That is to say, those of you who are skeptics or outright critics of the Leaf or EVs in general. When we first reviewed the Tesla, Leaf and Volt, there was a hearty contingent of detractors who were quick to point out the limited range and long recharge time. We, of course, responded by orchestrating or participating in tests that played to the vehicles’ strengths. And for that, the calls for “real world” testing got louder.
So here’s the real world. It’s a place where electric charging stations are, for now, few and far between and certainly not installed at apartment complexes where real-world city dwellers live. We all know that, and that limitation is the point the detractors are trying to make. The question I’m really trying to answer, then, is “can I work around that?” Or, more importantly for the average consumer, “can I find a work around that’s only slightly more inconvenient that stopping at the gas station?”
By convenient, I mean changing my normal gas-powered car routine as little as possible. For that reason, the A/C is on Auto and set between 70 and 73 degrees depending on my mood, the stereo is on and I’m paying no heed to the various features designed to coax me into “greener” driving. More importantly, I’m going to drive until the “tank” is empty before I bother plugging it in. What happens when I do run out of juice? I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
The short answer, then, is that I’m doing this to demonstrate what living with an EV is like for people who find it too inconvenient to change their driving style and refueling schedule. You can argue that I’m using the car wrong, and you’d be right. Consumers willing to use the car “right,” though, are still firmly in the minority and already know how the car performs when used as intended. This is for everyone else.
That said, here are the stats from Day 2. I left home with an indicated 78 miles of range remaining and drove exactly six miles to work. Apparently, my typical commuting route is slightly longer than the route I took when detouring to the grocery store the night before. Learn something new every day. By the time I reached work, I’d driven 11.1 miles since I unplugged the car and was averaging 3.3 miles per kilowatt-hour and 21 mph. My estimated range was down to 73 miles when I parked, again losing slightly more range than the actual distance traveled. Charge times were indicated at five hours on 120v power and three hours on the 240v stuff.
My trip home was a bit more interesting. I left work a little late and rushed to the Post Office hoping to get there before it closed. Like the grocery store, it’s right on my typical commute, but the hard accelerating took its toll. I’d traveled another 6.3 miles, but my remaining range was down to 64 miles, my efficiency had dropped to 3.1 miles per kilowatt-hour and, somehow, my average speed had dropped to 20.9 mph.
To be fair, I took a slightly different route that I had thought was quicker because it has less traffic, but apparently more signals (I’ve never bothered to count them). Recharge times were up to eight hours on 120v swill and, somehow, still just three hours on the good stuff. Total mileage since unplugging: 17.4 miles. Also, for those who are curious about such things, it’s been hot and dry here in Los Angeles this week with temperatures ranging from 60 degrees Fahrenheit when I go out to the car in the morning to 85 degrees when I’m headed home.
Tune in tomorrow for more counterproductive EV driving.
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