NIssan Leaf max speed for long range

NIssan Leaf max speed for long range

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Amateurish

Original Poster:

7,928 posts

230 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
I'm doing a long distance trip in my 62kwh Leaf in a couple of days. What's the max speed I can travel at to get to my destination in the fastest possible time? Charge speed is up to 50kw apparently. For the purpose of this question, let's ignore charger availability.

ATG

21,398 posts

280 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Unless your journey requires many, many recharges, or you always want to arrive with as much charge as you had when you started, then the optimal speed is going to be heavily influenced by how much charge the car has when you start the journey, and the journey's total length.

Toaster Pilot

14,665 posts

166 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Pretty sure the 62 goes up to 100kW on the right charger.

How long a journey are we talking?

TheDrownedApe

1,216 posts

64 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Interesting, speed v drag v time.

I guess someone will be along with the math but then there are so many variables.

For my long journeys i stick to about 64mph, wait for a bigger vehicle to overtake travelling about 68-70mph then sit in it's slipstream until them or I turn off laugh

Oh seen your update OP. You need to think about time to come off road, get to charger, plug in etc.

Amateurish

Original Poster:

7,928 posts

230 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Toaster Pilot said:
Pretty sure the 62 goes up to 100kW on the right charger.

How long a journey are we talking?
You're right. Real world, max true speed seems nearer 60kw.

About 800 miles each way.

Amateurish

Original Poster:

7,928 posts

230 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
I've tried to solve this using a spreadsheet. Fastest speed looks to be approx 75-80 mph.


JQ

6,061 posts

187 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Interesting calculation - where did you get the range figures for each speed, could do with something like that for my car?

Amateurish

Original Poster:

7,928 posts

230 months

gangzoom

6,806 posts

223 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Amateurish said:
I've tried to solve this using a spreadsheet. Fastest speed looks to be approx 75-80 mph.
800 mile trip in a LEAF, driving at 80 mph I predict your be stranded by the side of the road after the first 150 miles if not before. The LEAF has horrible efficency at speed over 60mph, it also only has CHAdeMO DC rapid charging. 800 miles will going to require ALOT of DC charging for a Leaf, not just how badly the larger battery car is effected, but it seems like Rapidgate is something that effects the 62kWh battery car.....Though the reality is you probably wouldn't get to the 2nd charge stop given CHAdeMO accessibility/reliabilitysmile.

https://nextmove.de/1000-kilometer-test-drive-niss...

blank

3,580 posts

196 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Toaster Pilot said:
Pretty sure the 62 goes up to 100kW on the right charger.

How long a journey are we talking?
A lot of Chademo chargers will be limited to 50kW unfortunately. The original standard had a 125A current limit, so older stuff will be throttled to ~50kW.

Even for newer sites many manufacturers never bothered upping the current for a "dead" standard. Kempower for instance don't go above 125A on Chademo.

samoht

6,309 posts

154 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
gangzoom said:
800 mile trip in a LEAF, driving at 80 mph I predict your be stranded by the side of the road after the first 150 miles if not before. The LEAF has horrible efficency at speed over 60mph, it also only has CHAdeMO DC rapid charging. 800 miles will going to require ALOT of DC charging for a Leaf, not just how badly the larger battery car is effected, but it seems like Rapidgate is something that effects the 62kWh battery car.....Though the reality is you probably wouldn't get to the 2nd charge stop given CHAdeMO accessibility/reliabilitysmile.

https://nextmove.de/1000-kilometer-test-drive-niss...
I wouldn't say 'stranded', but it's important to be aware that the LEAF can't really do more than one rapid charge in a day:

subsequent charges are very slow (20kw in this case) to prevent the battery overheating.

Also https://cleantechnica.com/2021/04/23/nissan-leaf-s...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guEyn0va_cE (Bjorn 1000km)

Given this limitation, I would be sticking the cruise on at a true 56mph, which I'd hope would keep the battery cool enough to charge at full speed, while not being an unreasonable speed to be driving on the motorway.

Amateurish

Original Poster:

7,928 posts

230 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
That's bad news. So how can I keep the battery temperature low enough that it isn't throttled when rapid charging? I can't do the journey if I'm limited to 20kw charging!

gangzoom

6,806 posts

223 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
samoht said:
I wouldn't say 'stranded', but it's important to be aware that the LEAF can't really do more than one rapid charge in a day:
OP will be if they are going to try and do 150 miles at 80mph in a LEAF smile.

gangzoom

6,806 posts

223 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Amateurish said:
That's bad news. So how can I keep the battery temperature low enough that it isn't throttled when rapid charging? I can't do the journey if I'm limited to 20kw charging!
I don’t think you can, tailgating a lorry at 55mph might be the only realistically way to get decent range without causing battery temps to go up.

samoht

6,309 posts

154 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Amateurish said:
That's bad news. So how can I keep the battery temperature low enough that it isn't throttled when rapid charging? I can't do the journey if I'm limited to 20kw charging!
I'm thinking do it over two days, each day do 400 miles at 56mph with a single rapid charging stop halfway at lunchtime. That way you never need more than one rapid charge in a day, and at that pace it should do 200 miles in current temperatures.

Bjorn in the video I posted above needed 15.5 hours for 1000km which is 625 miles, so if you tried to do it non-stop it would look like 20 hours on the road for 800 miles.


RSTurboPaul

11,281 posts

266 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
You could just hire a car that is fit for purpose.

snuffy

10,526 posts

292 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Amateurish said:
You're right. Real world, max true speed seems nearer 60kw.

About 800 miles each way.
It's 838 miles from Land's End to John o'Groats. That's a hell of a long journey you are doing then, unless you are not in the UK of course.

essayer

9,662 posts

202 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
e+ will do multiple rapid charges without issue. Did 3 rapids on the way to Cornwall, no slowdown.

You’ll get 73kW on certain chargers (ones that do 200A on Chademo) but not all

63-65mph the best speed, make sure Heat and A/C aren’t both active or it will be using the resistive heater which will screw your range.

jeremyc

24,606 posts

292 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
Amateurish said:
That's bad news. So how can I keep the battery temperature low enough that it isn't throttled when rapid charging? I can't do the journey if I'm limited to 20kw charging!

Amateurish

Original Poster:

7,928 posts

230 months

Monday 8th July
quotequote all
snuffy said:
Amateurish said:
You're right. Real world, max true speed seems nearer 60kw.

About 800 miles each way.
It's 838 miles from Land's End to John o'Groats. That's a hell of a long journey you are doing then, unless you are not in the UK of course.
Correct, going abroad