Electric Vehicle - Range Information
Classification: GI11-001AReference: NTB11-076A
Date: December 22, 2011
LEAF; RANGE INFORMATION
APPLIED VEHICLE: 2011-2012 LEAF (ZEO)
SERVICE INFORMATION:
The following information is intended to provide assistance in improving customer understanding of the unique characteristics of an electric vehicle and to clarify normal operation with regard to range. All of this information can be confirmed with the customer on the service drive.
1. It is the Certified Nissan LEAF Dealer's responsibility to assure that customers understand normal electric vehicle operation at the time of delivery to avoid customer misunderstanding and to set appropriate range expectations. The dealers sales department is responsible for reviewing the "Nissan LEAF Customer Disclosure Form" with the customer which covers range. Information related to range from the disclosure form is included with this bulletin. This disclosure form is provided with the LEAF New Vehicle Delivery System folder in each vehicle.
2. Confirm if the vehicle is subject to Voluntary Service Campaign P1213, and if so, complete the VCM Reprogram per Service Campaign Bulletin NTB11-038. Improvements to the accuracy of the Driving Range Display are included with this reprogram.
Note:
The reprogram does not change the ultimate range capability of the vehicle.
3. With all doors closed (including rear hatch), front seat belts fastened, and the Power Switch in the "Ready" mode, confirm there are no warning lights on the dashboard. These specifically include the Master Warning Light (red/yellow triangle with inside) and the EV System Warning Light (yellow vehicle outline with "!" inside). If none of these warning lights remain on and the vehicle has at least 2 segments of remaining charge, then all monitored systems and functions are normal.
4. Review the following with the customer:
a. As stated in the Nissan LEAF Customer Disclosure Form, "range is dependent on a number of factors. Some of the factors affecting range are ambient temperature, weight - number of passengers and payload, air conditioning/heater usage, high speed or stop-and-go driving, topography, battery capacity, etc". The Average Energy Economy provides an estimate of the actual customer driving behavior and conditions.
b. To improve range, customers should monitor Average Energy Economy and modify driving behavior to increase this number (Refer to the "Power Economy" section of owners manual, page 5-19).The following behaviors have the biggest impact on improving Average Energy Economy and range:
^ Drive at slower speeds (including taking alternative routes see NOTE).
^ Minimize the use of A/C and heater. If use is necessary, use A/C-Heater Timer (Climate Control Timer) to precondition the car prior to driving. Use ECO mode instead of "D".
^ Lift off the accelerator pedal earlier before a stop. This maximizes energy regeneration and reduces lost energy through braking.
^ Maintain tire pressure per the "Cold Tire Pressure" header on the "Tire and Loading Information" found in owners manual.
NOTE:
Consider changing the "Setting Conditions for Route Calculation" in the Navigation System (see Navigation System Owner's Manual) to either "Minimize Freeway" or "Shortest Route" to find more energy efficient routes.
5. Demonstrate how to access the actual Average Energy Economy display on the customer's Trip Computer (see Owner's Manual for explanation), obtain the value from the customer's vehicle and refer to the table below:
6. If the customer is using the Li-ion Battery Available Charge Gauge to estimate range (e.g. numbers of miles traveled per segment used), please inform the customer that the last segment at the bottom of the gauge has more capacity than the others. There is also reserve Li-ion battery capacity when there are no segments. The table above provides an estimation of the ultimate remaining range compared to estimated range to one remaining segment.
