Oops thats not right – it should be labeled Slow Drive. Let me explain.
A few weeks ago, when the official EPA ratings were released for the all-electric 2011 Nissan Leaf, I discovered Europeans give it a range of 109 miles compared to an EPA figure of 73 miles. As I was due to borrow a Leaf as part of my WCOTY jury duty I wondered how I was going to drive a Leaf from where they are kept in Los Angeles to my home in Santa Barbara. By sheer coincidence it turned out the distance is 109 miles according to Google Maps. So, I decided to set myself a challenge to see if I could drive a Leaf 109 miles on a single charge.
I know the Leaf is not the right car for long distance driving at speed on freeways. Its best suited to stop and go city traffic. So I agreed to the sensible suggestion of driving it on the freeway for the first 21 miles to a Nissan dealership in Santa Monica where I could top up the battery before embarking on the remaining 90 miles via two lane highways and city streets.
This would save me an hour of slow driving and be somewhat shorter. I drove at 60 to 65 mph on the freeway and the estimated range dropped from 123 miles on full charge to 84 miles by the time I got to the dealership. I estimated that a 50-minute charge at 240 volts, courtesy of Santa Monica Nissan, would give me enough juice to make the remainder of the trip as long as I drove cautiously.
To make a long story short I made it – but only just.
The predicted range displayed the whole way home, driving at 25 to 55 mph and avoiding freeways for all but a few miles, was incredibly accurate. From 60 miles away it predicated I would run out of juice just as Id get home. Amazing.
A mile or so from my house, after all the lights came on warning me the battery level was low, a small icon with a tortoise lit up and told me that Motor power is limited but since I was only going at the speed limit of 25 mph I did not notice any drop in power. Significantly, avoiding freeways had only added two miles to my trip.
As soon as I parked the car I plugged in the 120-volt cable supplied with the car and left it to charge for 24 hours – thats how long it took to fully recharge. Again, as predicted by the Leafs display.
Ill report on more of my adventures in the Leaf in another
post after I have driven it, as intended, around town at a quicker pace and (I promise) for no more than 60 miles in a day.
I must admit I am impressed with the car after a day, even if I did have to drive slowly. Whichever way you look at it, the Leaf is a game changer.