Blind Driving an EV in Freezing Weather

Arctic air has engulfed the U.S.  For most EV drivers, sub-freezing temperatures present a real stress for their electron-motivated commutes.  Depending on how low the mercury goes, an electric vehicle may lose more than 20% of it's range when the deep freeze arrives.

Last month, I decided to try an experiment:  I would completely disable all dashboard illumination in my LEAF, taking away any ability to see how much charge remained in the battery pack.

The Nissan LEAF comes with a host of displays that provide the driver with a plethora of data points:

Now, three weeks have gone by.  Surprisingly, I'm not suddenly running out of electricity every trip.  Some things have drastically changed, though, since the start of blind driving.  My EV-induced attention-deficit disorder is gone!  Also, I am utilizing the LEAF's heater with blissful ignorance.  Not only that, but I'm driving at speeds that are dictated by my desire.  Or traffic flow--whichever is faster. 

There have been some close calls.  I know because even with the visual displays turned off, the "LEAF lady" still provides audible warnings when the battery charge is "Low, Very Low, Reduced Power."  I have received quite a few (very) low battery warnings, but not the reduced power warning, during this experiment.   

Cutting it close!

Occasionally, after arriving home, I'll look to see how close I was to getting stranded on the side of the road with a dead battery.  In the picture above, you can see that I am cutting it close on occasion.  On the left, the official Nissan LEAF app indicated zero range remaining; the image on the right showing 8 GIDs (EV driver vernacular).

I figured out to get the dashboard display to turn off even in daylight driving;)

With the findings now published, my experiment is officially done.  I think, though, that I'll keep the lights out...serenity now.

My wife is an attorney, so here's the disclaimer that I know she expects from my shenanigans:

Willingly driving without any instrumentation is not only dangerous, but completely moronic.  Don't try it!