Helena to Missoula?

A 116-mile trip.  Not possible for a humble 2011 Leaf with only 10 capacity bars.

Or is it?

I'm going to try it, but I'm going to cheat a little.  I'm not going to charge on the way because there are no EV stations...just an RV place that wants to charge about fifteen times the fair market value for its electricity.  (A three-hour charge costs about $1 in electricity but the RV place wants $15).  No, my only cheat will be to pull the Leaf to the top of MacDonald pass.  After that it will be a slow, 38mph drive to the authorized Leaf dealer in Missoula.

I am going to have the TCU upgrade in order to restore the NissanConnect EV (formerly CarWings). I'm also going to ask for software update to make my brakes smoother, although I'm not sure if it exists for the 2011.  And maybe a brake fluid exchange.

Why am I driving to Missoula when there's a perfectly good Nissan dealership in my town?  My dealership is not authorized to service the Leaf.  So even though Nissan did not engineer the Leaf to travel to Missoula, they require me to take it to that dealer for service.  Thanks for nothing, Nissan.  And I really do mean nothing, as Nissan is offering zero support, zero compensation for the extra hassle.

Is it illegal to drive 38mph on I-90?  No, there is no speed minimum.  However, it's not terribly safe.  The kids are not invited on this trip.

Missoula or bust!

Back and Forth Over MacDonald Pass on a Single Charge

Today I crossed back and forth over Macdonald Pass on a single 100% charge. Climbing mountain passes is not the forte of the limited-capacity Leaf battery, so I took it at 35mph on the uphill legs.  Local drivers are accustomed to semi tractor trailers creeping over the pass at 15mph, so my 35mph with hazard lights was perhaps less dangerous in this context.  At least that's my justification.

On the downhill legs I did around 60mph and got plenty of regen.  In other areas I just followed the speed limit.

The round trip is 52 miles, and I returned home with three bars and a range guesstimate of 16 miles remaining. The Leaf very much likes that 35mph speed, but if I had traveled at the posted speed limit I bet I still would have arrived home (with a VLBW).  

My Leaf is a 2011 and has lost two capacity bars.  A 52-mile trip back and forth over a mountain pass is at or just beyond its range.

Oh no a mountain pass!

Tires!

Bridgestone Ecopias on my Leaf

The winter studded snow tires came off in late March and wow what a difference.  I replaced the old Mastercraft all-seasons with some Bridgestone Ecopia ep422 pluses.  I've added maybe 5-10 miles of range just by getting low rolling resistance tires.

I bought them from Costco and asked them to inflate to 41psi.  They reluctantly did so, explaining that I was violating the recommended psi.

I was reading a post from last summer when I went to Canyon Ferry Lake (a 42 mile round trip) on a full charge.  I returned home with the LBW (low battery warning) and something like 2-4 miles on the guess-o-meter.  Same trip three weeks ago with a lower temperature, but only 80% charge to begin the trip.  I came back with two solid bars (just lost the third) and 9-10 miles on the guess-o-meter.  

The moral of the story: tires and inflation pressure make a big difference.

The NEV Dream Realized

I had a realization a few months ago-- the Leaf is the fulfillment of the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle.

 I know, I know-- the neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) is a 25-mph golf cart with limited practicality, whereas the Leaf is a real car that can drive 80-mph on the interstate.   But what's in a name?

A true NEV is misnamed-- it does not get you around your neighborhood.  It's nothing more than a nice golf cart.

"Neighborhood" is a word that implies those places close to home.  Nearby places like the grocery store or the soccer field or my kids' school.  For most people a true NEV will not work in those places.  I'm thinking of my friend in Phoenix, and how the local grocery store requires a mile or two down a 50-mph surface street; illegal and unsafe in an NEV.   Or picking up my kids in sub-zero temperatures; totally impractical and/or unsafe.  But the Leaf does all of those things.

The Leaf can get me to work and back, to pick up my kids after school, to the grocery store, and to the movies.  It is perfectly sized for Helena, Montana (Population 30,000 plus surroundings).

In other words, it gets me around my neighborhood.  No, I can't leave my neighborhood and drive to other nearby cities like Great Falls or Missoula, but that's not the purpose of a 1st generation Leaf.  Its purpose is to get me around my neighborhood.

Capacity Embarrassment

A confession-- I did not know how to read my capacity meter until just a few weeks ago.  I normally don't admit to my own stupidity in a public fashion, but it's already out there.

I only have ten capacity bars.  I had been only looking at the state of charge bars, counted twelve, and patted myself on the back.  Education is a good thing.

Winter Range at 80% Charge

I normally charge my 2011 Leaf to only 80%.  Why?  Because always charging to 100% reduces the useful battery life by quite a bit.  Nissan estimates that losing as much as 25% of your battery capacity is normal within the first five years.  That's a pretty big loss!  I still have twelve bars (full capacity) showing on my dashboard and would like to keep them as long as possible.

Between my 80% charging habit and cold, hilly driving conditions, my winter range is pretty low. How low, you ask?  Consider yesterday's drive.

According to Google Maps I put exactly 26.5 miles on my Leaf yesterday.  A few blocks from home I only had one bar of charge and a low battery warning.  Please understand that I had another 8 miles or so that I could have driven-- it's not like my range is only 26.5 miles total.

What this means for Helena, Montana, in the winter, charging to 80%, is that I can expect about 35-40 miles of range.  A problem Leaf drivers face is that range anxiety tends to kick in during those last few miles.

The more I am able to think about range in mathematical terms the less anxious I feel about range.  One key emotional realization I have made is this: I can be anywhere in town with a low battery warning and I'll always get home.  As a more extreme example of this, I was South of town in Montana City with a low battery warning and made it home just fine.  My emotional perspective is that the low battery warning is simply my reminder to return to the barn.

Interestingly, Chevy Volt owners drive darned near as many miles in electric-only mode as Leaf owners, despite the Volt's smaller battery.  The obvious reason for this is because the Volt driver has no anxiety about running out of charge and will effortlessly run the battery down without concern.  On the other hand, the Leaf owner is more prone to gnashing of teeth and spontaneous devotion to God when he sees how low his charge has become.

The moral of the story is that winter range is reduced, but range anxiety is more of an emotional problem than a physical one.

Leaving Great Divide Ski Area

Great Divide Ski Area

Skiing at the Great Divide is a great way to get out of the house during the long winter months.  Getting there and back for virtually free in a Nissan Leaf is even better.  I'm happy to report that I drove to Great Divide and back on a single charge.

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:

1. Maximum speed is 50mph
2. Heated seats are ok but no cabin heat

Now if only my lift tickets were as cheap as my transportation...

A full charge to start

Range at start while going downhill

First time out this season!

In the parking lot