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Driving patterns and terrain have a considerable impact on range just as much as ambient temperature does. If you have the misfortune to need to stop at numerous intersections this will cost you range. If you need to drive over hilly terrain this will also cost you range. Likewise, turning on the heater will cost you range as will driving at speeds where wind drag becomes a significant factor.

Truth is that actual range can only ever be accurately predicted once it has been established. If you've never driven from point A to point B before, and if the number of stops or the terrain is unknown then it's impossible accurately say whether or not point B is within range unless point B is dramatically within the limits of the predicted range that there is little risk of any problem. The tough drive is the first one - when you're trying to determine whether or not point B is within range. Once you've made that drive you can then reproduce that drive very predictably under similar conditions.

It's why having a range extender on an EV with a short (<100 mi) all-electric range is so attractive and pragmatic at the present. You don't experience anxiety over whether or not point B is within range. When the public charging infrastructure (and especially destination charging - imagine if the OP had been able to charge while parked on the street in Guildford) is more prolific then range anxiety is much-less pronounced.
This is all very true. In my case, the minimal requirement was a range of 107 km in even the worst conditions. That means I should still be able to make my daily commute without having to charge, even at the end of my lease.

So, starting from a modest range of 150 km with a new car in perfect weather, I reckon 10% capacity loss, giving a range of 135km after 4 years. Then allowing for 20% reduction in a cold winter, I would still get 108 km. Pushing it like that would not be nice every day, but our winters don't normally last that long...

But the OP is getting this king of range with a new car and not even in really cold weather. That's what surprised me, although it can probably be explained by hills and other factors...
 
At 3 years, with 8% capacity loss, and tyres at 44psi, I can't make 63 miles at 65mph in drizzle, I tried a few weeks ago. Fortunately I was able to stop and use a rapid at ~50 miles.
 
Firstly, congratulations on getting there and back without conking out. To be honest, I think we have all had similar experiences to yours, although some have ended less well. In my son's case, he pushed a bit too hard, found that the Northampton rapid was out of action and then needed a flatbed to take him to the next charger. Unfortunately the jobsworth driving the flatbed dropped him at Northampton dealer at about 5.30 on a Friday evening when the dealer wanted to pack up at 6 and our car is a 3.3. My son had to close the gate behind him after 2 hours' charging to make sure he got to Watford Gap. The flatbed could have got him there in 20 minutes...

I think those of us who bought our cars in the spring of this year (Feb 28th for me) have been spoiled by the beautiful summer weather and have a bit of learning to do. I've managed 100 miles out of a battery twice, once on purpose and once by accident, but on both occasions the conditions were perfect: dry, warm, little wind. The past couple of weeks have been a bit like a cold bath, in more ways than one. On Saturday I drove to Maidstone (50-ish miles, daughter lives there) and for 20 or so of those miles there was torrential rain. I left home with 100% but felt I needed to drop in on the Medway services as I reckon I'd chewed my way through an extra 15% of battery charge with all the water lying on the road slowing me down. Going to off-piste rapid chargers adds something like 20% to the mileage as well, so if I was going to take daughter and grandchildren anywhere I needed the charge.

You've made a great decision, going for the 6.6 charger. By my reckoning you charge at about 35 mph. I've got a 3.3 but a 32 amp point at home, and I think I charge at 17mph. Even if you drop in on a post somewhere en route for 15 minutes, you will have given yourself something like 9 miles more range.

You have temporarily fallen out of love with your car, as I did with mine in March. Remember this: electricity is much more readily available than petrol and for some reason we, as EV owners, gain the impression that it's scarcer. Pretty well every house in the country has a 240-volt supply in an emergency and where there's a will you can normally get a charge. Not that I'm recommending you knocking on some stranger's house at 10 pm and saying "Sorry to trouble you, but can I plug my car into your kitchen for 2 hours?". What I'm saying is that, as EVs become more commonplace, we are all going to look back on the early days with a mixture of horror and nostalgia and wonder how we ever managed, as our local councils, typically a conservative lot (in more ways than one) catch onto the advantages to everyone of EVs and start providing a readily available infrastructure.

