Our Nissan Leaf's First Week
One week ago, our long-term Nissan Leaf arrived, and my overwhelming impression is how utterly mundane it's been driving this car.
Now, it drives very well, and every single passenger has commented on the quick off-the-line acceleration, even with four adults on board. In that regard, it's fun. But it's otherwise been like any other car except for the part where you plug it in. Throw in a Chicago winter, and it's even more remarkable in its ... unremarkableness.
The snowfalls haven't been heavy, but they've been wet, and snow performance seems to be a non-issue. The traction control is conservative enough to control the electric motor's considerable torque, but it still allows enough wheelspin to keep you moving. More than anything, I'm impressed with the tires. Low-rolling-resistance tires used to be good at just one thing: having low rolling resistance. They were designed for efficiency but weren't so great for much else, like traction or longevity. We'll have to see how these tires last, and how the Leaf performs on deeper snow, but so far, so good.
We wanted to test the Leaf in winter because batteries lose capacity in cold weather, affecting even hybrid cars. I was prepared for the worst. Unlike our Chevrolet Volt, the Leaf doesn't warm or cool its battery pack electrically, and our Leaf doesn't have the winter package, which hasn't been released yet. Among other features, the option will add extra battery insulation, so I wondered if we'd find our car's battery temperatures in the danger zone or our range reduced to nothing. Not so.
Outdoor temperatures haven't gone subzero like they were a few weeks ago, but since we pulled the Leaf off a transport last week, it's mostly been below freezing and frequently around 25 degrees. The battery-temperature gauge shows four segments. That's two fewer than it was during the comfortable autumn road test that yielded my full review, but two bars above the danger zone where the car limits acceleration to prevent damage.
On Monday morning, we Chicagoans awoke to freezing rain, which, for the uninitiated, is rain that falls as water and then freezes on surfaces, encrusting cars, turning streets into skid pads and generally making for a delightful Monday morning. The only way out of this mess without chipping away at the ice and destroying your wiper blades by peeling them off the glass is to start the car and let it warm up. Even when it's not plugged in, the Leaf can be commanded to do so via the Nissan owners' website or an iPhone app. I used the latter, and 15 minutes later, the ice fell off the windows in sheets. Sadly, the rear defroster didn't turn on, but it worked quickly once I activated it manually. (Having a 17-mile commute, I wasn't concerned about shortening the Leaf's range, as the preheating certainly does.)
The car wasn't plugged in overnight, so on a hunch I pulled the dashboard lever that releases the charge-port door on the car's nose. As I feared, nothing happened. I tried to pull the cover open by hand, but I couldn't get my fingers into the crack (first time I ever longed for bad panel fit). So I pounded on the door (lightly!) with my fist, and it sprung open, Fonzie style. Not bad. But I wonder how it would have survived the freezing rain if it had been open all night — and if I would have been able to close it. The Volt's fuel-filler-style door seems less susceptible to foul weather. The Leaf's port location might prove to be one of its shortfalls. However, it’s not likely the car will be plugged in with no cover that often.
As for range, we'll publish more details in the near future, but the short story is the fully charged range, as predicted by the instrument panel, has always been between 70 and 80 miles, and the actual range has varied from a few miles above to several miles below the prediction. What we haven't done yet is drain the battery completely, which will be the true test of both the Leaf's range and its ability to predict that range.
Overall, there has been no drama. The Leaf is the first battery-electric car for global sale, and Nissan wants it to be like a conventional car. Mission accomplished. When it comes to new technology, mundane isn't a bad thing.
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What a nice Crystal Matte finish on the paint?
The charger port frozen issue in a freezing rain is typical also on "regular" cars, and I remember my joy of trying to pry open the fuel filler door not only after a freezing rain, but also after a NICE CLEAN car wash during the winter months with freezing temp.
The gas filler door on my Altima also froze up during the winter on a cold, snowy day. I was glad I didn't really need to fill up at that point. I probably could have gotten it unstuck if I had someone to hold the release while I pressed on the door, but my arms aren't that long. I've noticed that the door will also get stuck if the tether cord for the gas cap gets stuck in the door, which is also annoying.
If a stuck door due to Mother Nature is the only issue to date then Nissan clearly has a winner on it's hands. I'm starting to like this car especially given it's price tag.
I'm also getting really interested in this car - be perfect as my second commuter - but I live in Phoenix and am worried about the other end of the problem - what is 115F going to do to it in the summer? I haven't been able to find anything about heat impact... anyone...?
Sam,
Generally it takes less electric energy to cool a car rather than heating it. However, at extremes we don't know yet. We'll have ours in some serious high 90s and humid conditions I'm sure. Plus you'll get more use of the solar cell. It just charges the 12V battery though.
DT & Sam,
Nissan's LEAF website has info:
Highway driving in the summer: 70 miles
Speed: Average 55 mph
Temperature: 95 degrees
Climate control: On
Averaging 55 mph on the highway, in 95 degree weather, with the air conditioning on high may produce range figures like this. Higher speeds require more energy to overcome air resistance. Running the air conditioner means energy that could be used to increase range instead goes to cooling the car.
Li-ion battery actually loses more charge in >40C temperature (i.e. ~115F), but the condition is that it is >40C continuously for a prolonged period (imagine an oven type of enclosure). Since it's not as hot in the night, it's not 115F or above every single day, and when you drive there's wind, the effect of the battery due to extreme temperature should be very minimal.
Another way to think about this is where Nissan is selling the LEAF - all over the world. There are places in Asia, Europe, Middle East, and even here in the US (Aloha Hawaii!) that have high temperature (>35C/95F) all day EVERY day.
The Nissan website in Japan shows a "charge door cover" accessory that could prevent snow and ice from freezing up the charge port when its open and in use over-night. I agree a "port" style charger door would have been better. one for each charger connection. smaller round hard plastic, maybe even locking to the j1772 handle when its inserted.
I am guessing if you were unhappy with the heater you would have mentioned that?
"No drama" -- That is great to hear. We take delivery of our Leaf in May. Dying to know how it does in our Tennessee heat and humidity, tho we won't be facing the winter cold issue that you mentioned down here ....
I am interested in the articles about how the Leaf performs in winter. I suspect that all of the tests are performed after the car has been fully charged. Is there any information available that covers the situation where the car is driven to the train station (for example)and ten hours later, after a day parked in freezing weather (say 15 F) where no plug is available, will the car be able to take me the five mile ride home?