Capacity Loss on 2011-2012 LEAFs

[mksE55]

can we link to the Video.

 

[surfingslovak]

In keeping with the international character of the forum, I've added Jesus Toucedo to the Wiki, the first reported bar loser in Spain. I don't speak much Spanish, but if someone wanted to follow up with him, perhaps it would be worth joining their Facebook group.

Pues Nissan me ha dicho poco... Le he hecho la revisión del año y no han David decirme en que estado esta la bateria, por supuesto sigo con una barra me la y la sensación de tener algo menos de autonomía... A ver en que queda la prueba de Usa, a algunos les han reestablecido las barras y dicho que es un problema de software... En mi caso han sido 86€ para llenar el liquido limpiacristales...

 

[opossum]

The story just aired on KPHO CBS5. Keep an eye on the station's website for a video.

 

[mark1313]

Great job KPHO 5 news in Phx...That was great news coverage on the Leaf, they even showed the web site and this long discussion ...
It really caught me off guard to see another story on the Leaf tonight..It should make Nissan and Mark Perry look like villians now..

Kind of funny I started watching CH. 5 news after they started doing coverage on the Leaf..

 

[mark1313]

Opossum was that you on the news ?

Aaaaaaaaand... the interview just wrapped up. Nissan did not want to do an interview for this story. Shocking! :lol:

That makes two interviews by the greater Phoenix Leaf community since the range test. One more to go. Nissan, are you watching? Set your corporate DVR!

 

[opossum]

Opossum was that you on the news?

I didn't even get home in time to see my own news story and forgot to tell the DVR to record it. If it was a guy, yes, that was me. :lol: Another Leafer from Saturday's range test swung by for the interviews also. I won't 'out' her without permission, though.

 

[mark1313]

Well you were wearing a Mark Perry mask and telling all of Phx on the news that the Leaf battery capacity would only decrease 10% @ 100,000 miles :lol: I thought maybe it was April 1st but you were not joking either :lol:

 

[opossum]

The ending is abrupt. I haven't seen the TV version yet, so I'm not sure what got chopped out of the story. Hopefully they post the full/corrected video later...

http://www.kpho.com/video?clipId=7745772&autostart=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[cwerdna]

The ending is abrupt. I haven't seen the TV version yet, so I'm not sure what got chopped out of the story. Hopefully they post the full/corrected video later...

http://www.kpho.com/video?clipId=7745772&autostart=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks! Yeah, abrupt ending indeed.

I wonder if the full version will/did discuss Tony's range test.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

ok, i got a 15 second video that played simultaneously with a commercial

 

[surfingslovak]

ok, i got a 15 second video that played simultaneously with a commercial

Try again, just hit reload in your browser window.

 

[Volusiano]

The ending is abrupt. I haven't seen the TV version yet, so I'm not sure what got chopped out of the story. Hopefully they post the full/corrected video later...

http://www.kpho.com/video?clipId=7745772&autostart=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They may not be aware that the video clip is cut short and needs fixing unless somebody tells them. I assume you'll let them know since you have their contact info? Thanks. I can't wait to see the complete clip.

 

[Volusiano]

Well, I caught a rerun of the news report on channel 5 just now, and it didn't really last much longer from where it was cut off. From the cutoff point, the news clip transitioned back to Heather Moore, and she went on to very briefly mention about the Phoenix's owners' own testing last weekend and posting of the results online. And she went on to say that they asked Nissan for a response. Then they showed an excerpt from Nissan's written response, that Nissan will contact the individual owners of the LEAFs that were tested in Casa Grande in the near term to share the results with them. Then Heather said they asked Nissan what "near term" means, and Nissan replied that it means "very soon". And that was pretty much it.

The news people didn't go into any details of last week's Tempe test results and didn't mention that the test results confirmed that there really is a battery problem, unlike Andy Palmer's claim that there is no battery problem. I was a little disappointed that they didn't spend more time showing the results and report on the conclusion of the test, but I can understand that they may want to remain neutral and let people look it up and make conclusions for themselves.

 

[September]

It seems that there might be positive aspect to this story and fact that media gave some attention to LEAF problems. I just saw this review (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volvo/v60/18721/volvo-v60-plug" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false of new Volvo V60 PHEV and what caught my attention was that they seem to warrant explicitly 60% of capacity after 10 years. This means that battery degradation anxiety is taken more seriously, and hopeful market would force other EV markets to give so strong statements on capacity. I think that would not have happened if issue was not brought to public attention. Instead of giving haters one more argument, it seems that one more worry would be soon taken from EV drivers. Unfortunately haters would not take account of that.

 

[JRP3]

Well a 60% capacity warranty would still leave a lot of people with an unusable vehicle in the case of the LEAF.

 

[RegGuheert]

Well a 60% capacity warranty would still leave a lot of people with an unusable vehicle in the case of the LEAF.

Agreed, but that warranty statement makes it clear to owners that they should not be purchasing the vehicle if they need to drive beyond 60% of the new range for any number of years. I have long predicted that many LEAF owners who purchased the LEAF for 60- to 70-mile commutes would be disappointed with the car. But I predicted that would occur around 2016.

 

[opossum]

I have long predicted that many LEAF owners who purchased the LEAF for 60- to 70-mile commutes would be disappointed with the car. But I predicted that would occur around 2016.

Exactly. The timing is key. We had discussions about Nissan's battery degradation expectations before we purchased. Having 70-80% capacity toward the end of the pack's life, several years from now, was acceptable. We would work around it and nurse the pack until we couldn't tolerate the ever reducing range any longer. Then, presumably, the price of replacement packs would be much lower *or* we would be upgrading to a pack that was several years more advanced than the original pack and affording us range that would presumably give us a longer period of use before it could no longer meet our needs.

Hitting 70-80% after just 15 months is quite different. Improved packs are not available and the cost savings of driving the car has not yet been realized, assuming we had to pay for pack #2.

 

[opossum]

They may not be aware that the video clip is cut short and needs fixing unless somebody tells them.

I told Heather about the chopped video. She said it should be fixed by tomorrow (stated at about midnight). The 'print' article is now on KPHO. It covers everything that was left off the chopped video. Hopefully the video itself is fixed soon.

http://www.kpho.com/story/19591243/nissan-leaf-owners-still-have-no-answers-from-company-after-dramatic-loss-of-battery-capacity" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I was a little disappointed that they didn't spend more time showing the results and report on the conclusion of the test, but I can understand that they may want to remain neutral and let people look it up and make conclusions for themselves.

It's more about time than anything else. Time in a 30-minute (with commercial) news broadcast is at a premium. The fact that we got over 2 minutes for this story is actually pretty awesome, honestly. I think I've heard after all three stories that certain bits were edited out of the video to keep it short and simple. It's amazing how much footage is shot and how many questions are asked... and it all boils down to just a few sound bites. They didn't even have time to show my response to what I thought Nissan's "very soon" response meant. I told Heather that based on Nissan's response to the Casa Grande testing, "very soon" probably means Christmas.

Don't worry. I'm sure this 2-minute story did plenty of damage to potential Nissan Leaf sales. :lol:

 

[mwalsh]

I'm with Opossum. I had no illusions that my 61 mile r/t without refueling would last forever. But I figured I'd have a pretty good shot at 5 years before I'd have to ask my employer for daily midpoint refueling, at least from what we'd been told by Nisssan. Besides, I also figured that by the time 5 years had come pack replacement would be a real and affordable option. Now I'm thinking maybe I'll be extremely lucky to reach that 5 year goal, but am hesitant to make a prediction as to what timeframe I realistically should be looking at.

 

[KJD]

The best part of this news story is at the end of the print version.

Nissan has been working hard to understand some LEAF customers' concerns in the desert southwest. We've tested a number of individual vehicles and will be contacting those owners to discuss their individual results in the near term. We also anticipate having more information to release to the wider Arizona customer base soon. We are taking Phoenix customer concerns seriously and are working hard to ensure their full satisfaction."

CBS 5 asked them to define "near term." They said it means "very soon" at which time they say they will grant us an interview