Week of May 21st - May 27th, 2012 (Nat Avg $3.76)

[groar]

Originally Posted by diamondlarry

Day Total: 130.7mpg over 23.7 miles.

Larry, you are the reason why Sean changed for an electric car

Denis.

[diamondlarry]

Originally Posted by groar

Larry, you are the reason why Sean changed for an electric car

Denis.

Haha! Probably. I wonder what would happen if I were to get a Leaf as well? I have done some significant thinking on the matter and I may be in the market for one in a year or two if the job continues to go as well as it as been.

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Actually, I've wanted an electric car since I was 12... and I also wanted something both safer than the Elantra and more suited to stop and go school drop off/pick up traffic for the kids.

Larry, if you got a Leaf you'd kick my numbers to the curb in that, too. Cruising along at 30-35mph the car will easily hold over 8mpk but just as with the Insight the stop and go traffic here really hurts the top capability of the vehicle.

Speaking of top capability, though... get a load of this:



Once again, I arrived home with the same number of range bars as I left work. The estimated range remaining went from 88mi to the 81mi shown in the picture.

84F, 20-25mph tailwind from the S, overcast:

• 7.9mpk over 15.1mi --> 265.1 MPGe (Work to home -- PR!)

Day Total: 7.0mpk over 29.8mi --> 234.9 MPGe (still haven't beat the day total)
Total Usage: 4.3 kWh
Adj. Cost: $0.62

[diamondlarry]

Originally Posted by Right Lane Cruiser

Actually, I've wanted an electric car since I was 12... and I also wanted something both safer than the Elantra and more suited to stop and go school drop off/pick up traffic for the kids.

Larry, if you got a Leaf you'd kick my numbers to the curb in that, too. Cruising along at 30-35mph the car will easily hold over 8mpk but just as with the Insight the stop and go traffic here really hurts the top capability of the vehicle.

Speaking of top capability, though... get a load of this:



Once again, I arrived home with the same number of range bars as I left work. The estimated range remaining went from 88mi to the 81mi shown in the picture.

84F, 20-25mph tailwind from the S, overcast:

• 7.9mpk over 15.1mi --> 265.1 MPGe (Work to home -- PR!)

Day Total: 7.0mpk over 29.8mi --> 234.9 MPGe (still haven't beat the day total)
Total Usage: 4.3 kWh
Adj. Cost: $0.62

Very nice work Sean! I have a few predictions on what you can do with your Leaf and so far, you are right on schedule with what I was thinking. I have some questions about coasting: 1) How well does the car coast? 2) How easy is it to get into a coasting mode/what procedures are needed to to accomplish it?

[all_about_the_glide]

Glad you nailed the PR Sean! The conditions were ripe. I had a chance coming off the interstate at +64 but hit a line of traffic at the first four way stop at a little after 5, when I hit it at my usuall +-6:30 pm it's a mpg building soft-gilde, regen, stop.

68.5 -- 30.6 miles.

Stuck wondering if the interstate all of the way was worth 70+.

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Looks like I messed up one of the picture references in my post above -- I've fixed it so now you can see the 7.9mpk.

Larry, I don't know how far I can take this but you know I won't stop trying. To answer your questions:

1. The car doesn't roll from a stop as well as the Insight but once rolling it seems to hit about the same speeds as the Insight at various landmarks along my route. The weight helps in some cases (flat land) and hurts in others (coasting uphill for example).
2. There are two ways to coast the car -- one is by putting it into "neutral" (done the same way as in the Prius -- holding the shifter in the "N" position for 2 seconds), the other is by finding the very small dead zone for pedal position. Nissan dialed in enough regen in D to feel like an automatic transmission's engine braking (not quite as heavy as the Insight's) but there is almost no pedal travel at all between power to the motor and regen. I generally drive with the Energy Consumption screen up which shows me a sort of dial graph of power/regen because it has a line drawn between the two which I can target and then lock on. All I can say is that Nissan definitely didn't plan for this and I definitely am benefiting from years of fine motor skills developed in the Insight. I'm pretty good at hitting it but there is no "by feel" available for this -- you have to see it and then keep your foot rock steady.

AATG, there's always that JUST a little bit more available any time we drive a route. You'll hit that 70+mpg trip some day if you keep at it.

[frv]

Nice work Sean - I can see 300 MPGe coming soon

No commute again for me - last day at work today until 11th June .
May be going out for a meal this evening.....

[Right Lane Cruiser]

300 MPGe would be just over 8.9mpk -- not sure I can get there but I'm certainly willing to try!

The flash flood warning is still in effect until 1PM and since I cross the river twice, come close to a boat launch onto the river, and drive very close to two "lakes" on my route I'm sitting this one out. My pool is just a few inches from overflowing in the back yard, too.

[PaleMelanesian]

Nice and warm (and dry ) here. Great driving conditions, though.

87.3 / 10.6 - home last night
85.5 / 13 - school and work this morning. Only one more to go!

The tank is up to 84.3 / 245 mi and still above F.

[ksstathead]

Amazing numbers, guys & gals! Keep up the amazing work.

For my part, I faced a headwind of 32 mph, gusting to 42 mph, on the way home last night: 1.6 miles (slowly in a lower gear), fuel consumption... zero

Week to date: no fuel consumption due to bike commuting.