Nissan Agrees - EV Mileage Will Vary; Leaf Tests Show 91-Mile Variation
By John O'Dell June 15, 2010
Nissan's upcoming Leaf electric car is rated at 100 miles per charge on the EPA's LA4 (urban) test cycle.
But it can also get 138 miles on a charge.
Or 47.
Or just about anything in between.
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn introducing the Leaf in Japan late last year.
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It can't be said too often - an EV's range all depends on how you drive and under what conditions.
As Nissan begins showing the production ready car and powertrain to government officials, media types, corporate VIPs and even a few potential consumers over in Japan, engineers are using five scenarios - four of them based on U.S. driving cycles, on on a Japanese test - to illustrate how speed, ambient temperature, traffic conditions and use of air conditioning can impact an EV's range.
We first saw these figures on Friday, but waited until we could get confirmation from Nissan before posting:
- 138 miles while cruising at 38 miles an hour with an outside temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit;
- 105 miles at a fairly steady 24 mph in city traffic with the air conditioner off and an ambient temperature of 77;
- 70 miles at a steady 55 mph on the highway on a hot 95-degree day with the air conditioning on;
- 62 miles in the winter - 14 degrees outdoors - with heater on and stop-and-go traffic reduced to an average 15 mph crawl.
Those were all based on U.S. driving condition tests, said Nissan spokeswoman Katherine Zachary.
A fifth example, based on "extreme driving conditions in a market outside of the U.S.," she said, saw range plummet to just 47 miles an hour. That's 91 miles less than the best range example.
The conditions? Heavy stop-and-go traffic, average speed of 6 miles an hour, on an 86-degree day with the AC blasting.
Not to be too discouraging, but while that test might have been done outside the country, the scenario sounds like like most any summer day in LA, or in Phoenix - two of the first places the Leaf will go on sale.
The scenarios - and associated ranges per charge - aren't surprising.
It's a simple fact of EV life that heat, accessory use, speed, vehicle weight (the more passengers and/or cargo, the more energy it takes to move) and a host of other factors affect the amount and intensity of power an EV battery will deliver.
So if you've got a Leaf on your shopping list, don't despair. It's likely you'll be able to adapt your driving style to meet your range needs.
Stay out of rush hour traffic, don't use the AC unless its really hot and cruise at a nice sturdy pace, and you might see that 100 mile average range the Leaf sales material talks about.
Otherwise, keep a close eye on the battery charge indicator and range-remaining readout.
And pressure all those other companies coming out with EVs and PHEVs in the next few years to follow Nissan's example and give us an honest set of numbers for their vehicles.
We're gonna be the customers. We deserve to know what to expect - good and bad.
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47 miles at 6 mph is nearly 8 hours of driving, which I think is a decent accomplishment. 8 hours of daily commuting in traffic is not a challenge that anyone should expect an EV to tackle. My concern (as a Minnesotan) is real world cold weather performance. 62 miles at +14 degrees is not bad, but what about 14 below when the car has been outside all day? What if the car is remotely preheated on internal power at -14, what happens to the range then? I could guess that this might reduce the range to the teens, making it a requirement to have the car charging during the day and/or for remote cabin preheating.
As a person who has been harping on Nissan to be real about their 100 mile range estimates, I am very glad Nissan factually addressed the range issue. Huge credit to them for giving several scenarios in range estimates. Good job Nissan!
As A Mini E driver in So Cal we don't notice that dramatic degree of range difference. For me its 80 miles on the low end (75-85 mph all freeway)and 115 on the high end (city country)
My educated guess for the Leaf is 60 miles on the low end (75-85 mph all freeway)and 90 miles on the high end (city country)for real world driving in so-cal.
Anoter interesting tid bit for me as a driver is that in my prior gas cars I would always have the air on the second setting as default and then crank it up from there if needed.
With the Mini-E I rarely have the air on and leaf a window cracked an inch instead. When I do use the aair, I cool down the cabin and then just use the fan. I'd say I use the air 5% compared to the gas car.
Cheers
Peder
It is nice to hear the truth for once.
That being said, the mileage is potentially terrible.
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