I have a 2019 LEAF Plus S which I understand doesn't have a heat pump because the base level trim didn't offer it. I got it used and am yet to drive through a winter in it. So far I really like it otherwise. I'm interested in hearing others' stories about range drop in the winter. How significant is it? I don't expect to be making a ton of road trips in the winter, but city driving. I can preheat the car for every morning while it's plugged in, and park it in my garage overnight when it gets really cold.
You can expect a range drop of about 40% from your best summer range. I have a 2018 Leaf S. I make much use of the heated seats and steering wheel to cut down on the amount of cabin heating needed. Many critics blame the lack of battery temperature management but I find battery temp is only one part of the picture. I have experimented with heating the battery up deliberately with DCFCs to bring the temperature into the happy zone. The range increase was modest. The stock tires that the Leaf comes with are dangerously inadequate for winter driving. Proper winter tires have a higher rolling resistance and will drop range a bit. Cold air is more dense so it takes more energy to push through it. The winter range loss is disappointing but manageable. It is comparable across brands. Just be ready for it when planning your trips.
Thank you @Paul K! That is very helpful. 40% sounds pretty huge so that’s disappointing but good to know. I never drive in the winter without winter tires although as I just got my Leaf recently I have not yet bought the snow tires for it. I’m thinking Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3s or Michelin X-Ice. Thanks for your insightful and helpful response again, Paul!
thanks, @10sqmiles! They don’t make a mention of it on the Kal Tire but website yet but I looked up the product info: https://www.nokiantyres.com/winter-tires/nokian-tyres-hakkapeliitta-r5-ev/
I should have mentioned in my comment above that the 40% winter range loss is one point of two extremes. (1) My best range tooling around town in summer temperatures (2) Driving the highway in minus 16C temperatures and having to use the resistance heater (the only one in a Leaf S). This being said you can get fooled on a run that's easily doable in the summer with plenty of range left over when you get home to a situation where you're showing zero range as you close in on home hoping it doesn't die before you get there. I've had this happen to me twice when there were no chargers available on the way back. While the car never went into "turtle mode" it was quite unnerving to say the least. With experience one learns what the car can do under various conditions. Also there are more chargers coming on line now which helps greatly.
Thanks, Paul. Meanwhile I think it turns out my Leaf, although an S, has a heat pump after all. Under the hood mine looks exactly like this in the photo here: https://www.reddit.com/r/leaf/comments/qhud3f/does_this_picture_show_a_leaf_with_a_heat_pump/ As I bought mine used, I just assumed that it couldn't have the hybrid heater system as it's an S. But after some digging, it looks like you could opt for the heat pump even for the S trim in Canada at least in some model years. I've taken the car on two bigger road trips now, which - while not in winter - have taught me more about its range and efficiency and thus far I'm impressed.
