Leaf 7 Day Test Drive - Questions.
Discussion
The perfect driving habits for a Leaf owner are lots of short trips, totaling no more than 50-60 miles per day. Those are of course the trips where an ICE will see most wear and tear, plus poorer fuel consumption.
In an ideal world you'll live near a service station or three which have Ecotricity charge points, so that you can nip in for a 15 minute top up and chat with the inevitable interested person.
You'll also have had a free charging point installed at home, and for the occasional times when the other half uses the car, they'll be driving a 60 mile round trip to a workplace that also has a charge point.
The above describes exactly our situation and why we bought a Leaf.
In an ideal world you'll live near a service station or three which have Ecotricity charge points, so that you can nip in for a 15 minute top up and chat with the inevitable interested person.
You'll also have had a free charging point installed at home, and for the occasional times when the other half uses the car, they'll be driving a 60 mile round trip to a workplace that also has a charge point.
The above describes exactly our situation and why we bought a Leaf.
TimJMS said:
For you, the entire issue is about having destination charging at both ends. If you have to interrupt your journeys for charging then that IMO should be a deal breaker. You probably won't mind for the first week, but two, three or four years? No way.
I agree. The novelty will keep me upbeat for that 5 days (probably only 4 as I leave early to pick up my youngest from school on a Thursday and there's no way I can be late) but if I have to do that for 3-4 years it will become tiresome.Also the guy I spoke to re. the charge point would not be happy with it being used by one person as thet personal charge point for any length of time.
I will use it for that wee, hopefully enjoy it and then in 3-5 years it may be possible to achieve 120 miles a day in a reasonable priced EV on one charge in any weather :-)
I'm in Renault sales and it's my day off today, I have got the ZOE for the first time.
People at work were questioning me taking it for my day off; what if there is an issue and you have to drive far? etc. I don't live my life guided by "what ifs"!
I left work with a 97% charge and live 12.5 miles away however when I left last night the car was showing I had a 62 mile range, after arriving home in the dark and cold so heater and lights on, it was showing 65 so I guess I have a smoother and more efficient driving style than the previous user.
I have a few errands to run today; dump run, pop to Homebase, pop to see my daughter etc, doesn't sound like much, however it is amazing how the miles rack up, it'll be interesting to see how the car performs and the range when I get back to work tomorrow morning; I have no way of topping up the battery either.
People at work were questioning me taking it for my day off; what if there is an issue and you have to drive far? etc. I don't live my life guided by "what ifs"!
I left work with a 97% charge and live 12.5 miles away however when I left last night the car was showing I had a 62 mile range, after arriving home in the dark and cold so heater and lights on, it was showing 65 so I guess I have a smoother and more efficient driving style than the previous user.
I have a few errands to run today; dump run, pop to Homebase, pop to see my daughter etc, doesn't sound like much, however it is amazing how the miles rack up, it'll be interesting to see how the car performs and the range when I get back to work tomorrow morning; I have no way of topping up the battery either.
HTP99 said:
I'm in Renault sales and it's my day off today, I have got the ZOE for the first time.
People at work were questioning me taking it for my day off; what if there is an issue and you have to drive far? etc. I don't live my life guided by "what ifs"!
I left work with a 97% charge and live 12.5 miles away however when I left last night the car was showing I had a 62 mile range, after arriving home in the dark and cold so heater and lights on, it was showing 65 so I guess I have a smoother and more efficient driving style than the previous user.
I have a few errands to run today; dump run, pop to Homebase, pop to see my daughter etc, doesn't sound like much, however it is amazing how the miles rack up, it'll be interesting to see how the car performs and the range when I get back to work tomorrow morning; I have no way of topping up the battery either.
Keep us updated.People at work were questioning me taking it for my day off; what if there is an issue and you have to drive far? etc. I don't live my life guided by "what ifs"!
I left work with a 97% charge and live 12.5 miles away however when I left last night the car was showing I had a 62 mile range, after arriving home in the dark and cold so heater and lights on, it was showing 65 so I guess I have a smoother and more efficient driving style than the previous user.
