Because of the lack of battery cooling, the 225 mile trips to and from my new cottage are becoming onerous......not only do I have lousy mileage, it also takes longer to recharge along the way, and sitting in my car for a few hours in the cold is not something to look forward to. So, I'm looking at getting a car that not only offers better range, but also offers better (i.e. any) thermoregulation of the battery. So, while I consider a Bolt vs a Niro vs waiting to see the Ariya, I'm wondering what I can do to help improve my mileage. I find even when I'm up at the cottage, my mileage (and range) is 25% less than what I get in the city. I don't know if that's due to the circumstances (a little colder, a little hillier) but even so, I wonder what I can do to help get better range from my battery. Does using adaptive cruise control help? I know with an ICE, using cruise control helps mileage. I'm already using Eco mode, but I'm still using my brake....will driving with 1-pedal help mileage? Anything else I'm not considering? I had been not using climate control, but that won't be an option in the winter.
Do you have a Leaf or Leaf Plus? What region are you in? In general 1. Keep tires at 44psi 2. Keep speed under 70 mph on the highway 3. Preheat car while plugged in/charging. Then minimize heat usage while driving. Especially if doing 225 miles on a charge. 4. When going to end of range, drive by efficiency number (miles/kWh or km/kWh) not speed. Wind conditions can significantly alter efficiency in an ev.
I have been planning my charging stops this way -- I didn't think of it until I was looking through the parts of the MyLeafSpy app that I hadn't looked at before. That's been quite helpful. I've also discovered that not hooking up my iPhone to the car's AV system helps too....something I can do now, that I hopefully won't have to do when I get a new car. I have a 2019 Leaf, with a 40kW battery. I live in Toronto, but my cottage is 225 miles north of here. I decided to wait for the 2021 offerings -- I had been thinking Ariya, but now I'm quite taken by what I've been seeing and reading about the Mustang Mach-e.......except it doesn't come with a heat pump
Ok, with a 40, that's tough, as in the heart of winter even one full charge half way barely gets you there if you run heat.
I would hands down go for the Niro. I also have a 40kwh Leaf and like it very much. But, I was not aware that the base model doesn't have a heat pump. When forced to use the heater the range whack from resistance heating is substantial. On a lark I took a Niro for a test drive and was blown away. The drive itself was nice but the temperature was 0degC that day and the range GOM was showing just over 400km range. It would drop about 24km toggling the heat off and on. I was feeling dangerously impulsive that day and if they had had the color I wanted in stock I might have bit. Given some time for sober reflection I decided I just don't want to take the depreciation hit from trading in another vehicle that's only two years old. Mighty impressed with the Niro though.