Meanwhile, it helps to be a bit inventive. Today, my wife and I were looking after the grandchildren again, as we do pretty well every Thursday. Our daughter lives in a traditional Victorian terraced house, so charging is a problem. I solved it by parking the car immediately outside her house, plugging my 13 amp extension lead into her bedroom socket, shoving the lead out of the window to the passenger window on the far side of the car and pulling it tight. The EVSE was plugged into the other end of the extension lead inside the car and the EVSE came out of the driver's window and plugged into the front of the car. As it happens the weather was good, but even if it had been raining all the hardware was under cover. There was no trip hazard, unless an Olympic high jumper had just happened to be passing. We got a lovely 85% charge over about 5 hours and didn't need to divert to a rapid charger on our way home.
 
Charging a car in the street from the power supply in an adjacent house poses multiple risks including trip hazard as mentioned. Those risks also include an increased risk of electric shock / electrocution from simultaneous access to dissimilar earthing systems.
 
Discussion starter · #46 ·
Thank you all for your thoughts. It's definitely been a very steep learning curve! I think in part I hadn't attempted to get to any of the potential chargers because I really wasn't convinced they would be there, or even be working!

I shall probably take the petrol car next time and do a check of the alleged chargers so that I know for when I want to take Evie. I definitely won't be doing it straight off in the Leaf again late at night!
 
Discussion starter · #48 ·
Spend a sunny Sunday afternoon exploring your local chargers. When you find one that works, charge up at it for 5 minutes. It will then be stored on you car's satnav as a charging point and you won't be in doubt again.

It's not the local ones I'm worried about Wowbagger, I've got lots of them to choose from. It's the fact that an awful lot of my friends live in the Guildford area and there appears to be no realistic charging options late at night when I'm likely to want them :(

I'm not sure I want to risk another nightmare journey to see if I can find any chargers. Though I do think Surrey council should be doing something for us EV users.
 
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I also have had the LEAF for only a few weeks and have driven in mostly favorable weather (low teens at ) worst.
That will go down in cold, wet weather. Hills eat up range too, but you may not have many of those to contend with.

As you noticed, running the heat pump doesn't use much range in mild weather.
 
Could you explain "simultaneous access to dissimilar earthing systems"? How is it any different from plugging the EVSE straight into a 3-pin plug, which is, after all, what it is designed for?
House probably has a TN-C-S / PME taken from the supply cable to the house.
Street furniture is big bits of metal buried in ground - effectively TT - a local earth.
If anyone can touch the car and street furniture (e.g. steet sign, lamppost, bus shelter, metal fence) simultaneously then they have access to dissimilar earthing systems,
 
Keep faith. I would say 72 miles is achievable. It takes a while to get a feel for your car and work out exactly how she responds in certain conditions. I find pre heating/cooling makes a big difference to range especially first 20%. I drove from Great Bentley in Essex yesterday to Southend. Distance of 51 miles and arrived with 51% remaining. This included following a handy lorry on A12 which makes huge difference. I did not risk a return journey without charging and was able to use street charger in Southend.

I have also recently travelled from Essex to Glasgow in my Leaf which you can read about on forum. Only one sticky moment.

Once you accept that the worst that can happen is you run out and have to ring for help then nerves calm down and you can adopt a 'so what' attitude. Maybe a delay in arrival but you'll get there. I had the satisfaction of a road trip covering 1100 miles. Took me a bit longer than in my previous ICE but I actually arrived far more relaxed.

My daily commute is only a 20 mile round trip but I also travel to Chelmsford on a regular basis which is 64 miles return. Very rare I arrive back home with less than 30% and often nearer 40%.

