I will start this post by saying that you absolutely do not buy a Leaf to roadtrip, but since owning my Leaf for a year, I have had the lingering question in my mind of whether I could take “Lily Leaf” from Winston-Salem, NC to Asheville, NC where my mother-in-law lives. I have heard rumors of gloom and doom about fast chargers being in poor working order, difficult to find, and to be soon non-existent for CHAdeMO. So I researched and planned out my trip with redundancy built in, but you know what, it was really pretty easy. In theory a trip of 167 miles should be easily reached in a 62kWh Leaf. But highway driving is not where a Leaf shines, and as anyone that has driven Interstate 40 to Asheville can attest, one must account for the climb up Black Mountain. I decided to play it safe and stop for a charge in Hickory, NC. I started my trip at 100% charge from my garage. It was a beautiful day. 68 degrees, sunny, no wind. It is all highway, so I set the cruise control at 3 over the speed limit. The speed limit is mostly 65. I ran the vent, but not the air conditioning. I arrived at the Hickory Nissan dealership with 54% of battery. I used the restroom, got a free cup of coffee, and talked on the telephone with my daughter. By the time I had completed these tasks, the car was charged to 90%, so I continued on my journey. I was there about 35 minutes. Black Mountain did sap 20 miles of the range. I arrived in Asheville with 45% of battery. I decided to charge back up to 90% before going to my mother-in-laws, so I would be ready to roll the next morning. I used a Shell Recharge station on the campus of AB Tech. Charged with no problem. What would have been wonderful would have been a level 2 at my mother-in-laws apartment complex, but alas. The return trip was very similar, except I regenerated 6 miles coming down Black Mountain. I stopped at the same Nissan Dealer, topping up to 80%, just to be careful, as it was windy and rainy. I arrived home with 45% battery. Take aways: You have to plan- and still use your own knowledge and a little common sense. You have to not be in a hurry- charging takes time. You have to love your Leaf for who she is. She is not a road-tripper, but she has a can-do-attitude and she WILL get you there. Sent from my iPad using Inside EVs
Yes. Most Nissan dealers in NC (if they have a fast charger) will let you charge for free. The one in Winston-Salem provides free charging to any EV on first come, first served basis. They also have free level two charging.
