The LEAF has always had an empty-full gauge, consisting of stacked bars
on the right side of the screen in front of the driver.
From 2013 forward, due to requests from drivers, there's also a numeric
battery percentage option that can be displayed in the middle of the
driver's screen.
You can also choose to show miles per kWh either on the middle screen or
on the driver's screen.
LEAF owners refer to "miles remaining" as the Guess-o-meter, or GOM.
AFAIK, the algorithm was smoothed out in 2013/14 models so the swings
are less wild, but any such algorithm doesn't know where you're going to
go next, what traffic will be like or the weather conditions. So if you
drive up a mountain it will guess increasingly low, and when you come
back down it will guess increasingly high.
The GOM is a more useful feature when driving on terrain with fewer
changes and at more consistent speeds.
I haven't needed the built-in nav features, but I suppose if the GOM
tied into the suggested route, and if it included data for elevation
changes, traffic patterns and weather, it could be made to be more
accurate even on routes that had a lot of variability.
I prefer to show battery percentage on the driver's screen because it's
easier to grok than a stack of bars, along with miles/kWh on the middle
screen so i can judge how efficiently I'm driving and how far that
percentage will take me. That combination lets me use my own internal
GOM based on knowing where I'm going and my experience with the route
and the LEAF.
The LEAF's GOM still shows on both screens. It can be ignored when
driving conditions are highly variable, or given more credence when
driving conditions are more consistent.
For a newbie, it just takes a few times on any route to build
understanding and confidence in the car. Driving then becomes routine
enjoyment of the benefits of the smooth, quiet power of electric travel.
Cheers,
-Jamie
On 5/8/14 8:43 AM, Bill Dennis via EV wrote:
Lee wrote:
But suppose you want to know how far you can go at a given speed (i.e. a
given load).
That is a much more complex calculation
I rented a Leaf recently, and I really don't like the "miles remaining"
thing. It varies too much. If you're going uphill, it gives a smaller
number of miles remaining. Then when you get back on level ground, miles go
back up. Going downhill it changes again. Talk about range anxiety. I'd
much rather have just as Empty-Full gauge as a regular car does. Then I can
see just how fast the gauge is going down and estimate for myself. I think
most people who have driving ICE cars all their lives have the same
instinct. The "miles remaining" is only a rough estimate anyway, just like
the rough estimate I'd make by looking at the Empty-Full gauge.
I'd be interested to hear other people's take on it.
Bill
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