[Wowbagger]

A bit of a cold bath this evening. Temperature down to 7°C, heater on. Round trip of just over 3 miles and I used something like 7% of the battery.

 

[Paul]

Warmer than it was/is here tonight!

 

[Edd Beesley]

Yesterday I decided to try and crack 100. I preheated the car, pumped the tyres to 44psi, put the car in Eco mode, stayed behind the first lorry I saw and never exceeded 60mph. After almost two REALLY BORING hours following the same blue lorry at an indicated speed of about 56mph (so 52-53 in reality), when we weren't doing an indicated 40 through roadworks, I pulled into the motorway services to rapid charge because I'd covered a mere 72 miles and was on VLBW.

I am now happy with my assertion that the leaf can't do 100 miles unless you go 40mph or less. For me, that means the Leaf CAN'T do 100 miles.

 

[Steve Thayne]

I believe your experience Edd. I also believe mine having lived it! Note in my post I said a lot of my miles were done at 30 to 40 as I was driving round town for work.

I doubt I would have got 100 miles per charge last night either as it was cooler. I would have got in the 90's. But I would have been prepared to drive to the end of the vlbw
having set and watched the trip.

Rate of acceleration also affects the range. So would aim to accelerate using no more than one dot on eco where possible. And downhill holding it between drive and eco to effectively coast and use gravity.

Sounds like your journey was not point to point so does not tell us about elevation - if you stopped higher than you started it would have taken more charge.

On long drives I listen to podcasts like Transport Evolved so don't find them boring. And if you do the maths of driving at 70 or 55 arrival time is very little different due to the choke points at traffic lights etc.

But will leave you to your truth Edd. I believe you. But I also believe my own experience of getting 100 miles per charge even on the motorway when temp warm.....and over 90 when not

 

[Wowbagger]

Yesterday I decided to try and crack 100. I preheated the car, pumped the tyres to 44psi, put the car in Eco mode, stayed behind the first lorry I saw and never exceeded 60mph. After almost two REALLY BORING hours following the same blue lorry at an indicated speed of about 56mph (so 52-53 in reality), when we weren't doing an indicated 40 through roadworks, I pulled into the motorway services to rapid charge because I'd covered a mere 72 miles and was on VLBW.

I am now happy with my assertion that the leaf can't do 100 miles unless you go 40mph or less. For me, that means the Leaf CAN'T do 100 miles.

A Leaf can do over 100 miles in good driving conditions at speeds in excess of 50mph. My experience last month proves this. You chose a manky November night - the coldest round these parts since April or earlier 5th May - so it isn't surprising that you only got 70-odd miles.

Conditions that affect mpkwh:-

uneven speed
driving too fast/excessive braking
headwind
rain/wet roads
cold air (makes the battery more sluggish, and it's denser than warm air therefore more resistant to the car travelling through it)

https://speakev.com/threads/100-mile-club.3881/page-2#post-48173 refers

 

[Rory166]

Yesterday I decided to try and crack 100. I preheated the car, pumped the tyres to 44psi, put the car in Eco mode, stayed behind the first lorry I saw and never exceeded 60mph. After almost two REALLY BORING hours following the same blue lorry at an indicated speed of about 56mph (so 52-53 in reality), when we weren't doing an indicated 40 through roadworks, I pulled into the motorway services to rapid charge because I'd covered a mere 72 miles and was on VLBW.

I am now happy with my assertion that the leaf can't do 100 miles unless you go 40mph or less. For me, that means the Leaf CAN'T do 100 miles.

44 psi! I have been running my Acenta on 40 and feel the ride is a bit hard. 44 must be rock hard? The salesman was a bit surprised when I asked him to put 40 in the tyres when I collected the car. Wont they explode? I also got him to fit some dust caps which was achieved by robbing other vehicles.

 

[smartie]

Yesterday I decided to try and crack 100. I preheated the car, pumped the tyres to 44psi, put the car in Eco mode, stayed behind the first lorry I saw and never exceeded 60mph. After almost two REALLY BORING hours following the same blue lorry at an indicated speed of about 56mph (so 52-53 in reality), when we weren't doing an indicated 40 through roadworks, I pulled into the motorway services to rapid charge because I'd covered a mere 72 miles and was on VLBW.

I am now happy with my assertion that the leaf can't do 100 miles unless you go 40mph or less. For me, that means the Leaf CAN'T do 100 miles.

It may be possible on a newer Leaf, during the summer and on relatively flat terrain.

