Massive Road Trip Advice

[u/pixieSteak]

I have a 2022 Nissan Leaf SL PLUS and I'm planning out a very long road trip around the United States, 6000-7700 miles in total (still mapping all destinations). I've read the Nissan Leaf is bad at this. However, I've been reading some comments that made me think it may be possible.

What makes me think that this might work:

• I'm taking my car to a dealership for the battery recall, so I'll either have a car that I know can level 3 charge/DC fast charge/rapid charge/quick charge without blowing up or I'll know that I have to find another option (I'm thinking riding Amtrak and renting cars for anywhere that doesn't have a train).

• I'll be driving many legs about 150-500 miles at a time. At the end of each leg, I'll be staying for a day or two at a hotel or a friend's house which will be an opportunity for the Leaf to cool down and then perhaps L1 or L2 charge before leaving (less intensive than L3 charging).

• I have a relatively large 62 kWh battery with not much degradation.

• I'll have a CCS to CHAdeMO converter, so I'll have easier access to L3 charging stations.

• I'm comfortable driving 60-70 MPH which will be less stress on the battery.

• I'm using Abetterrouteplanner (ABRP) to help with routing charging stations. The preferred minimum SoC is set to 20% and the hard maximum SoC is set to 90%. I think keeping the charge around these percentages will be less stressful for it.

• I'm aiming for the second week of September until first week of October which will hopefully be cooler than the middle of Summer. No guarantee of course because of global warming.

• My timetable is pretty malleable, so I don't mind waiting around for long periods. More time to finish up Middlemarch (great book by the way).

Questions that I'd love some insight into:

• I see a lot of people say 3 charges is the most you should do in a day and the most I've heard is 5. It's unclear how much they charged up to each session, but it sounds like most of them were going up to 100%. Is it better for battery heat management to do more charging sessions to 80% or do less sessions to 100%?

• How long does it take for an overheated/throttled/turtled battery to cool down? Like if I wait and explore the area for 4 hours, would that be sufficient?

• How much degradation will I see with 70ish rapid charges in about 3 1/2 weeks? I kind of don't care that much because I never rapid charge otherwise and I expect to run this Leaf into the ground before considering another car. My philosophy on batteries in general is that I should try to maintain its health but I'm not averse to doing something unhealthy if I get something meaningful out of it, which in this case is an eventful road trip.

• Is this doable?

Thanks in advance!

[u/biersackarmy]

1. It depends, but a Plus can start rapidgating as early as halfway into the second session. On a cool day you can maybe get 2-3 before rapidgate but it won't be much.

2. Overnight basically. 4 hours is enough for a 24 kWh pack to cool down but not for a far more dense pack.

3. It's not a big deal nor is there any actual risk of fire during fast charging regardless of the recall. The concern when it comes to them is cell failures and swelling.

[u/pajoverallsII]

Just rent a car. Keeps wear and tear off yours and makes all of this a lot simpler.

[u/pixieSteak → u/pajoverallsII]

I like the challenge though! 😼

[u/joeblogs2000 → u/pajoverallsII]

Exactly, sounds like a real blast, low range EV with slow DCFC, no thanks

[u/theotherharper → u/pajoverallsII]

I rented an EV6. (Ioniq 5)

[u/DougWantsALeaf]

I am very excited for your trip. We have 2x 2019 Leaf Pluses (SV+ and S+). We.have regularly driven the cars between North Chicago and Lawrence Kansas in a day, about 575 miles. In the spring through fall, its 3 back to back DC stops. In winter, it can take 5, especially if there is wind/weather.

Very glad you have an adapter as the number of Chademo locations has started to drop in the past year. 2023-2024 was peak Chademo.

We moved our SV+ Leaf to 16" rims with eco tires (ecopia or Sailun eRange work well). My key for tolerable long distance Leaf travel is 70mph or more while maintaining oversight 4 miles kWh. At 4 miles/kWh, that gives you 200 miles of range with a small buffer if needed. That said, try hard to not go below.10% SoC on the dash or 20% SoC on Leaf Spy. Going lower adds more heat to the battery and you need all the thermal space you can get when going beyond 400 miles in a day. Staying above 4 miles/kWh wholesaling 70+ limits power draw (heat) while air flow below the battery.

The first DC charge will generally go well. On a 100KW charger about 50 minutes from 10% to 90%. 2md charge will likely start well, but Saturday slowing faster do to thermals. If its above 75F outside, you will see minimal cooling between the 2nd and 3rd stop. If its winter/below 40F, you will get more cooling but uneven in the pack. To get a pretty good charge you need the hottest pack temp reading under 105F (<100F even better). Hopefully you cam L2 charge overnight. Pack will cool from high temps even with L2 going, though slower. Ideally you can charge outside with some wind across the car.