Overtime you'll get the feel for these longer runs and can anticipate in advance any unusual usage.

During my Scorland trip I experienced low temperatures but careful driving meant range did not appear to be impacted.

The problems you've experienced are to be executed after only 4 weeks of ownership but hang in there and you'll grow in confidence.

As I have discovered pre planning re potential charging is essential.


Welcome to the world of Leaf.
 
That will go down in cold, wet weather. Hills eat up range too, but you may not have many of those to contend with.

As you noticed, running the heat pump doesn't use much range in mild weather.
Yes, I fully. expect range to go down in those conditions. However, even allowing for the worst conditions and some battery degradation, I would expect better range than 70 miles in a new LEAF in September. Maybe the hills take a bigger toll?
 
Yeah -- I've never seen worse than 75 miles of real range, but we collected our car in March. I'm not sure what a cold December and January would do.

Even 80 miles of real range is a bit scary if you have to do 75 miles. Getting awfully close to turtle. I don't plan a new route without a 15% to 20% reserve. Maybe I'm being too cautious. On the other hand Debbie would be more than a little annoyed if we had to call for recovery.
 
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House probably has a TN-C-S / PME taken from the supply cable to the house.
Street furniture is big bits of metal buried in ground - effectively TT - a local earth.
If anyone can touch the car and street furniture (e.g. steet sign, lamppost, bus shelter, metal fence) simultaneously then they have access to dissimilar earthing systems,
Well, I had to google TN-C-S / PME but I'm none the wiser.

Where I park my car at my daughter's house, there are no signs, lamp posts bus shelters, metal fences etc. anywhere near the car.
 
Discussion starter · #59 ·
Keep faith. I would say 72 miles is achievable. It takes a while to get a feel for your car and work out exactly how she responds in certain conditions. I find pre heating/cooling makes a big difference to range especially first 20%. I drove from Great Bentley in Essex yesterday to Southend. Distance of 51 miles and arrived with 51% remaining. This included following a handy lorry on A12 which makes huge difference. I did not risk a return journey without charging and was able to use street charger in Southend.

I have also recently travelled from Essex to Glasgow in my Leaf which you can read about on forum. Only one sticky moment.

Once you accept that the worst that can happen is you run out and have to ring for help then nerves calm down and you can adopt a 'so what' attitude. Maybe a delay in arrival but you'll get there. I had the satisfaction of a road trip covering 1100 miles. Took me a bit longer than in my previous ICE but I actually arrived far more relaxed.

My daily commute is only a 20 mile round trip but I also travel to Chelmsford on a regular basis which is 64 miles return. Very rare I arrive back home with less than 30% and often nearer 40%.

Overtime you'll get the feel for these longer runs and can anticipate in advance any unusual usage.

During my Scorland trip I experienced low temperatures but careful driving meant range did not appear to be impacted.

The problems you've experienced are to be executed after only 4 weeks of ownership but hang in there and you'll grow in confidence.

As I have discovered pre planning re potential charging is essential.


Welcome to the world of Leaf.
Thanks Phil, and I agree with you. However my nerves on that journey came more from knowing that I would have possibly needed to walk a mile or two down a cold, wet and foggy lane to get any kind of mobile signal to call for the help I needed. Had I had a decent mobile signal it wouldn't have felt anywhere near so bad. Embarrassed perhaps but not terrified!

On a post script to the technical note about differing electrical supplies, surely if that were a risk something official would have been said about it? I can park on my parents' drive plugged into their supply via EVSE and be able to touch the car and a lamppost, and I'm thinking there's also a sign too but can't for the life of me think which one!
 
Discussion starter · #60 ·
I'm on plugshare and more than happy to allow an emergency charge
How does it work for you Phil? I assume you have to be there to provide the key to potential users? That's my main concern, I'd love to be able to list my charger but we are so rarely in that it would be really hit and miss as to whether or not it would actually be of any use to anyone.
 
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