High Battery Temperature?

[DiamondDan73]

I noticed the battery temperature seems really high on my 2012 Leaf SL. I just bought it on Tuesday and it was down to 9 battery bars at 39,000 miles. I got the Leaf Spy Pro app and have been montoring the battery every trip.
I have noticed that the battery temp is pretty high. Today sensor 2 was over 110 degrees!
Is this normal? How is the battery cooled?

 

[cwerdna]

Mine hasn't gotten to 110 F yet, but then again, I've not had Leaf Spy for that long. What were ambient temps that day?

The battery isn't cooled. Charging heats it up. Driving does somewhat, as well.

If you're down to 9 capacity bars, then at least you should make it to qualify for a replacement battery, under the capacity warranty.

I don't park my current Leaf outside at work. At night, I leave my car on the drive way until I go to sleep to let the battery cool down more than if it sits in my semi-warm garage. I'd rather not leave the car out overnight. Concerned about break-ins and also burglars noticing my schedule, since my house was burglarized in Jan 2015. And, we have sporadic reports of people's cars parked outside here being broken into/contents rifled thru.

 

[DiamondDan73]

It was 90 today. I am hoping to loose my next bas soon so I can get the battery replaced.

 

[cwerdna]

It was 90 today. I am hoping to loose my next bas soon so I can get the battery replaced.

Did you check to make sure it's not excluded from http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=17045?

If I were in your boat, (assuming you're eligible) I'd wait until almost the last moment to get the battery replaced, assuming you can tolerate it. It looks like TickTock couldn't tolerate being a 6-bar loser and got it replaced at 5 BL: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=413346#p413346.

 

[DiamondDan73]

Yes, I checked with Nissan and made sure it was not excluded. They said "if the battery bars drop to 8 you will get a new battery". When I bought it, it had 42.94 AHr but then I did the recall and the AHr went to 50.80. The AHr has already dropped to 49.97 in 3 days. I was thinking about waiting as long as I can before I get it changed, but decided to do it right away. I want to get a new EV in 2 years when they have 200 - 300 mile ranges. I have an 84 mile round trip commute and can make it home for now but only with around 5 miles left and that's going 65 with the A/C off. It's uphill around 1500 feet. Going to work is no problem.

 

[Firetruck41]

It was 90 today. I am hoping to loose my next bas soon so I can get the battery replaced.

Did you check to make sure it's not excluded from http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=17045?

That shouldn't matter, the final settlement deleted the opt out provision of the original settlement, making all owners eligible with in the time/mileage of the warranty settlement.

 

[DiamondDan73]

Wow! That is good to know. Do you know how the battery replacement is worded? I heard that it states that Nissan will replace the battery with the newest battery. So since the 2016 battery might have a 30KWh instead of a 24KWh, I wonder if they would be on the hook to replace it with a 30KWh. Wishful thinking...

 

[TomT]

The newest chemistry, not the newest capacity... You'll get a 24Kwh Lizard battery regardless.

Wow! That is good to know. Do you know how the battery replacement is worded? I heard that it states that Nissan will replace the battery with the newest battery. So since the 2016 battery might have a 30KWh instead of a 24KWh, I wonder if they would be on the hook to replace it with a 30KWh. Wishful thinking...

 

[TimLee]

That shouldn't matter, the final settlement deleted the opt out provision of the original settlement, making all owners eligible with in the time/mileage of the warranty settlement.

The revised settlement gave those that previously opted out an opportunity to opt in.
But I don't think it did what you stated and eliminated all opt outs.

Has been unclear why a vehicle that was previously leased and the leasor opted out and that person turned in the leased vehicle that the leasor's opt out decision would eliminate capacity warranty for the purchaser of the used vehicle.

Is that what you mean, the final settlement cleared that up and opt out decision of leased vehicle does not impact capacity warranty on the used vehicle?

 

[TimLee]

...
I have noticed that the battery temp is pretty high. Today sensor 2 was over 110 degrees!
Is this normal? How is the battery cooled?

Depending on ambient temperature and vehicle usage 110F highest reading can be normal.

Is a bit higher than what I see with 90F ambient.

But with spirited driving that puts power at 60kW for long time, or getting lots of regeneration charging, or doing lots of miles in a day with charging, it is possible to see high temp 20F above ambient.

The only so called cooling is ambient air flow past the bottom of the case when the LEAF is moving.

 

[mjblazin]

Simply running in hot temps does not get you much away from ambient because you do get the impact of air flow across the bottom. The biggest impact comes from charging in high ambient temps. It is why I do my charging L2 at 5-6 AM. Even at midnight temps in Dallas can be close to 90. Temps get down near high 70's just before dawn.

I see people charging at 4 PM here in open sun baked parking lot, ambient is 98 degrees, and wonder do they really know what they are doing to their batteries. You have to really need that particular charge.