 

[gail kitchen]

Commute to work..up to 65 mph on M54 driving with the road, no less than 50 (temp speed limit to 50 in parts). 15 miles.

Numerous work trips at speed limit round Shrewsbury at 30 or 40 mph. Several routes chosen as quicker not shorter ie alomg the A5 at 50 mph +.

Commute home on back roads to avoid traffic. Shopping locally.

100 miles driven from a charge.

No workplace charging available. No outside office hours charging reliably available in Shrewsbury to get me home to Telford.

Feels important to share my experience so that those considering a Leaf whose circstances are similar in part or full can see what range is possible when you need it.

Cold and wet and windy weather would have reduced my range further - to the 90's.

I was by no means driving as though my life depended on the range today - could have eked out a few more if needed. The warm weather helped though.

But. If you are desparate to drive an ev. If you drive such high mileage that your fuel savings alone could pay for the Leaf despite being on a below £20,000 salary. If you need the Leaf to be your only vehicle and get you close to 100 miles from a charge. If you are prepared to adjust your driving style to achieve this.

It can be done....

Hi have just purchased a nissan leaf tekna from a dealership which is just 5 months old, did a lot of research on how to drive to get the best mileage etc. but have had it a day started with 80 miles only drove it back home a few miles kept it nice and smooth no huge acceleration etc and was down to 70miles charged it up on 80% as intend to have this car a good few years and read that this was best. Anyway charged up and started with 70miles this morning on full charge of 80% (though i thought this was low given it said 124 on 100% batter charge. Drove well but only did around 30 miles had on eco mode and b mode at times got back home to 24 miles left on the clock! really worried that the mileage isnt there at this rate on an 80% charge it'll be 40 miles. I know i am new to all this so would love some tips. I also realise that it was a demonstrator model before and it does also calculate the mileage on previous journeys. Help...

 

[BlackLeaf]

Have a look at the threads on LeafSpy - get yourself a dongle to check your battery health.

 

[JamesM]

Ordered a dongle, just waiting for it to arrive, slow boat from China or Hong Kong I'm guessing.

 

[Rory166]

Hi have just purchased a nissan leaf tekna from a dealership which is just 5 months old, did a lot of research on how to drive to get the best mileage etc. but have had it a day started with 80 miles only drove it back home a few miles kept it nice and smooth no huge acceleration etc and was down to 70miles charged it up on 80% as intend to have this car a good few years and read that this was best. Anyway charged up and started with 70miles this morning on full charge of 80% (though i thought this was low given it said 124 on 100% batter charge. Drove well but only did around 30 miles had on eco mode and b mode at times got back home to 24 miles left on the clock! really worried that the mileage isnt there at this rate on an 80% charge it'll be 40 miles. I know i am new to all this so would love some tips. I also realise that it was a demonstrator model before and it does also calculate the mileage on previous journeys. Help...

Gail I did the 80% charge thing for a week and realised it was terrible and went back to 100%. In the USA 80% is no longer on the car. At this time of year the range is much reduced. Are you able to keep the car in a garage? I find the range is OK for my daily needs and I have now got a charger at work as well. I would not fret about the battery. My GOM is showing 75 miles from 100% and that may be optimistic. Just relax and enjoy the car they are great. Find all the chargers for when you need a top-up.

 

[Steve Thayne]

Don't go by the gauge on the right...the gueasometer....select the % guide. 1 % to 1 mile roughly. Just under for me today - 95 mile range from 100%.

Not all dealers are knowledgeable. If your car has been stored at 100% for a period of time this can damage battery health. Worth checking if performance below what you hope for. Though would echo Rory's thoughts about charging it 100 % without fear when in daily use.

Also if away for an extended period do not leave the battery empty....will completely ruin it.

 

[Gazjen]

I'm pretty sure I could get 100 miles out of mine (gen 2)if I really wanted too I did 28.5 miles yesterday on 27% and that was the work commute so 1 cold start up and down hill. I find stopping and starting (as in resting the car for an hour or so) affects range. It's took me 4 months to learn how to get the best out of it, but my partner and I love the car with the addition of the 6.6kw charger it means we both get to use the car. I do a lot of early hours/nights and she gets to use it for the school run, shopping etc.

