Interesting Book on EV Adaptation..
 

I came across a (free) study regarding EV adaptation.

This link is to on-line reading with an option to free download.
Overcoming Barriers to Deployment of Plug-in Electric Vehicles

Best,

-AC

Have you tried coasting in neutral in the Leaf? You can hold the "shifter" in N for 2s or above 7MPH, just shift into R and it will beep and go into neutral.

Does it still have the stock Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 tires? If so, pump them up to 42-45PSI and coast with the best of them! They are very low rolling resistance tires.

Congrats on the EV. We are thoroughly enjoying our two EV's (Leaf S and e-Golf).

I know that tire pressure makes a big difference, I'll check it out.

Thanks for the neutral trick, too. What kind of range increase are you seeing with this?

I did try to take a short trip out of town. I discovered that steady travel gets lower mileage than city... go figure.

My Leaf doesn't have a GPS, and I don't have a smart phone for an app. I do have an inexpensive GPS that I set up a 'button' on, to search for the nearest ChargePoint location. Pretty useful.

Any other tips?

-AC

You have to pump up the Volt tires to 45 psi also. It must be how they make those high mileage tires.
Some people use the neutral coasting in the Volt to get more EV miles but you don’t gain that much. We carry a generator around anyway so it is not worth it to me. We have 39,252 EV miles so it not limiting us.

I like Plugshare.com much better than Chargepoint - Plugshare includes Chargepoint units, plus all the other networks and home chargers that are being shared, as well.

If you open the side windows an inch or two, you get increased air through the vents, and it actually seems to help the drag a bit.

I was thrashing about in the Leaf's menu system and found lots of interesting pages.

This one was the most interesting...


Right now, the charge point I am using, that is one block away, is free, so that's very good economy.

If I am using house power, that is currently running $0.11/kW-hr.

So that would work out to...

$/mile = 4.1 miles /kW-hr = .11 /4.1 = $0.027 / mile

GeoNRGee said that the price of electricity from the EV stations in Seattle was $0.44/kW-hr, or 4X home charging. It's more expensive, but they do have the expense of constructing the infrastructure to recuperate.

So that works out to .44/4.1 = $0.11 / mile

My daughter just bought a New Honda Odyssey Van that gets about 19 miles to the gallon...

With gas currently at $3.14/gallon, that works out to 3.14/19 = $0.17 / mile

National average miles per gallon is currently 23.6 mpg

That's 3.14/23.6 = $0.13 / mile

My 2000 Honda Insight gets around 55 mpg (avg summer & winter) around town.

That works out to 3.14/55 = $0.06 / mile

If I am out on the highway, and keep my Insight at 55 mph, it can get around 73 mpg.

That works out to... 3.14/73 = $0.043 / mile

All of which makes an electric car a very economical alternative to just about everything except bicycling.

Best,

-AC

The new Chevy Volt 2016 was just EPA tested and it got 53 EV miles.
this is great news. The 2013 was 38 miles and people get 40-45 all the time. They reduced the price some also.

The Results Are In: More Range for the 2016 Volt

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1438701758

"new 18.4-kWh lithium-ion battery, rated at a combined 106 MPGe, or gasoline equivalent. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range for a total of 420 miles on a full tank.

“We listened to our customers,” said Andrew Farah, vehicle chief engineer, “They were very clear when they told us that they wanted more range, and a fun driving experience behind the wheel. We are confident that the 2016 Volt delivers both.”

The next-generation Volt’s new 1.5L range-extender, designed to use regular unleaded fuel, offers a combined EPA-estimated fuel efficiency of 42 MPG."

Those are some great updates.

I didn't see about the price being lowered though?

It is because they put out that information a while ago.
This one mentions it.
Rumor: 2016 Chevy Volt gets 53 miles EV range, 40% increase

I never saw this EPA number before but it looks very good.

The outgoing 2015 Volt had an electric range of 38 rated miles and the new one is pegged at 53. Less-well known is the EPA rates it for 57 all-electric miles in the city, and 49 all-electric miles highway.

Is The 2016 Volt Worth Buying? - HybridCars.com