Ecodriving lesson in my friend's new 2018 Nissan Leaf

[MetroMPG]

Here's my friend's actual car, sporting its winter boots and covered in seasonal salt/dirt.

(Previous car was a 10 year-old Subaru Impreza 5-speed.)

We did an eco-driving session today, and honestly, he didn't need it. (He actually beat my score, and graciously tried to soothe my bruised ego by blaming the heat pump for running more during my lap!)

He used to drive a 5-speed Impreza without paying much attention to efficiency. He would have described his ICE driving style as "a bit zoomy". But the combination of a touch of range anxiety, plus the quiet/calm nature of this car's drivetrain has transformed his approach.

He's driven it 11,000 km so far, and spent less than $200 on electricity (in expensive Ontario). My ecomodded Metro/Firefly, by comparison would have cost more than twice that amount to cover the same distance at 60+ MPG, and that's only accounting for the gas!


One thing I was able to show him that he didn't know was how to shift to neutral for long glides. He wasn't aware that he had to hold the shifter in the detent for a second or 2 for N to activate.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

We did an eco-driving session today, and honestly, he didn't need it. (He actually beat my score, and graciously tried to soothe my bruised ego by blaming the heat pump for running more during my lap!)

One thing I was able to show him that he didn't know was how to shift to neutral for long glides. He wasn't aware that he had to hold the shifter in the detent for a second or 2 for N to activate.

I'd say it's probably harder to ecodrive an EV. The biggest controllable factors of efficiency are speed and cabin heat use.

I just watched an hour video on the Chevy Bolt Motor/transaxle. The one takeaway I learned is that shifting to N disables the electric oil pump that keeps the top mounted sump full of transmission/cooling fluid. I'm not sure if other EVs are built similarly, and I'm not sure if it matters much, but it's possible the gears don't get adequate protection while coasting. I might stop that habit in the Prius.

Skip to minute 9 through 10 to see an explanation of the lubrication system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APhRPSdmdmk

[oil pan 4]

As far as I can tell the first gen leaf uses no such transaxle lube system.
It appears to be splash oiled via gear rotation.

[ME_Andy]

Of course. It fits with the Nissan pattern of doing everything as cheaply as possible.

[NeilBlanchard]

On the older Leaf, if you shift into R (above 7MPH!) it goes into neutral right away. This is easier than holding it in N for 2 seconds.

If you are going less than 7MPH, if you shift into R - it will go into REVERSE!

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I'd say it's probably harder to ecodrive an EV. The biggest controllable factors of efficiency are speed and cabin heat

In EV mode I’ve found EVs to be the most easily hypermiled vehicles

And yeah speed, climate control, acceleration and gentle coasting all boost efficiency, no special techniques, no scangage nothing special required.

In winter is where things can get more complex

But otherwise Easy peasy

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

In EV mode I’ve found EVs to be the most easily hypermiled vehicles

And yeah speed, climate control, acceleration and gentle coasting all boost efficiency, no special techniques, no scangage nothing special required.

In winter is where things can get more complex

But otherwise Easy peasy

What I meant was, there's less left on the table to be gained from the regular tricks. Using the brakes doesn't throw away as much energy as an ICE. The EV motor hardly cares how quickly you accelerate from an efficiency standpoint. There's no pulse and glide. In that sense, it's easier to ecodrive an EV, but in the sense that the driver has fewer tricks to improve efficiency, it's more difficult.

The only practical thing I could do to extend the range in the Prius was to drive slower. Heater use was out of the question since that instantly fires up the ICE.

[MetroMPG]

I had a ride in my buddy's Leaf yesterday.



140,000 km and 7 years later, the "battery capacity" monitor in the digital instrument cluster still shows 100% health.

That said, he has the impression that it might actually be down a bit from new ... though he also admits it might be recency bias based on the unusually cold & snowy winter we are just beginning to leave behind. It walloped his usual range.

---

I will admit I have been occasionally looking at old Leafs in the used car ads. Seems like there are plenty of 1st gen ones with somewhat degraded batteries for around $4k Canadian. They're good for about 60-80 km range (~42-50 mi.), which would be fine for a second car for local trips.

The question is what will the capacity of one of those cars be in another 3 or 4 years?

[freebeard]

The question is what will the capacity of one of those cars be in another 3 or 4 years?

Another question is what will be the replacement cost in another 3 or 4 years?

[Piotrsko]

13 years, so far not a noticable loss in a used volt pack, maybe couple mile less range. I don't go to the ragged edges anymore since I retired and the drive profile got simpler so it is harder to say with any authority. However Volts operating parameters were set up conservatively and most losses come from physical disconnection or permanent oxides in the lithium, both which are unavoidable. You can still score a newer model pack from the junkyards and those are still user replacements, but difficult ( big heavy thing underneath while laying on the concrete.) Havent seen a DIY battery jack yet from snapon.