Highway miles

I have recently ordered this vehicle and since that time have become increasingly concerned with battery life. My daily commute is 48 miles round trip with highway speed limits of 70 MPH. 95% of the commute is highway. I would not need the Ac or heater for the entire commute but might use it sporadically. Does anyone currently own this vehicle and use it the same way I would? Should I reconsider? Should I wait for better battery life or will this car be just fine? Any thoughts greatly appreciated....

We don't have our car yet (should be mid-May), but having had a lot of driving time in EVs, I would say you'll be just fine with the i. Your drive is 48 miles round trip which is within the range of the car. If you have an opportunity to charge during work even with the 120v charger, you'll add a significant cushion for your return trip. If you can find a 120v outlet within 50-100 feet of your parking spot, ask for permission to charge. Tell the powers-that-be that an 8 hour charge will draw less than a dollar's worth of electricity.

You don't mention other factors like temperature extremes (do you commute in cold winter weather?), or the grade of your route (are you all uphill one way or the other?), both of which could reduce your range.

So-called "range anxiety" is common when you're new to an EV. Once you own one, your driving becomes more mindful as you learn about your car's capabilities. In over 50,000 miles of EV driving, I've never once run out of charge while on the road. That's in cars with ranges of 50 miles, 100 miles, and 35 miles (and in that one we did lots of opportunity charging).

Oh, TaosEv, I just sent you a post message from another topic. I'm Bradley from Placitas. As you know the extreme cold is seldom less than 30 degrees in Albuquerque and the grade from Placitas to I-40 is not extreme either. Do you still think the range for that commute should be fine?

I think it should work fine ... but why not test it prior to buying? Casa should have their demo units in mid-May, and I would think they would loan you one for an afternoon to test it out.

I would also approach your employer about charging while at work. Some companies like the PR value of embracing new technologies ... who knows? You might wind up with them installing a Level 2 charger with a dedicated parking spot. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Completely agree with TaosEV's comments, and I'd really focus on getting charged at work - even offer to measure your energy draw (simple Kill-A-Watt for 120vac would do it) and offer to pay for it. The beauty of your situation is that you'll be able to dynamically control your range by simply slowing down and thus your 48 miles will always be achievable at the cost of a few minutes' commute time. The difference between 70mph and 55mph for your 24-mile commute is 5.6minutes.

bradley said:

I have recently ordered this vehicle and since that time have become increasingly concerned with battery life. My daily commute is 48 miles round trip with highway speed limits of 70 MPH. 95% of the commute is highway. I would not need the Ac or heater for the entire commute but might use it sporadically. Does anyone currently own this vehicle and use it the same way I would? Should I reconsider? Should I wait for better battery life or will this car be just fine? Any thoughts greatly appreciated....

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I've been driving a Leaf for right at 1 year. Obviously, a different car, but I feel I'm qualified to answer. I believe you will most definitely be able to make the commute in the car. However, you may possibly have to make sacrifices. For example, in the winter you may have to choose not to run the heater. You may also have to be content with driving 65 mph in the right-hand lane instead of 75 like everyone is probably going.

The only way to know for sure is to actually drive the route and see what happens. I used to worry about stuff like that, but since I've been an EV driver for a year, I have learned pretty much the exact limits of my car. I know before I ever get into the car and go somewhere whether or not I'll be able to make the trip and return home without charging. If it is a destination within range, I don't even think twice about it.

If you are able to charge at work, even with the 120V charger, you would be able to drive as fast as you like and use the heater or A/C without flinching.

There are times when I drive my car near the limits and I know how to really conserve power. I turn off the climate control. I find a big truck or other slow moving vehicle and get behind it. That way I can drive slower than the rest of traffic, but nobody will blame me, they'll think I just got stuck behind the truck. Doing those two things will easily give me 20 extra miles of range.

My previous commute was 46 miles, I would charge on 110 at work for 2 hours and 110 overnight. My schedule changed 1½ months ago and I changed my route to avoid the bridge toll, that made my commute 53 miles with 32 miles freeway(at 75-83mph), I am now able to charge at work for 9 hours still at 110 and overnight at 110, I have still not upgraded to 220V charging. I don't worry at all about range anxiety and I rarely hypermile with my commute, I have driven 3850 miles since Jan. 17th. The i MiEV has unexpectedly become our primary car, even runs to Costco with our family of 4, have to love it.

Welcome aboard. I average 47 miles of mostly street i driving per day with lots of range to spare, but EVery Saturday take on a 54 mile highway round trip. I couldn't do the 54 mile trip in winter with a defogged windshield without holding up traffic on the 70 mph highway, but it's looking much more feasible now that spring has finally warmed up the pack. Unfortunately, my learning curve is following the seasons, so I can't completely rule out better driving, and don't have actual pack temps. For instance, after recharging from this morning's usual spirited 16 mile commute, my Guess O Meter produced 81 miles remaining, which is a good 20-30 miles above the wintertime results. (Don't recall what estimated range was at the end of this morning's commute.)
With this car I've settled on an efficiency compromise that lets me leap ahead of traffic at stoplights, accelerate to the legal (or commonly accepted) limit, and coast down to the next stop. The return on "pulse and glide" technique in this car, as measured in smiles per mile, is exponentially greater than with my gassers, and will be at least until I'm surrounded by EVs who can also leave the red lights with silent gusto.
-Jay