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.
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| 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).
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| 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!