 

[TimLee]

Simply running in hot temps does not get you much away from ambient because you do get the impact of air flow across the bottom. The biggest impact comes from charging in high ambient temps. ...

At moderate speeds driving does not raise battery temperature a lot above ambient.

But a very fast 80 mph 15 miles drive will and lots of fast take offs at 60 kW will too.

But charging does cause most of the high temperatures.

L2 can often raise battery temperature 5F to 10F.
DCQC can easily raise temperature 15F to 20F.

So a 200 miles in one day trip that involves four or more DCQC can push temperature to 40F over ambient.
And can put the temperature gauge very high or in the red zone.

 

[Firetruck41]

That shouldn't matter, the final settlement deleted the opt out provision of the original settlement, making all owners eligible with in the time/mileage of the warranty settlement.

The revised settlement gave those that previously opted out an opportunity to opt in.
But I don't think it did what you stated and eliminated all opt outs.

Has been unclear why a vehicle that was previously leased and the leasor opted out and that person turned in the leased vehicle that the leasor's opt out decision would eliminate capacity warranty for the purchaser of the used vehicle.

Is that what you mean, the final settlement cleared that up and opt out decision of leased vehicle does not impact capacity warranty on the used vehicle?

I over simplified. If someone opted out of the original settlement, that was negated. I'm sure someone could opt out of the final settlement if they so choose. Since the final settlement was only about a month ago, that is unlikely at this point.

 

[Valdemar]

I often see battery temps 10-15F above ambient when it is hot outside with no spirited driving or quick charging. I suspect that heat radiating pavement is to blame.

 

[fooljoe]

I have an 84 mile round trip commute and can make it home for now but only with around 5 miles left and that's going 65 with the A/C off. It's uphill around 1500 feet. Going to work is no problem.

I assume you charge up at work everyday? Because otherwise that use case sounds impossible with a <43Ah battery...

 

[mwalsh]

I assume you charge up at work everyday? Because otherwise that use case sounds impossible with a <43Ah battery...

I was thinking the very same thing. OP?

 

[TimLee]

I over simplified. If someone opted out of the original settlement, that was negated. I'm sure someone could opt out of the final settlement if they so choose. Since the final settlement was only about a month ago, that is unlikely at this point.

No.
That is not correct.
Anyone that failed to Opt Out initially was included in the final mediated settlement.
Those that initially Opted Out were given an opportunity to Opt In and become included in the Class of the mediated settlement.

 

[Stanton]

I have noticed that the battery temp is pretty high. Today sensor 2 was over 110 degrees!
Is this normal? How is the battery cooled?

I saw 110 degrees yesterday...with an ambient temp ~100 and 50+ miles of highway driving with a couple of L2 charges. The temps haven't been hot enough here this summer to see this often, but I have triggered the 7th TB (~104) a few times in the last month.

 

[Firetruck41]

I over simplified. If someone opted out of the original settlement, that was negated. I'm sure someone could opt out of the final settlement if they so choose. Since the final settlement was only about a month ago, that is unlikely at this point.

No.
That is not correct.
Anyone that failed to Opt Out initially was included in the final mediated settlement.
Those that initially Opted Out were given an opportunity to Opt In and become included in the Class of the mediated settlement.

Thanks for the correction, it looks like one had to opt back in prior to the amended settlement, to benefit from it. There are approximately 19000 class members in the settlement, only 92 opted out initially, and 42 opted back in, in time. That leaves (no pun intended) 50 Leafs that "opted out", out of about 19000, so while it is possible that the OP's car is excluded, it is extremely unlikely (less than 0.3%). That is assuming I am reading the settlement correctly. It can be viewed here: http://classaction.kccllc.net/content.aspx?c=5619&sh=1

 

[GerryAZ]

I over simplified. If someone opted out of the original settlement, that was negated. I'm sure someone could opt out of the final settlement if they so choose. Since the final settlement was only about a month ago, that is unlikely at this point.

No.
That is not correct.
Anyone that failed to Opt Out initially was included in the final mediated settlement.
Those that initially Opted Out were given an opportunity to Opt In and become included in the Class of the mediated settlement.

Thanks for the correction, it looks like one had to opt back in prior to the amended settlement, to benefit from it. There are approximately 19000 class members in the settlement, only 92 opted out initially, and 42 opted back in, in time. That leaves (no pun intended) 50 Leafs that "opted out", out of about 19000, so while it is possible that the OP's car is excluded, it is extremely unlikely (less than 0.3%). That is assuming I am reading the settlement correctly. It can be viewed here: http://classaction.kccllc.net/content.aspx?c=5619&sh=1

Since my 2011 is one of the opted-out cars, there are at most 49 still on the road.

Gerry