2018 Setting only END time on charge timer.

[Virtuallydead]

Hi all,
When I went to edit the Start/Stop times on the new-to-me 2018, both had a default of 12:00 filled in. I can't figure out how to get rid of the START time. This is a no-brainer on my 2015. What button press am I missing?

 

[henrydehoja]

Hi,
Are you talking about the Charging Timer START/END times?
I am not aware of any way to get rid of - or disable - the START time feature on the 2015 or 2018 Leafs. The whole point of the timer is to have a start time and end time to setup a period for the charging timer to work.

Or are you referring to another issue?

 

[Virtuallydead]

That is it exactly. The START time on the 2015 is disabled( displays --:--) just by using the UP/DOWN buttons as if you were setting the time.
On the 2018 it never gives you the -- option.
Setting only the end time has a specific function. The car will calculate when to start charging so it can be fully charged just before the END time you set. Thus, you will have a fully charged car each morning, that spent a minimum amount of time sitting at 100%.
My 2018 owner's manual specifically suggests using this method when the outside temperature is cold.
(pg CH-36 of the Nov.2017 edition)

 

[Steve52]

In the 2018 model, it appears that even though you set the STOP time, the start time display defaults to 12:00am. The manual says the vehicle will automatically calculate and set the start time. I've never tried it. Do you have a way to track charge time such as an internet connected EVSE which could let you look at what the vehicle's charge timer is doing?

 

[Virtuallydead]

At the moment I have no way to see/record when the charging starts.
There were two options for this with my MY2015.
I have a Bluetooth battery voltage monitor which just recently broke, and for some reason LEAFspy will not connect to the MY2018 LEAF when it is charging.
Both of these methods would have been able to record the charge cycle.

 

[henrydehoja]

That is it exactly. The START time on the 2015 is disabled( displays --:--) just by using the UP/DOWN buttons as if you were setting the time.
On the 2018 it never gives you the -- option.
Setting only the end time has a specific function. The car will calculate when to start charging so it can be fully charged just before the END time you set. Thus, you will have a fully charged car each morning, that spent a minimum amount of time sitting at 100%.
My 2018 owner's manual specifically suggests using this method when the outside temperature is cold.
(pg CH-36 of the Nov.2017 edition)

I see what you mean in the the 2015 manual:


However, I do not have the Nov. 2017 print of the 2018 Leaf manual. My manual print date is April 2018 and I see that Page CH-36 and other pages do not address anything about the system automatically determining when to begin charging without a START time. Maybe it was a fixed misprint?

I use the Charging Timer all the time to charge at home. Over the years I have played around with various charging durations (i.e., 3 hr, 4 hr, 2 hr, etc), my START time is always set at 12:00AM, and I have noticed that my charging always starts at 12:00AM and ends on the specified END time. I have never noticed the charging performance deviate from that typical action.

 

[Steve52]

At the moment I have no way to see/record when the charging starts.
There were two options for this with my MY2015.
I have a Bluetooth battery voltage monitor which just recently broke, and for some reason LEAFspy will not connect to the MY2018 LEAF when it is charging.
Both of these methods would have been able to record the charge cycle.

You could just trust the manual and set the Stop time and let it go until you can verify when the charging takes place. Another way to approach this is to use the start/stop timer to set a predetermined period of time to charge each night. For instance, my 40 kWh Leaf L2 charges about 18.5 %/hr. Let say you use 50%/day so you need 2 hrs 40 min to reach 100%. Set the timer to start at 4:00am and stop at 6:40am to reach 100% before you leave for work. This way you can also tune the final SOC to 80% or anything you like by adjusting the charge duration.

 

[Virtuallydead]

I have used the START/STOP combination to achieve various SOC end points already.
I no longer want to have do any math, just have a full battery every other day or so when I plug it in. It sitting at 100% for an hour or so every other day won't make a difference in battery longevity.

 

[ardony]

It's not "math", it's just simple arithmetic. Hardly a strain for the brain. Use it or lose it!

 

[henrydehoja]

I got it to work on mine. I wasn't able to disable the START time, but I did see the START time change when I enabled the "Full charge has priority" feature on the Charging Timer.


I typically don't use this feature, so I forgot all about it. But it allowed the car to automatically change the START time, while keeping the END time unchanged.

 

[Virtuallydead]

I'm gonna give that a try. I'm fairly sure I don't have that set because I used to use the granny cable and the car did not always charge fully overnight.
Thanks.