Should I drive the Leaf to Palm Springs? (110 degrees)

I'm going to meet friends in Palm Springs next weekend, where the forecast is expected to be 110 degrees. I was originally planning to drive my 2021 Leaf Plus there going over the mountains (approx 4k feet). It is 145 miles so I assume I'll make it even with the hills.

My concern though is taking the car to such high temps and the effect on the battery and driving it back up the hill when I leave. Does it make more sense to drive my old ICE car and leave the leaf at home? (Apparently petrol is expensive these days)

Thanks,

Greg (San Diego)

You should make it without issue since the AC doesn't take a lot of power and the heat won't affect the capacity of the battery in any significant way.

The heat will accelerate the degradation of the battery but if you are there for a short time the overall effect would be minimal, IMO. I
think user GerryAZ has a Leaf+ in Phoenix and his car is holding up well even after several years in that heat.

One caveat would be that if your battery is hot the DC fast charging rate will drop significantly. Take that into consideration if you're planning to charge at a CHAdeMO station but otherwise, I'd take the Leaf.

Have fun. I've heard Palm Springs is a fun town.

Don't worry--drive your LEAF unless you really want to drive your old car for some reason. You can see battery statistics from discharge tests I run every three months under the 62 kWh battery thread if you are curious to see how my car is doing in Phoenix. You will find that range drops a little at typical highway speeds in California (or Arizona), but 145 miles should be OK if you begin the trip with a full charge since regeneration (or reduced power consumption) going downhill will compensate for some of the extra energy used to climb the west side of the mountains. The air conditioner is very efficient so enjoy a nice cool drive.

Thanks for the replies. Will go with your advice and drive it out there. Much better than burning a pile of petrol.