The Nissan Leaf has been in production since 2010 and today starts from about 450 thousand rubles in its home market. When new, the manufacturer claimed the battery would support a 109-horsepower motor for roughly 175 kilometers. After a decade or so of use, that original range is noticeably reduced.
In a bid to understand real-world performance, the publication Journalists Top Speed undertook a test with a 2012 Leaf that had accumulated 115,000 kilometers on the odometer (about 71,500 miles).
Under ideal conditions, with neither extreme heat nor cold, a full charge could theoretically yield about 106 kilometers. In practice, the usable range was often even lower due to daily driving patterns and environmental factors.
The test was conducted in a light frost of 3 degrees, when the car’s onboard electronics projected that a full charge would cover 67 kilometers. For most readers, that would be enough for a commute or a round trip to the store. Yet as soon as the test began, the energy forecasts began to recalibrate in real time.
At a top speed of 159 kilometers per hour, after just 4.9 kilometers, the car’s computer predicted a remaining range of 39 kilometers. After 7.4 kilometers, the projection was revised again, now suggesting the ability to travel another 4.8 kilometers. After another 600 meters, the battery showed only enough charge for about 1 mile, or 1.61 kilometers. Yet the situation did not end in sudden failure.
Rather than stopping, the Leaf gradually slowed as the speed decreased from 156 km/h to 153, then 151, continuing to decline as more energy was drawn from the battery. In an effort to maximize the remaining energy, the test team activated several electrical loads—emergency signaling, windshield wipers, headlights, heated seats, and other devices—to see how much energy could be preserved for propulsion.
After roughly 27 kilometers, the vehicle continued to move at around 150 km/h. About 32.6 kilometers into the drive, a warning message appeared: “Engine power is limited,” and the vehicle began to decelerate more quickly. The result was a full-speed range of 34.7 kilometers for the ten-year-old Leaf on a single charge, a stark reminder of how temperature, speed, and auxiliary systems can dramatically affect electric vehicle performance in real-world conditions. For context, comparable high-performance machines like a Bugatti can consume a full fuel tank well ahead of schedule, illustrating the different energy dynamics at play between gas and electric powertrains when pushed to the limit (Source: Journalists Top Speed).
Many observers consider how far an electric vehicle can travel on a single full charge at maximum speed to be a telling gauge of overall capability. It captures the trade-offs between battery capacity, motor efficiency, aerodynamics, and cooling, especially on aging packs that have seen thousands of miles of service.
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A visual presentation accompanies the article: Nissan Video: YouTube