First real-world range test of 2011 Nissan Leaf covers 116.1 miles

[wtmusic]

"Initially, Nissan quoted the Leaf's estimated range at an even 100 miles. From the get go, we knew that this single number was more or less an average of what the car could travel between charges and not a figure that was set in stone for all drivers on any given day. Recently, the automaker laid out some variable range estimates that took into account weather variations, speed, HVAC settings and more and showed that a Leaf's range could drop as low as 47 miles and top out at 138 miles under ideal circumstances.

Real-world results are usually a better indicator than some drawn up estimates written on paper, and, as luck would have it, Plugin Cars writer Nick Chambers was recently given the chance to conduct a total range test of the battery-powered Leaf. Chambers plotted a course from Nissan's North America Headquarters in Nashville, TN to the infamous Jack Daniel's distillery. The 116.1-mile drive took Chambers across country roads, through small towns flooded with stoplights and onto local byways. Chambers claims that he didn't drive aggressively and often stayed below posted speeds, but did not baby the Leaf "like an obsessed hypermiler" might have.

In the end, the Leaf made the trip. Yep, that's 116.1 miles traveled under real-world conditions. The range-testing run utilized around 22.76 kW of the Leaf's total 24 kWh battery, indicating that it was pushed to the limits. Surprisingly, Chambers claims to have called upon the cool air of the range-depleting A/C system for much of the journey. He also engaged the Leaf's range-boosting Eco-mode before starting his jaunt, giving us a decent prediction for what a green-footed driver can expect."

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/10/26/first-real-world-range-test-of-2011-nissan-leaf-covers-116-1-mil/

[GodlessBiker]

1. Not bad at all.

[Kolesar]

2. Good for Nissan motors! eom

[Glassunion]

3. No kidding...

I was recently in the market for a new vehicle. I used to drive a Nissan.

Since I no longer needed a truck I was looking at cars. My problem was that Nissan did not offer anything that would get good mileage. I was very disappointed...

I bought a car elsewhere.

[XemaSab]

4. 47 miles? Ouch

That would mean you couldn't work more than 20 miles from home. :(

[wtmusic]

5. Probably talking about performance in subzero temperatures.

It will definitely be a car which favors those in southern latitudes.

[XemaSab]

6. The implication was also that the AC drains the battery

Not so good for those of us in southern latitudes. x(

[txlibdem]

7. Everything on the Leaf is electric. EVERYTHING drains the battery :-)

Using the Air Conditioning is not as much a drain on the battery as using the heater, though. Who'da thought that?

Here's the kicker. The seats can be heated and cooled so you "feel" comfortable even though the vehicle interior is not your "perfect" temperature.

[Kolesar]

11. Put a Jon-E handwarmer in your pocket before you go

http://www.hikestop.com/jon_e_handwarmers_jon_e_hand_warmer-371800.php

[wtmusic]

12. The driver claims he used A/C for most of this run

Then again, "real-world" tests don't mean much unless they're conducted in "our world"

[caraher]

9. Unless your employer had a fast charging station

but then you're giving away some efficiency... and the stations aren't cheap!

[tandot]

8. Compared to the German electric Audi who got 375 miles:

"BERLIN -- The brightly colored Audi A2 rolled into the courtyard of Germany's Ministry of Industry and Technology, completing a journey of 605km (375mi) from Munich to the capital. Waiting to greet the driver, 27-year old Mirko Hannemann, the head of DBM Energy, was Federal Minister Rainer Brüderle, whose agency helped support the project.

DBM Energy converted the Audi A2 to all-electric to demonstrate their KOLIBRI (German for 'Hummingbird') AlphaPolymer Technology battery. Unlike BMW's Mini-E, the company was able to retain both the front and rear passenger seats, as well as the car's truck space, presumably integrating the batteries into the vehicle floor pan. "

http://evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=24242


They better start working on batteries that get more miles.

[wtmusic]

10. I'm surprised it didn't get more.

The Audi's battery pack holds 115kWh compared to the Leaf's 24.

If it's as efficient as the Leaf they should be able to squeeze 550 miles out of it. :wow:

[txlibdem]

14. Technology keeps getting smaller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17DPJHNVx2Q&feature=fvw

[wtmusic]

13. Apparently there are some who believe this is too good to be true

and personally, I smell fish when I have to shell out $342 for an "explanatory book" on the technology.

"The Berlin Miracle (Or Just Another EV Hoax?)

<>

- DBM Energy GmbH is a mailbox company.

- DBM’s website states as contact a non-registered entity named DBM Headquarters, which is located in a smallish office building. In that office building, there are several small-sounding firms such as a long-term storage company, a fire-extinguisher company, and a “battery-service” company.

- Google DBM and you find exactly two hits. One refers to DBM having won an “Innovation Award of Reason”. Nobody’s heard of that, either."

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/10/the-berlin-miracle-or-just-another-ev-hoax/

Then there's a German report of one of DBM's batteries catching on fire last May:

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rundschau-online.de%2Fhtml%2Fartikel%2F1273839804159.shtml

:shrug: