On the highway, the LEAF still manages to be sufficiently sprightly as passing manoeuvres can be achieved with enough zeal. Nissan states that the LEAF will reach speeds of up to 140 km/h. Yes. The eerie silence in which the car cruises in the city is harassed by wind and tire noise on the open road, but as you might expect, the cabin remains fairly quiet at 110 km/h.
There is so much to write about the LEAF. I was able to spend the better part of five days with the car and what I learned from those 120 hours or so is that charging the LEAF is not like filling up a tank. When you top up your car's reservoir, you know that you'll get about 600 km, give or take 10% depending on weather conditions. After an overnight, 16-hour trickle charge on 120 volts, the LEAF's batteries might give you a 119-km, 132-km or 151-km full-charge reading.
These ranges seem to vary with ambient temperatures, mostly. On cooler nights, I'd get a lower indicated range. On some occasions, the variations reached nearly 30%. The LEAF's state of charge can be monitored on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones using a Nissan Connection app called CARWINGS.
The range
Indicated range readings all come from using the normal Drive mode, and without activating any accessories. In ECO, the autonomy could climb by up to 20%. Switching the climate control on could sap the batteries' lives by an equal amount.
Playing between the modes and managing to avoid using the front and rear seat heaters, the heated steering wheel, the navigation system, the satellite radio, the xenon headlights during the daytime, and keeping the windows shut on warmer days all have a word in how far the car will take you. Handling all of this becomes an obsession. Range anxiety also becomes part of your daily routine...
And on that subject, Nissan has clearly stated that they do not believe an EV with a 300+ km range is necessary. Most studies indicate and agree that the average daily commute is about 60 km. This means that a LEAF can theoretically take you to and from work on a single charge, twice. If, on that evening, the kids need to be taken to soccer practice, ballet and groceries got to get got, odds are you will have to either plug in the car overnight or take the family Murano to cover the extracurricular activities.
There is so much to write about the LEAF. I was able to spend the better part of five days with the car and what I learned from those 120 hours or so is that charging the LEAF is not like filling up a tank. When you top up your car's reservoir, you know that you'll get about 600 km, give or take 10% depending on weather conditions. After an overnight, 16-hour trickle charge on 120 volts, the LEAF's batteries might give you a 119-km, 132-km or 151-km full-charge reading.
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| The LEAF's state of charge can be monitored on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones using a Nissan Connection app called CARWINGS. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
These ranges seem to vary with ambient temperatures, mostly. On cooler nights, I'd get a lower indicated range. On some occasions, the variations reached nearly 30%. The LEAF's state of charge can be monitored on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones using a Nissan Connection app called CARWINGS.
The range
Indicated range readings all come from using the normal Drive mode, and without activating any accessories. In ECO, the autonomy could climb by up to 20%. Switching the climate control on could sap the batteries' lives by an equal amount.
Playing between the modes and managing to avoid using the front and rear seat heaters, the heated steering wheel, the navigation system, the satellite radio, the xenon headlights during the daytime, and keeping the windows shut on warmer days all have a word in how far the car will take you. Handling all of this becomes an obsession. Range anxiety also becomes part of your daily routine...
And on that subject, Nissan has clearly stated that they do not believe an EV with a 300+ km range is necessary. Most studies indicate and agree that the average daily commute is about 60 km. This means that a LEAF can theoretically take you to and from work on a single charge, twice. If, on that evening, the kids need to be taken to soccer practice, ballet and groceries got to get got, odds are you will have to either plug in the car overnight or take the family Murano to cover the extracurricular activities.
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| Indicated range readings all come from using the normal Drive mode, and without activating any accessories. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |