hokkaidowilds
New Member
This post features a 2019 Nissan Leaf (40kWh) we borrowed recently, but applies to electric vehicles across the board I think.
The canoe-topping torture-test: https://hokkaidowilds.org/2019-nissan-leaf-g-review-the-battery-torture-test-summer
We don't own an electric car, but are looking into it. Hence borrowing a Leaf for three days to see if we could use it just like we use a petrol car.
So we put two 16-foot Canadian canoes on the top, and drove 400km at around 100km/h. Long story short, we should have either a) borrowed the 62kWh version, b) drove slower, or c) both of the above.
We live in Hokkaido, Japan's northern-most island. We were loaned a 2019 Nissan Leaf (40kWh) for three days by a local dealership as part of Nissan Japan's extended test drive campaign.
We put two Canadian canoes on the roof and drove 200km north to a lake, on the expressway at 100km/h.
Oh how we wished for the 62kWh version of the car.
Stating the obvious, at this speed, with that amount of aerodynamic drag, the range was pretty low (about 120km). Below is a simulation of driving time vs charging time for that 212km journey we took. Based on this, we should have been driving at around 70-80km, and we'd have arrived at our destination sooner.
Full blog post review with interactive versions of the simulations here: https://hokkaidowilds.org/2019-nissan-leaf-g-review-the-battery-torture-test-summer
We loved the car for the amount of room it has though. Absolutely perfect for our needs. Just a pity that in Hokkaido where we live, 75% of electricity is generated using fossil fuels. The Leaf ends up emitting less CO2 than a similar petrol car, but still is not "Zero Emissions" as Nissan claims (at least where we live).
The canoe-topping torture-test: https://hokkaidowilds.org/2019-nissan-leaf-g-review-the-battery-torture-test-summer
We don't own an electric car, but are looking into it. Hence borrowing a Leaf for three days to see if we could use it just like we use a petrol car.
So we put two 16-foot Canadian canoes on the top, and drove 400km at around 100km/h. Long story short, we should have either a) borrowed the 62kWh version, b) drove slower, or c) both of the above.
We live in Hokkaido, Japan's northern-most island. We were loaned a 2019 Nissan Leaf (40kWh) for three days by a local dealership as part of Nissan Japan's extended test drive campaign.
We put two Canadian canoes on the roof and drove 200km north to a lake, on the expressway at 100km/h.
Oh how we wished for the 62kWh version of the car.
Stating the obvious, at this speed, with that amount of aerodynamic drag, the range was pretty low (about 120km). Below is a simulation of driving time vs charging time for that 212km journey we took. Based on this, we should have been driving at around 70-80km, and we'd have arrived at our destination sooner.
Full blog post review with interactive versions of the simulations here: https://hokkaidowilds.org/2019-nissan-leaf-g-review-the-battery-torture-test-summer
We loved the car for the amount of room it has though. Absolutely perfect for our needs. Just a pity that in Hokkaido where we live, 75% of electricity is generated using fossil fuels. The Leaf ends up emitting less CO2 than a similar petrol car, but still is not "Zero Emissions" as Nissan claims (at least where we live).