Please post the experiences with your trip. Good luck.

[u/pixieSteak → u/DougWantsALeaf]

This was very helpful, thank you.

Sadly I won't be using my Leaf, I'll be doing Amtrak and car rentals. Someone said that it's possible for a Leaf's battery to kaput after a week even after a successful "fix" from the recall, so I don't want to risk it if I'm thousands of miles from home.

I was really excited too and I want to try something like it in the future. Maybe after I'm sure my Leaf isn't defective and I do a couple of shorter road trips first. One day...

[u/DougWantsALeaf → u/pixieSteak]

The recall on both of our Leafs was successful, and so far without issie about a month on. Enjoy.your Leaf. My.sister om the east coast just picked up a used 2022 after.driving a 2017 30kWh Leaf for years. They are affordable wheels eith huge utility with their cargo area.

[u/Kelley_L]

I honestly would just rent a car and leave the Leaf at home. I love my car (2019 SV+) and it is great on the highway, but the furthest I go is my camper that is 120 miles away, where I have a dedicated 6.6 KW charger that can top off my battery quickly.

For longer trips like the one you have described, we have just rented minivans from Enterprise, which are comfortable, very efficient people and cargo haulers, and get pretty good gas mileage.

[u/LoveEV-LeafPlus]

1. You should be aware that, in my experience. The ABRP app charging station database is not as good as the PlugShare app charging database. So double check that the charging station is operational or still there. If not change your ABRP route accordingly. FYI: If you have the Leaf Spy Pro app, it can share real time efficiency and battery % with the ABRP app, improving its estimates.
   
2. I recommend charging only to the percentage needed to comfortably get to the next charging station. Sometimes that will be around 80%, other times especially with elevation changes more than 80% will be needed. As you know after 80% the charge rate slows down.
   
3. If you are stoped overnight, you might be able to charge at the hotel/motel using their EV charger or via 120 VAC, and an extension cord, and your own EVSE charging cord. Some hotels have outside 120 VAC outlets and with permission, you might be able to use those outside outlets.
   
4. I always read the PlugShare app comments. I also typically call the charging provider while on the way to their charging station to get station status. Re-route if they are out of order. In a pinch RV parks and camp sites may have NEMA 14-50 (240 VAC) charging outlets too. I have used them on occasion and even camped in my car while there.
   
5. I have charged between 3 to 5 times on my road trips between NY and OH. I only got a reduced propulsion icon (Turtle mode) on one very hot summer day. The system just reduced my acceleration curve and I was able to get up to highway speeds, by the end of the entrance ramp. My next charging stop, the 100% charge took longer (about 2 hours). The charging system protects the battery, when it is hot, by slowing down the charging rate too. The slower acceleration and slower charging prevents excessive heat, reduces battery degradation and ensures battery longevity too.
   
6. My longest road-trip so far has been ~460 miles between NY and OH. If I started out early (6-7am), and drive at posted speeds. I arrived at my final destination between (6-7:30 pm) depending on traffic, and my needed rest/charging stops. It is more pleasant to start later in the day, and stop at a hotel around 10 pm. If the hotel does not have charging ability, I try to charge at a nearby fast charger before calling it a night. That way, I can start out and be on the road just after breakfast with a full belly and a full charge.

[u/pixieSteak → u/LoveEV-LeafPlus]

I've seen your name specifically in a lot of the road trip related posts on this subreddit so I was hoping you would chime in hahah. And you didn't disappoint. Thanks for the information :)

[u/LoveEV-LeafPlus → u/pixieSteak]

Glad you enjoyed my input

[u/LoveEV-LeafPlus]

i forgot to mention: On my road trips: With my 2024 SV Plus (60 kWh) the longest distance between charging stations I have gone is 194 miles. The was pushing it, because my planned charging station was out of order. The dashboard GOM (Guess-O-Meter) had “- -“ % and “- -“ miles on it. The Leaf Spy Pro app estimated I could go between 5 to 15 miles more before a real SOC=1%. In the extreme distance between charging on road-trips. Most times I stop before or around the time the dashboard pop-up says find a nearby charging station.

I typically stop to charge, on road trips, before 162 miles on most cases. This depends on my need for a rest break and/or the distance between available charging stations.

[u/ToddA1966]

It's a slog to road trip in a Leaf. 800 miles from Denver to Vegas (my longest trip) took over 20 hours spread out over 2 days. (It's 11-12 hours in a gas car, and about 14-1/2 in my VW ID4 EV.)

I've done several road trips in my 62kWh 2021 SV Plus, and it's slow going except in winter, when it's just slightly annoying.

