Energy Consumption per mile (Wh/mi) map

Interesting map. I've never seen this before.

So to get in the green, you have to lack mountains and cold weather.
Makes sense.

...and excessive heat is a range-killer, too: look at the desert Southwest.

So the Leaf gets approximately the same efficiency as the Model S? Really? The S is what, about 1000 lbs more and 1.5 times the size of the Leaf. C'mon Niissan, this is just embrrasing. This makes me wonder what kind of efficiency the Model 3 will get.

Very interesting data. I also find the other graph on the website interesting that shows the usage in relation to ambient temperature. It seems to be a huge factor on the Leaf.

I live in Wisconsin(one of the reddest states on the map), but this data seems like an incomplete average. In my Leaf I average 4-4.5 miles per kWh with 3.5 on some very cold winter days and 5 on days with good weather in the spring/summer/fall. Yes winters are cold, but milder summers mean less air conditioning use than say, Florida. Also the terrain here is relatively flat with few hills and no mountains.

I think part of the problem is that there are probably only a handful of Leafs in Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula.
Krenzen Nissan in Duluth, MN does not sell the Leaf.
Eau Claire Auto Group in Eau Claire WI has a Leaf S for sale for $32,000(what a deal).
Gandrud Nissan in Green Bay, WI does not sell the Leaf.
Riverside Nissan in Marquette, MI does not sell the Leaf.

Bergstrom Victory Lane Imports in Appleton WI has 3 Leafs for sale at reasonable price and seems to be the northernmost dealer in the area who is serious about selling Leafs. So there is likely to be a lot of northern Minnesota/Wisconsin/Michigan without any data at all.

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The Model S is much more aerodynamic. The power needed to overcome aerodynamic drag will vary with the cube of velocity.
So at high speeds having a slippery vehicle is much more important than having a light vehicle. Longer vehicle shapes are better for aerodynamics and allow the air to flow cleanly around the vehicle while the Leaf's shorter stubby stance causes more turbulence.

http://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/the-slipperiest-car-on-the-road.pdf

Note the hottest spot in the country in the middle of NH, which is ski country in that area. Tesla has no superchargers planned here. The Hooksett, NH supercharger is well south of there.

It's interesting that the colors correspond to 270 to 340 Wh/mi, so the worst areas are only 25% worse than the best. That's not too bad, considering the differences in terrain and climate.

AoneOne said:

It's interesting that the colors correspond to 270 to 340 Wh/mi, so the worst areas are only 25% worse than the best. That's not too bad, considering the differences in terrain and climate.

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There's not enough resolution to tell, but that part of NH looks close to 400 Wh/mi.

Note that the map does not indicate results from Leaf drivers in each portion of the country. The map was determined only from regional temperature data applied to the energy consumption versus ambient temperature curve that the authors calculated from the dataset of reported average driving range versus ambient temperature. There would have to be an assumption of what was the wH capacity of the battery corresponding to that range value in order to get wH/mi. If the as-new capacity was assumed, that would overstate the wH/mi.

Folks, let's not forget that the Leaf is an air-cooled battery. It lacks the temperature management system of the Model S or Chevy Volt. Personally, I feel this will lead to a shorter battery degradation and will be the Achilles heel for Nissan. This was very short-sighted. What is the saying? Pennywise and pound foolish?

chriSharek said:

Folks, let's not forget that the Leaf is an air-cooled battery. It lacks the temperature management system of the Model S or Chevy Volt. Personally, I feel this will lead to a shorter battery degradation and will be the Achilles heel for Nissan. This was very short-sighted. What is the saying? Pennywise and pound foolish?

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I thought that the Leaf recently added temperature management because of the battery degradation suits from warm weather users. Did I fall for a rumor and they really didn't fix the issue?

v12 to 12v said:

I thought that the Leaf recently added temperature management because of the battery degradation suits from warm weather users. Did I fall for a rumor and they really didn't fix the issue?

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I believe they only changed the battery chemistry.

The Leaf battery in the 2015 model is the new "lizard battery". It is supposed to be more heat tolerant and have a slower degradation rate than the previous versions of the battery. All warranty as well as paid-for battery replacements on all Leafs are being done with this new battery. Active temperature management was NOT added to the Leaf and it does not sound like that is in the plans either. Nissan wants to stay with passive temperature management. The new battery hasn't been out long enough to get real world degradation data for the Leaf community to confirm Nissan's claims.

AWDtsla said:

There's not enough resolution to tell, but that part of NH looks close to 400 Wh/mi.

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I'd bet those folks have a "This car climbed Mt. Washington" bumper sticker.

stevezzzz said:

...and excessive heat is a range-killer, too: look at the desert Southwest.

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Funny, I live near Phoenix, Arizona and my lifetime consumption average is 294 Wh/mi.

Map is a desperate search for statistical significance. Fail.
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I promise you there are mountains in East TN and West NC, Smoky Mountain Natl Park. Probably no terrain data for leaf. Also I live in a rural area which results in a lot of two lane 55mph driving which strongly reduces my avg wh/m.

v12 to 12v said:

I thought that the Leaf recently added temperature management because of the battery degradation suits from warm weather users. Did I fall for a rumor and they really didn't fix the issue?

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Beginning with 2015, LEAF battery is purportedly more heat-resistant. There is no active TMS. However the van variant does appear to have some degree of active thermal management:

Nissan e-NV200 Electric-Van Battery Adds Thermal Conditioning