 

[Paul]

Hi have just purchased a nissan leaf tekna from a dealership which is just 5 months old, did a lot of research on how to drive to get the best mileage etc. but have had it a day started with 80 miles only drove it back home a few miles kept it nice and smooth no huge acceleration etc and was down to 70miles charged it up on 80% as intend to have this car a good few years and read that this was best. Anyway charged up and started with 70miles this morning on full charge of 80% (though i thought this was low given it said 124 on 100% batter charge. Drove well but only did around 30 miles had on eco mode and b mode at times got back home to 24 miles left on the clock! really worried that the mileage isnt there at this rate on an 80% charge it'll be 40 miles. I know i am new to all this so would love some tips. I also realise that it was a demonstrator model before and it does also calculate the mileage on previous journeys. Help...

Don't panic. Realistically I get about 80 miles from 100% (without going in to any warnings etc, I never run out or go too close) in decent conditions and much less in winter in our Gen 2 LEAF. However that's just "regular" driving and with fairly low heat on. I could get more I'm sure, most I've done is 96 or so miles with four in the car and using aircon etc, but I was trying/gambling and the car was new.

B helps if you intend to slow a lot, otherwise leave it off and try to avoid braking, slow gently and accelerate calmly. ECO mode makes little difference to me, it does reduce aircon/heat power draw a little (I believe) but mostly "numbs" the throttle response... not for me.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

@gail kitchen I'd read the @Edd Beesley post again

I am now happy with my assertion that the leaf can't do 100 miles unless you go 40mph or less. For me, that means the Leaf CAN'T do 100 miles.

 

[Rory166]

Don't go by the gauge on the right...the gueasometer....select the % guide. 1 % to 1 mile roughly. Just under for me today - 95 mile range from 100%.

Not all dealers are knowledgeable. If your car has been stored at 100% for a period of time this can damage battery health. Worth checking if performance below what you hope for. Though would echo Rory's thoughts about charging it 100 % without fear when in daily use.

Also if away for an extended period do not leave the battery empty....will completely ruin it.

Just to clarify what Steve means is don't leave completely empty. Definitely not full either. 20-40% is the safest range for storage.

 

[Edd Beesley]

Hi have just purchased a nissan leaf tekna from a dealership which is just 5 months old, did a lot of research on how to drive to get the best mileage etc. but have had it a day started with 80 miles only drove it back home a few miles kept it nice and smooth no huge acceleration etc and was down to 70miles charged it up on 80% as intend to have this car a good few years and read that this was best. Anyway charged up and started with 70miles this morning on full charge of 80% (though i thought this was low given it said 124 on 100% batter charge. Drove well but only did around 30 miles had on eco mode and b mode at times got back home to 24 miles left on the clock! really worried that the mileage isnt there at this rate on an 80% charge it'll be 40 miles. I know i am new to all this so would love some tips. I also realise that it was a demonstrator model before and it does also calculate the mileage on previous journeys. Help...

~50 miles on 80% sounds normal to me, but as you can see in this thread everyone has different experiences. Using the %reading rather than looking at the bars may help, or thinking of each bar being about 5 miles may help. The range estimate number is not very useful, because it always starts optimistic, then once you're down to about 4 bars becomes pessimistic, and then once you're down to your last bar just turns into "- - -" !!

You will never ever get 124 miles, that is pure fantasy.

 

[Dean Hamer]

Hi Gail.

Firstly, charge the car to 100%. There is no real evidence that charging to 80% is any better for the battery. It seems that the battery likes to be charged up and discharged fairly quickly soon after.

Secondly, the LEAF will not get 120'od miles on a full charge (unless you drive a constant 20mph).
Realistically the LEAF has a range of 80-90 miles. This is driving economically. Minimizing motorways, and if you do use motorways keep your speed at 60mph or below. With very little heat being used to warm the cabin also.

The main things that will reduce the range of the leaf are;

• Driving uneconomically - Accelerating hard, braking hard, not reading the road ahead and not coming to a gradual stop (not making use of regenerative braking).
• Speed - When you drive above 55mph you will notice you will be using more energy as the LEAF isn't very aerodynamic.
• Wind - again, as above with aerodynamics of the car.
  
• Rain - The rolling resistance of the tyres increase when there is water on the road, this results in more energy used to get through the water.
• Heat - Turning the heater on uses energy, as much as 3-4kW in the gen 2 LEAF. Even more if you have the gen 1 (not sure how much energy it uses)

.

 

[BlackLeaf]

And tyre pressures - make sure they are right or even erring on the high side. If they were inflated in the summer you may be a few psi down so greater rolling resistance

 

[Eunicholas]

i hope this helps its off the nissan web site