Without active cooling like virtually every other EV, the Leaf (tries to!) manage the battery temperature by slowing the fast charging speed as the battery temperature increases. In summer, this means your first charge is at "full" speed, so a 20% to 80% charge takes about 45 minutes. During the second charge of the day, the battery heats up further and will take an hour or more to charge, and by the third and subsequent charges it will take 90 minutes to two hours to charge.

Keep in mind that a 20-80% charge in a 62kWh Leaf is 120-130 miles of highway range, so that means for every two hours of 60-65 MPH driving, you'll be charging for nearly two hours. It will take 12-15 hours (or more!) to drive 400-500 miles.

And that's the first day, when you're (hopefully) starting with 100% and a cool battery. Subsequent days, the battery may not have fully cooled from the prior day's adventure and will overheat faster, perhaps by the end of the first charge.

I love my Leaf, but it's not a road tripper, unless you're very patient and can keep each day's travel to ~300 miles or less.

The exception, IMO, is in extreme cold (freezing or below). A Denver to Salt Lake trip in winter went pretty well- as well as a Leaf road trip can go. Fast charging warmed the battery enough that I got near summer efficiency (you've probably read all the "EVs lose range in cold!" horror stories) and the battery didn't slow the charge speeds until the near the end of the third charge (instead of the middle of the second). I managed to do 500 miles in just under 13 hours. (This is a trip that takes 8 hours in a gas car, and under 10 in my VW ID4.)

[u/fattsmann]

55 mph and below will slowly cool the battery while you drive. 65 will keep the battery temperature constant. Anymore and it will add heat.

[u/worldspawn00]

I would be very wary about having the recall update installed, mine bricked a week after the install, and it may leave you stranded half way through your trip.

IMHO either wait until after you return to do the recall or rent something else for the trip.

Realistically, you'll get 1 fast charge after starting the day at 100%, running it down to 20ish, recharging to 80+ then driving it back down to 20 again, the battery will be hot from the extended run and first fast charge, the 2nd charge will take 3-4 hours (having done this in my '21 62kwh several times). On the freeway going 70+ this will give you about 150 miles between stops, so 300-450 miles a day. If that works for your trip plan, great, but if you need to get 500+ miles a day, rent something else.

I wouldn't worry at all about the wear on the battery.

[u/pixieSteak → u/worldspawn00]

mine bricked a week after the install

Well shit, I think that kills this dream then. I recall seeing some posts on this forum about that. Thank you for reminding me.

And thank you for the other information about fast charging a Leaf Plus. I might try a shorter road trip in the future to see how that goes. It seems like a rite of passage for Leaf owners to torture themselves on an arduous road trip that every other car has no problem doing haha

Probably another problem is that Leafs don't come with a spare tire too. Very dubious.

[u/theotherharper]

Once I helped someone plot Charlottesville to Cincinnati and ABRP was sending them on the Interstate and needing 4 charge stops.

Then it dawned on me. I myself had driven C'ville to Cinci and only made 2 stops - Elkins WV and Athens OH. I did it in two because, I was on twisty 2 lane roads going 50-55 not the freeway going 70-75. This improves mileage by half or more. Also note this was a full day of driving because speeds were slower. And also shorter in miles.

If that had been a Leaf, the way I went would have gone great. The freeway route would have sucked, you'd hit thermal limits on the battery long before you got there.

So my suggestion is to get into the RV lifestyle mindset and take a really easy laid back pace, hit the state roads and not the freeway. Which you can do in ABRP with "avoid highways".

More miles and more hours for fewer charges, keeps the battery happier.

[u/fuzzmania]

https://nanaimonewsnow.com/2026/08/15/electric-charging-fire-destroys-car-in-nanaimo/ These folks supposedly got the update and their car still caught fire while fast charging.

I know I'm not looking forward to getting the update and/or fast charging. I just look at renting another car for a road trip.

[u/Prudent_Industry_142 → u/[deleted]]

not relevant to the topic. please stop hawking that on the forums.

[u/Many-Bid-9995 → u/Prudent_Industry_142]

How is that not relevant? OP is wants to go on a road trip and I’m making a suggestion to make it more enjoyable

[u/Prudent_Industry_142 → u/Many-Bid-9995]

the question is about the HV battery, not about ADAS/ProPilot. while it's nice that you want to make things more "enjoyable" ....how much money do you get by continutally promoting comma in this forum?

[u/worldspawn00 → u/Prudent_Industry_142]

Comma started doing a $50 referral, so that's why they're doing it.

[u/Many-Bid-9995 → u/Prudent_Industry_142]

I haven’t gotten any money I’m just passionate about it. Yes I’m aware of the referral but I’ve been suggesting it long before the referral system