank of America has Level II chargers for employees already, Amazon is almost there - electrical wiring is done and dedicated parking spaces are there waiting for chargers...

 

[occ]

In the Bay Area:
Netflix, Citrix, Adobe, Google, Apple, EA, VMWare, Agilent, Fenwick-West (just the ones I am aware of).

In Seattle area Microsoft, Adobe, Bank of America has Level II chargers for employees already, Amazon is almost there - electrical wiring is done and dedicated parking spaces are there waiting for chargers...

Wow, I stand informed....I wish Orange County is more progressive tho :roll: , and sooner rather than later.