Just bought a 2015 Leaf with around 16k miles. Has all 12 bars. Seems the air conditioner really drags down the battery life. Is this normal? Any tips on best way to use and drive this vehicle is much appreciated.
Congratulations on your purchase. A used EV in good working order is a great way to have the EV experience without "mortgaging the farm". Yes, air conditioning costs whether in you home or your car. If you are on the highway on a sweltering hot day you might as well use it as highway speeds with the windows down will also reduce range and it's noisy and uncomfortable. Both my previous 2016 Leaf and my current 2018 cruise beautifully at 75mph (120kmh) but you can see the charge indicator dropping before your eyes. You haven't indicated how you plan on using the car. Lower priced electric cars like an older used Leaf are at the top of the game for short commutes and all the "gofer" stuff you do around town. Things get a little more cumbersome on the highway where the faster you go the less distance you can travel. Learn to watch your percentage charge remaining as well as the range calculator (also known as the "guessometer or GOM). You will learn what percentage you need to get to certain destinations at what speeds. If mostly doing short trips don't charge up to full over night but learn to use the charge timer to bring you up to about 80% for the next day. If you're charging off a 110V outlet from a low battery you may as well let it charge all night as it likely won't reach full by the morning. If the car has a fast charge port avoid using it as much as possible. It heats the battery up and it takes a long time to cool down. Most important of all plow through INSIDE EV's news and forums. In the news section you can go back as far in time as the beginning and there is a gold mine of information on how to best use you car. And finally. Ignore the Leaf trolls and their bile.
Local climate has an impact to the battery life/health also. If you live in an area with hot weather, you'll lose capacity bars a bit quickly.
Hi Melia- I'm planning on buying a used LEAF in the next few months. Can I ask you about your transaction? Out of curiosity, what trim line did you get? Did you buy it private party or from a dealer? Was it CPO? What did you pay for it? Do you live in a "hot climate" area like the other poster (larrenz) mentioned? I figure there should be more showing up a dealers soon as the Holiday season is usually a big time for car transactions, so all those 3-year leases are coming "due" as we wind down to Dec 31st. I am trying to be prepared to make a quick decision because the good ones get snapped up fast! The mileage on used LEAFs in my area (So. Cal) seems to be about 40K-50K on most used 2015 cars, but in other parts of the state it's more common to be in the 20's. I plan to buy one from another part of the state to get a lower mileage car. their pricing doesn't seem to be much different re: mileage, which I find odd. Is there anything about your new LEAF (other than the A/C issue you mention) that frustrates you, or that you're pleasantly surprised about? Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
