On 3/26/15 8:57 PM, Ben Goren via EV wrote:
> That's the idea behind my suggestion of a "remaining (usable) kWh"
> gauge, For a century or so drivers have done just fine with a
> "remaining (usable) gallons of fuel" gauge and a basic idea of how
> far they can make it on a gallon of fuel based on current
> conditions.
>
> This whole voltage-based thing is irrelevant. What people want to
> know is how much energy is left, in whatever form, and they're fine
> translating that to distance with precision enough for typical
> driving.
Well put, Ben. That works for me, and it pretty much sums up what LEAF
V1.5 (2013-2015) displays right now.
The percent-of-charge-remaining display shows how much charge is left as
a percentage from 0-100%.
The pack is 24kWh, but I think it uses only about 20kWh of that. So
multiply the percentage by 20 to get remaining kWh. (That may be a bit
conservative but I don't mind erring on the conservative side.)
For example, if the display shows 50%, then 50% of 20kWh is 10kWh.
There is a resettable display of miles/kWh so you can see what you are
getting on your current trip, both as an average and as an instant
readout as you drive. Multiply remaining kWh by the miles per kWh you're
achieving. That will give you a quick guesstimate of remaining range.
Temper that by upcoming conditions, such as uphill or downhill driving
and your experience with the route.
For example if you're getting 5 miles/kWh and you expect to be driving
in similar conditions ahead, then you could likely go about 50 more
miles on 50% charge remaining. For me, keeping a buffer just in case, I
would be comfortable if the destination was within 30 miles or so at
that point.
Even though the "miles remaining" guess-o-meter on the LEAF V1.5 is
perhaps more accurate than in earlier models (more of an ongoing average
and less prone to wild swings), it's still sometimes handy to have the
LEAF V1.5's percent-of-charge-remaining display to confirm the
situation. I leave the percent-of-charge-remaining display on the dash
at all times.
If you want, you can also bring up the nav screen and see a circle
outlining your current remaining guess-o-meter range on a map.
If things are getting tight, the nav system can show charging stations
within guess-o-meter range. However I prefer to use Plugshare's app to
investigate chargers since it seems more complete and up to date, and
since it includes comments from others about the operational readiness
of each charger.
All that said, after you've driven your typical routes a few times you
can mostly ignore the gauges and just enjoy EV driving. (Unless you are
trying to beat a personal efficiency record on a route, which can be
fun. Or if driving conditions have changed, such as bad weather or
traffic jams, where you may want an extra confirmation of how you're doing.)
Cheers,
-Jamie
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