I have a few errands to run today; dump run, pop to Homebase, pop to see my daughter etc, doesn't sound like much, however it is amazing how the miles rack up, it'll be interesting to see how the car performs and the range when I get back to work tomorrow morning; I have no way of topping up the battery either.
Intersting about the range actually going up after you had driven it.
Sounds like its very sensitive to driving style.
On my commute home I use the A1 between Worksop and Newark. Last night I was running on fumes so instead of 75-80 I kept to the speed of the HGVs, basically slipstreamed one nearly the whole way (but not too close). Reset my computer and it was showing 89mpg!
Thats in a S40 1.6d which normally averages 54mpg.
Thats probably the way I will have to drive the Leaf. Good job its only for a week :-)
TimJMS said:
If the worst comes to the worst and your daytime charge is unavailable for any reason, you could detour a few miles north up the A1 to Blyth and drop onto the Ecotricity CHAdeMO Rapid at the Moto services. You would need the free Ecotricity card first though.
Thanks but there is Woodhall and Tibshelf services on the M1 which bothh have rapid charging points. I htink these are closer.Also there is the main Nissan Dealer in Sheffield I can use if my daytime charging point isn't available. Its less than 2 miles from my work.
Well, I had the ZOE for a day and did 45 miles in total whilst I had it, when I took it, it was showing 97% charge and a 62 mile range, when I returned it this morning it still had a 40 mile range showing, so effectively a net total range of 85 miles; an increase of 23 miles from when I took it, bear in mind that for 12 miles in the evening I had the lights, heater and rear screen on.
I reckon I could have got that up to the mid 90's if I'd had it a bit longer.
I reckon I could have got that up to the mid 90's if I'd had it a bit longer.
I have quite a bit of experience of the LEAF, and I would never depend on one for a 60-mile commute. Sorry, but you're sailing far too close to the wind there. Even without the issue of charging at the other end (which I also wouldn't consider relying on, to be honest), you're going to be pushing the absolute limit of the range.
You mentioned the M1 earlier, which is more than enough to tell me it's not the car for you. The LEAF's range at motorway speeds is appalling (<50 miles). It's simply not designed for it.
You mentioned the M1 earlier, which is more than enough to tell me it's not the car for you. The LEAF's range at motorway speeds is appalling (<50 miles). It's simply not designed for it.
Well picked it up Saturday from Nissan dealer in Grantham.
Very thorough introduction by Norman, thanks.
First impressions on drive home was very positive.
Good seats, nice ride, positive controls, good visibility and even in Eco mode it was quick enough.
Didn't use in again until Sunday evening when took kids for a drive. They loved it. Said it was nicer in the back with more room than my S40 (3 of them).
Loved the reversing camera and all the bright lights :-)
Big test today. Commute 60 miles to Sheffield.
Charged overnight and said 91 miles range at start.
Operating the heater immediately reduced this to 82.
So I put it on to warm up car and then switched it off.
Only problem was the car misted up quite quickly so it was a case of turning it on for a few minutes then off for maybe 10-15 minutes.
Journey was fine. No problems and only took about 5 mins longer than in S40.
Kept to 65 on A1, 60 on A roads.
Got to Sheffield with 20 mile range left. Temp was 3-5 degrees. Radio and lights on all the time, wipers on 20% of the time.
Turned up at Sheffield Utd ground main car park to charge. Nice guy on gate waved me through, plugged in and out of car park 3 minutes later.
Fall back if that point fails/busy is Nissan dealer but that will involve 20 minute walk instead of 5 mins.
Overall very positive but TBH maybe its 20 miles too far to be a comfortable distance especially if its very cold/rainiing and the heater needs to be on more.
My feet did get cold :-)
My wife works in Lincoln which is 35 miles per day so ideal distance for an EV.
Leaving at 6 so just hope its still there :-)
More updates later.
Very thorough introduction by Norman, thanks.
First impressions on drive home was very positive.
Good seats, nice ride, positive controls, good visibility and even in Eco mode it was quick enough.
Didn't use in again until Sunday evening when took kids for a drive. They loved it. Said it was nicer in the back with more room than my S40 (3 of them).
Loved the reversing camera and all the bright lights :-)
Big test today. Commute 60 miles to Sheffield.
