NIssan Leaf max speed for long range

[duff]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

I don't have an EV. However, I've always had the impression (perhaps wrongly) that the Leaf was a decent comfortable and cheap EV, let down massively by it's poor range.

OP, I admire your effort!

I have a 40kw Leaf and it is a decent, comfortable and cheap EV. The first generation Leaf was pretty poor in terms of range and battery degradation, newer ones are better but still poor in some respects compared to modern EVs. Mine has lost no range - 130-170 miles, which is fine for most people, most of the time (ideal as a second car) Chademo is obviously dead but there are still plenty of chargers around and more likely to be unoccupied. Not an issue for me, I’ve used them 3 times in 35k miles. You can get a pre-reg Tekna for about £16k which is a very cheap way into a new EV.

They are not cars for cross continent cruising, as this thread shows, but are great for running around in. Fortunately there are plenty of other EVs that would be fine for these longer journeys.

[Amateurish]

Ok did my first stint 150 miles at 62mph. Unfortunately the battery hasn't cooled down very much overnight. It was at 40C on the drive. Let's see if the charging gets throttled on this first rapid.

[Amateurish]

Yes sadly charge rate is now 20kw at 60% charge. First rapid of the day.

[samoht]

Thanks for the updates

Ouch, I was afraid that having put it to bed at 50 C and with presumably warm ambient temps it might not cool down fully overnight, but that's pretty warm still.

At 20kW charge rate you're pretty much spending as much time charging as driving (20kw x 3 m/kWh = 60 mph)

Only suggestion would be to reduce cruising speed a notch down to ~55mph, that way you reduce the amount of charging required and slightly reduce the battery temp due to lower power draw while driving. Efficiency will be your friend here, as far as possible.

And if it's possible to park/charge the car in the shade rather than on sun-baked tarmac, that might possibly help too.

Good luck, and I suggest taking a long French lunch!

[Amateurish]

Cheers, now on my second rapid. So I'm now on the position where a one hour rapid will give me a third of a charge. Like you say, one hour driving needs one hour charging. Battery temp is stuck at 50. One more charge required - it's going to be a long day!

Lucky it is a lovely day here.

[Amateurish]

[blueacid]

Yeah, it's a pity that the Leaf is one of the few cars which doesn't have active battery cooling. So for local stuff, or one rapid charge in a day, it's fine - but as you've found out it's limited here.

Sadly almost every other EV you see will have liquid cooling and a radiator for the battery, so that the same problem is far less likely to happen (driving like a tool and rapid charging in death valley excepted!)

[gangzoom]

Amateurish said:

Why are you subjecting your self to this!!!

At 3 miles per kWh (efficiency of the LEAF at M way speeds), that give you roughly a charging rate of 68mph.......that means roughly you will have spent 10hr charging for the 800 mile trip.

Why?!!!?

Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 11th July 19:16

[Phunk]

Amateurish said:

Don’t charge it up that high as it’ll get even hotter. Best thing for heat management is to charge between 20 and 70 %

[Amateurish]

Phunk said:

Don’t charge it up that high as it’ll get even hotter. Best thing for heat management is to charge between 20 and 70 %

It didn't make any difference. The car hit 50C during the first charge to 70% then just remained constant all day long, driving or charging. Outside temp was 30C and I was driving at about 60. The car never cooled.

[Amateurish]

gangzoom said:

Why are you subjecting your self to this!!!

At 3 miles per kWh (efficiency of the LEAF at M way speeds), that give you roughly a charging rate of 68mph.......that means roughly you will have spent 10hr charging for the 800 mile trip.

Why?!!!?

Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 11th July 19:16

Well I won't be doing it again, that's for sure! Apart from the drive home that is...

I'm nearly at my destination, have stopped again for an overnight charge.

[M4cruiser]

Amateurish said:

It didn't make any difference. The car hit 50C during the first charge to 70% then just remained constant all day long, driving or charging. Outside temp was 30C and I was driving at about 60. The car never cooled.

Seems to me that it would be better to use the Type-2 socket (7kW) for 2nd and subsequent charge in each 24-hour period. Slower charge maybe, but overall time for charging/heating/cooling may not be a lot different, and the bonus is it would cost half as much! ... Paying for an extra snack while you wait a little longer.

[samoht]

I trust the OP has reached their destination and is relaxing now

M4cruiser said:

Seems to me that it would be better to use the Type-2 socket (7kW) for 2nd and subsequent charge in each 24-hour period. Slower charge maybe, but overall time for charging/heating/cooling may not be a lot different, and the bonus is it would cost half as much! ... Paying for an extra snack while you wait a little longer.

The Leaf seems to charge at about 20 kW when the battery is hot. 7 kW is a lot slower than that.

Say the OP is driving 400 miles in a day, and the initial charge gets them just short of halfway, leaving 210 miles to cover. At 3 miles / kWh, that means the car needs 70 kWh of charge adding.
At 20 kW that's 3.5 hours of charging. At 7 kW it's 10 hours charging.

[M4cruiser]

samoht said:

The Leaf seems to charge at about 20 kW when the battery is hot. 7 kW is a lot slower than that.

Say the OP is driving 400 miles in a day, and the initial charge gets them just short of halfway, leaving 210 miles to cover. At 3 miles / kWh, that means the car needs 70 kWh of charge adding.
At 20 kW that's 3.5 hours of charging. At 7 kW it's 10 hours charging.

Yes, I follow that, but I'm guessing (maybe wrongly) that charging at 7kW wouldn't cause such a continuing heat build like charging at 20kW does, so there could be a later benefit.

[James6112]

56

[Amateurish]

M4cruiser said:

Seems to me that it would be better to use the Type-2 socket (7kW) for 2nd and subsequent charge in each 24-hour period. Slower charge maybe, but overall time for charging/heating/cooling may not be a lot different, and the bonus is it would cost half as much! ... Paying for an extra snack while you wait a little longer.

I ended up doing 4 rapids and 2 7kw charges (3 if you count the evening before the trip).

[xeny]

Wondering if it would be worth putting the car up on ramps overnight to get more airflow under it.

[Snow and Rocks]

Coaches are worth seeking out if 62 mph aligns nicely with your cruising speed.

I do a fair bit of miles with a diesel Hilux and big trailer and even following a coach with a large safety gap makes a significant fuel economy difference.

Thankfully the Hilux will do 450 - 500 miles between fuel stops regardless so I do it mainly to relieve the boredom but it might make a significant difference in your case!

[Dave200]

Amateurish said:

Ok half way there 400 miles. Now on AC charge overnight. Seriously unimpressed by the Leaf.

It honestly just sounds like you've got the wrong car for the journey. I'd have probably flown or rented a car, rather than try and do it in a Leaf.

As an example, if I could switch drivers (because it's a long time to be behind the wheel), I reckon my Tesla could do 800 miles to the South of France (including charging) in about 16-17hrs.

[M4cruiser]

Dave200 said:

Amateurish said:

Ok half way there 400 miles. Now on AC charge overnight. Seriously unimpressed by the Leaf.

It honestly just sounds like you've got the wrong car for the journey. I'd have probably flown or rented a car, rather than try and do it in a Leaf.

Despite reading all of that, I still like the Leaf - it's a happy, friendly car, greater than the sum of its parts. Some cars transcend measurement by tick-box lists.
I don't get the same feeling with a VW. or a Kia.
OP, you've had an adventure. Nothing wrong with that.