Another Helena Leaf owner once told me that he would love to go up to the ski hill but was afraid he would run out of charge. If we consider that the trip is about fifty miles round-trip, and if we believe the published 70-mile range, then what's the problem?
The problems are cold temperatures and steep climbs. Ski hills tend to be located on, well, hills, so there's going to be uphill driving. And of course the cold temps of winter steal range from electric cars like the Leaf. These two factors combine to bring the real-world range of a Nissan Leaf down to about fifty miles. Yes, I made it, but I wasn't as comfortable as someone in a gas-burning car.
One source of discomfort was my speed-- I drove really slow on the way up. I cruised the whole way at a whopping 38 mph. I was passed a lot.
Worse than driving slow was not using the heater. Brrr. Using the heater drains the battery and I didn't want to find out I was a mile or two short. To make the cold even worse, I had to crack a window in order to keep the windshield from fogging up.
What I learned was that my fully-charged 2011 Nissan Leaf can make the round-trip to the Great Divide. On the return trip I increased my speed to 50 mph and turned on my seat heater...ahhh.
I arrived back home with one bar of charge and a range estimate of six miles remaining. The low battery warning turned on as I was pulling into my driveway.
Based on my experience I have the following tentative guidelines for getting there and back on a single charge:
- Maximum speed is 50mph
- Heated seats are ok but no cabin heat
Now if only my lift tickets were as cheap as my transportation...
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| A full charge to start |
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| Range at start while going downhill |
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| First time out this season! |
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| In the parking lot |
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