Charged overnight and said 91 miles range at start.
Operating the heater immediately reduced this to 82.
So I put it on to warm up car and then switched it off.
Only problem was the car misted up quite quickly so it was a case of turning it on for a few minutes then off for maybe 10-15 minutes.
Journey was fine. No problems and only took about 5 mins longer than in S40.
Kept to 65 on A1, 60 on A roads.
Got to Sheffield with 20 mile range left. Temp was 3-5 degrees. Radio and lights on all the time, wipers on 20% of the time.
Turned up at Sheffield Utd ground main car park to charge. Nice guy on gate waved me through, plugged in and out of car park 3 minutes later.
Fall back if that point fails/busy is Nissan dealer but that will involve 20 minute walk instead of 5 mins.
Overall very positive but TBH maybe its 20 miles too far to be a comfortable distance especially if its very cold/rainiing and the heater needs to be on more.
My feet did get cold :-)
My wife works in Lincoln which is 35 miles per day so ideal distance for an EV.
Leaving at 6 so just hope its still there :-)
More updates later.
dave_s13 said:
Did you get home!?
I ordered a ZOE today, never thought I'd be interested in a mobility scooter with a daft name but they are intriguing and I'm looking forward to getting an EV.
Yes got home with 20 miles range remaining so same as my morning journey.I ordered a ZOE today, never thought I'd be interested in a mobility scooter with a daft name but they are intriguing and I'm looking forward to getting an EV.
Commute involves 30 miles A roads (A17 & A57), 20 miles A1, 5 miles M1 and 5 miles town.
Had the Hester on for longer but only at 21degres which only affected the range by 2 miles.
Found the heater timer controls so gave set it to come on at 6am so the cabin is a nice 23 degrees when I get in it :-)
What's the range of the Zoe meant to be?
GreatGranny said:
Well picked it up Saturday from Nissan dealer in Grantham.
Very thorough introduction by Norman, thanks.
First impressions on drive home was very positive.
Good seats, nice ride, positive controls, good visibility and even in Eco mode it was quick enough.
Didn't use in again until Sunday evening when took kids for a drive. They loved it. Said it was nicer in the back with more room than my S40 (3 of them).
Loved the reversing camera and all the bright lights :-)
Big test today. Commute 60 miles to Sheffield.
Charged overnight and said 91 miles range at start.
Operating the heater immediately reduced this to 82.
So I put it on to warm up car and then switched it off.
Only problem was the car misted up quite quickly so it was a case of turning it on for a few minutes then off for maybe 10-15 minutes.
Journey was fine. No problems and only took about 5 mins longer than in S40.
Kept to 65 on A1, 60 on A roads.
Got to Sheffield with 20 mile range left. Temp was 3-5 degrees. Radio and lights on all the time, wipers on 20% of the time.
Turned up at Sheffield Utd ground main car park to charge. Nice guy on gate waved me through, plugged in and out of car park 3 minutes later.
Fall back if that point fails/busy is Nissan dealer but that will involve 20 minute walk instead of 5 mins.
Overall very positive but TBH maybe its 20 miles too far to be a comfortable distance especially if its very cold/rainiing and the heater needs to be on more.
My feet did get cold :-)
My wife works in Lincoln which is 35 miles per day so ideal distance for an EV.
Leaving at 6 so just hope its still there :-)
More updates later.
I've had mine for 4 weeks now and turned a 1,000 miles today.Very thorough introduction by Norman, thanks.
First impressions on drive home was very positive.
Good seats, nice ride, positive controls, good visibility and even in Eco mode it was quick enough.
Didn't use in again until Sunday evening when took kids for a drive. They loved it. Said it was nicer in the back with more room than my S40 (3 of them).
Loved the reversing camera and all the bright lights :-)
Big test today. Commute 60 miles to Sheffield.
Charged overnight and said 91 miles range at start.
Operating the heater immediately reduced this to 82.
So I put it on to warm up car and then switched it off.
Only problem was the car misted up quite quickly so it was a case of turning it on for a few minutes then off for maybe 10-15 minutes.
Journey was fine. No problems and only took about 5 mins longer than in S40.
