Drove a Leaf today

[SwamiSalami]

All very optimistic and cool points. I'm giving you some thanks powa!

[NeilBlanchard]

My brother Nathan and his wife took delivery on their Leaf on Friday.

[MetroMPG]

Where do they live? One thing I'm curious about is owner experiences in cold winter climates.

One Ottawa, Ontario owner is blogging (occasionally) about his family's Leaf.

So far, range estimates seem to be running -1% for every degree C lower than 20 C (68 F), not counting heating/defrosting requirements. So in -2C (28 F) temps he was working with a decrease of range around -22% for ambient temperature change, minus another ~15% for heater/defrosting use.

So The initial 137 Km (85 mi) range minus 37% quickly became an 86 Km (53 mi) range.

He hasn't posted since it got really cold (-20C / -2F lately ), though he points out that at that temperature, the car's battery warmer kicks in when charging.

Canadian Leaf | Blogging the life of a Nissan Leaf in Canada

[drees]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

He hasn't posted since it got really cold (-20C / -2F lately ), though he points out that at that temperature, the car's battery warmer kicks in when charging.

The battery heater will turn on any time the battery gets to -20C. It will take a while at cold temps for the battery to get that cold because of the thermal mass in the battery as long as you are regularly using it - charging and discharging the battery will generate some heat - more when the battery is cold since it's internal resistance goes up at low temps (part of the reason available capacity goes down at low temps). There's no way to tell if the battery heater is running or not.

[MetroMPG]

Ah - I didn't realize that. I assumed the battery warmer was on only when plugged in.

In the couple of winters I have driven my EV, I un/fortunately never used it regularly enough to keep the pack snuggly warm.

In that case, another cold weather strategy is to time the recharge so it finishes just before you're ready to use the vehicle (assuming it's OK for your particular chemistry to let it sit partially discharged ... not lead-acid friendly, but OK for Li / NiMH, as I understand it).

[MetroMPG]

PS: drees it's nice to have you posting here to correct misconceptions about the car (including mine).

There were a couple of negative/misinformed online reviews I've seen where I wished a Leaf owner would have chimed in to correct some of the really basic mistakes by the writer/commenters.

Lots of education remaining to do - it's definitely an uphill slog for EV makers.

[drees]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Ah - I didn't realize that. I assumed the battery warmer was on only when plugged in.

Yeah - easy to make that leap. The battery warmer is there only to keep the battery electrolyte from freezing and thus failing to operate at all.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

In that case, another cold weather strategy is to time the recharge so it finishes just before you're ready to use the vehicle (assuming it's OK for your particular chemistry to let it sit partially discharged ... not lead-acid friendly, but OK for Li / NiMH, as I understand it).

Yes - some people are doing this by setting timers so that the car finishes charging just before they leave for the day. But even L2 charging doesn't generate that much heat in the battery. Another strategy is to pre-heat the car while plugged in - the car gets a bit of charge (thus slightly warming the battery) and then the cabin is warmed up reducing the need for heat during the drive.

Lithium batteries don't like to be stored completely empty or full. Long term storage at high charge levels is a big no-no if you want your battery to retain capacity for a long time. Even worse is if the battery is allowed to get too hot at the same time.

[NeilBlanchard]

My brother lives close by me -- eastern central Massachusetts. They have a 2012 model which has the cold weather package that is now mandatory for cold areas. It includes a battery heater (though I think they all heat the battery if/when it is plugged in?) and heated seats, and maybe heat outside mirrors. I've not see their Leaf yet, but I will soon. I'm also curious if they have an direct-heated electric defroster.

[drees]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

They have a 2012 model which has the cold weather package that is now mandatory for cold areas.

The CWP is standard equipment on all 2012 models regardless of area.

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

It includes a battery heater (though I think they all heat the battery if/when it is plugged in?)

Only comes on when the battery reaches -20F and battery charge is >= 30% and stays on until battery reaches -20F.

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

and heated seats, and maybe heat outside mirrors.

No heated mirrors, but heated seats front and rear and does have a heated steering wheel.

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

I'm also curious if they have an direct-heated electric defroster.

The HVAC system is quite standard, except that instead of using waste heat from an engine to heat the coolant, it uses a 5-6 kW heating element to heat the coolant.

Most people feel that it would be more efficient if it heated air directly, but I'm sure Nissan engineers had some sort of good reason for doing this way. The Volt and Prius plug-in are basically the same - perhaps even the Mitsubishi i, too? Not sure about the Focus EV or Tesla Roadster.

[NeilBlanchard]

I was hoping for a electric direct heater on the windshield glass itself. Ford and others made these in the past.