Kept to 65 on A1, 60 on A roads.
Got to Sheffield with 20 mile range left. Temp was 3-5 degrees. Radio and lights on all the time, wipers on 20% of the time.
Turned up at Sheffield Utd ground main car park to charge. Nice guy on gate waved me through, plugged in and out of car park 3 minutes later.
Fall back if that point fails/busy is Nissan dealer but that will involve 20 minute walk instead of 5 mins.
Overall very positive but TBH maybe its 20 miles too far to be a comfortable distance especially if its very cold/rainiing and the heater needs to be on more.
My feet did get cold :-)
My wife works in Lincoln which is 35 miles per day so ideal distance for an EV.
Leaving at 6 so just hope its still there :-)
More updates later.
My commute is 40 miles each way but am able to charge at work every day so range is not an issue.
I do about 6 miles @ 50, then about 28 @ 60-75 motorway followed by 6 miles @ 30-40.
Fully charged range is about 90 miles depending on my previous journey speed.
Things I've learnt to do.
Put the heater on timer so it defrosts and heats up in the morning on mains electric. You need to set the temp, fan speed and direction when you park as it blows accordingly.
Once I'm in the car I turn the fan speed down to 2 bars and only heat either the screen or the floor, I like warm feet so its usually on 26c. Reducing fan speed and temp does make a difference to power consumption.
The osr window tends to stay misty longer than any other window, a quick blast on the face setting usually fixes that.
I read on another forum that ev drivers soon get used to wearing a coat, I'm in on that one.
Driving in eco mode will still give you full power (you just have to press the pedal harder) so I use it around town to reduce power waste when driving the natural PH way and flooring it off the line.
I also drive 90% of the time in B mode as it does help regenerate power.
I find at M/way speed it will shed 1.5 miles of battery for each mile driven, slightly more if you cane it. It does make a big difference if you drive at 60 rather than 70.
As an example of range difference for the same journey.
Start showing 90 miles, 40 miles journey, gave it some on the M/way (70-85 for 25 miles) arrive home with 28 miles left.
Start showing 94 miles, 40 mile journey, heavy traffic so 60 max on the M/way and arrived home with 51 on the clock. With 10 miles to go it was over 50 miles left which took me by suprise so I decided to see if I could get home with it showing 50 left, I confess to driving the last 4 miles in eco but the 51 miles remaining was with the eco turned off. (it was 54 with it on).
1000 miles without buying petrol is the best bit..
Or use the Carwings App and turn the heater on remotely from your phone.
From reading various EV sites, the mileage remaining isn't the most accurate as its based on your historical driving pattern and i think is colloquially referred to as a Guess-o-meter. You can get a battery % on the screen which is an accurate reflection of what's left in the batteries.
From reading various EV sites, the mileage remaining isn't the most accurate as its based on your historical driving pattern and i think is colloquially referred to as a Guess-o-meter. You can get a battery % on the screen which is an accurate reflection of what's left in the batteries.
ncbbmw said:
Very useful stuff
So better to drive in B mode and ECO then?Thanks for the timed heater tip, must admit to finding the option by accident and setting it in a rush.
This mornings commute much the same. No issues. 90 mile range at start, 18 miles remaining at finish after 60 mile commute.
Drive at 63/64 ish on A1 and 56ish on A roads.
I have a special thick Leaf fleece which I just wear for the journey :-)
Match on tonight at Sheffield Utd where I charge it so attendent wanted me to move it at lunch! Said sorry not possible. He was ok about it and just said he will make sure I can get out.
JPJPJP said:
Am I reading it correctly that you are occupying a charge space at Sheff Utd ground all day every weekday? Does it take all that time to charge up? Or are you blocking the space for longer than you need to?
TBH I'm probably using it more than I need to but since it was installed the attendent said I am the only person to use it.On zapmap it states its not available on match days which is puzzling.
I'm not sure how long it takes to fully charge.
Guy I spoke to from npower (who installed the charging point) said 4-6 hours so today I will go back at about 1pm and if its fully charged I will disconnect.
The charge point is in the middle of 3 spaces so its possible to park in either and still charge it.
Car park never gets any where near full.
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