I loss another battery capacity bar

[dusty2050]

I have not lost a bar yet but feel your pain. I have a gid meter and I can tell you with 100% certainly that my that my car is loosing capacity each time it is charged and driven above 90 degrees. I am so pissed and upset that there appears to be no reassonable action coming from Nissan. I also have not driven my car in over a month. It stays parked in my garage and that I don't think will even save the car because the garage easy gets over 100 degrees in the 110 degree temps in oklahoma. I drove by my Nissan dealer and notice they got their shipment of new leafs in and they are all parked in the sun baking just waiting on that poor unsuspecting buyer!

I have now loss 2 battery capacity bars in 45 days..Back in May I had 12 bars and passed the battery test at Nissan with perfect 5 stars ...I have never had a fast charge ,the car is garage kept and I avg. 6/MKW and very little AC usage..

This is not going to be good for Leaf sales,at least not in Phx. AZ..

If I had to do it over again,I would of bought another Prius,I have never had any problems with that car in PHX AZ and I put over a 100,000 in 5 years of use...

Sorry Im just a little bit angry right now thinking about a $41000 car with 16000 miles on it that may lose a 3rd capacity bar or even a 4th bar this summer..

 

[dusty2050]

I forgot metion that I also gave up a perfect Prius (traded it in) when I puchased my Leaf!!!!

I have not lost a bar yet but feel your pain. I have a gid meter and I can tell you with 100% certainly that my that my car is loosing capacity each time it is charged and driven above 90 degrees. I am so pissed and upset that there appears to be no reassonable action coming from Nissan. I also have not driven my car in over a month. It stays parked in my garage and that I don't think will even save the car because the garage easy gets over 100 degrees in the 110 degree temps in oklahoma. I drove by my Nissan dealer and notice they got their shipment of new leafs in and they are all parked in the sun baking just waiting on that poor unsuspecting buyer!

I have now loss 2 battery capacity bars in 45 days..Back in May I had 12 bars and passed the battery test at Nissan with perfect 5 stars ...I have never had a fast charge ,the car is garage kept and I avg. 6/MKW and very little AC usage..

This is not going to be good for Leaf sales,at least not in Phx. AZ..

If I had to do it over again,I would of bought another Prius,I have never had any problems with that car in PHX AZ and I put over a 100,000 in 5 years of use...

Sorry Im just a little bit angry right now thinking about a $41000 car with 16000 miles on it that may lose a 3rd capacity bar or even a 4th bar this summer..

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

sorry to hear about your car dusty. it was 92 yesterday and will be about 93 today my GID count has been 275-276 and probably lost that little bit before the hot weather. before yesterday, our hottest day this year was 84.

we will see what it reads tomorrow

 

[DaveEV]

I have not lost a bar yet but feel your pain. I have a gid meter and I can tell you with 100% certainly that my that my car is loosing capacity each time it is charged and driven above 90 degrees. I am so pissed and upset that there appears to be no reassonable action coming from Nissan. I also have not driven my car in over a month.

Yeah, it sucks. But IMO, parking the car doesn't help all that much since the battery is going to lose capacity regardless unless you have an air conditioned garage to keep it in.

So drive the car, but do what you can to keep it cool. Try to keep the SOC as low as possible, too, but above VLBW.

A number of Volt owners on the Volt forum have suggested using a car cover in the heat - the cover keeps the sun from getting in and baking the interior so the interior stays much closer to ambient instead of 20-50F higher or worse.

 

[navidad]

Question to users:
Okay, you lost 2 bars, but, have you really observed a loss of autonomy?
If yes, how much?

 

[TonyWilliams]

Question to users:
Okay, you lost 2 bars, but, have you really observed a loss of autonomy?
If yes, how much?

I lost 15-18% autonomy as measured by actual miles the LEAF could physically travel under specified parameters.

- Sea level elevation
- Mostly level-ish
- 70F/20C temperatures
- Nil wind, although the course was out-and-back which tends to negate any effects of small winds
- Steady speed of about 60mph / 100kmh, from 100% charge)
- Climate Control on Auto, at a temperature roughly equal to the ambient temperature
- Light load / mass / weight

In comparison to a new LEAF in similar conditions, my car exhibited this 15%-18% loss of autonomy / range. In addition, this loss of autonomy correlated with the measured stored capacity of the battery, as expressed in 80 wattHour units. My LEAF showed approximately a 15% loss in this stored energy, as reported through the LEAF's "CAN bus". We collectively refer to this measurement as a "Gid" measurement.

My LEAF had not lost any capacity bars when it was sold with 25,300 miles / 40,000 km, and had 15 months of service. It had never been exposed to temperatures significantly above 30C/90F (San Diego, California). Several other LEAF's with significantly lower mileage, also in southern California, have now experienced loss of the first capacity bar.

My car was driven to "turtle mode" (where the car is almost out of battery power) approximately 20 times, which is unique because other cars in similar climates with far less miles, and which had never been to turtle mode, have shown a greater loss of autonomy (with loss of the first capacity bar) than my LEAF.

You can see both a 100% battery capacity and 85% battery capacity Range Chart here.

You can read my synopsis of the current LEAF battery issues here.

 

[TomT]

Here is one example of where it has made a difference (I'm down one capacity tick). I drive a route fairly regularly that is well controlled (it is always at pretty much the same speeds, etc.) When the car was new and until about a year ago, I could do the freeway sections on CC at 65 and arrive home at exactly LBW. The last three times I have done it, I've had to drop the speed to 60 to arrive home at LBW...

Question to users:
Okay, you lost 2 bars, but, have you really observed a loss of autonomy?
If yes, how much?

 

[azdre]

Question to users:
Okay, you lost 2 bars, but, have you really observed a loss of autonomy?
If yes, how much?

A new LEAF at 4.5 miles per kWh should get 67-76 miles until low battery warning. Tonight I got 48.0 miles. So, we have lost 20-30 miles of range, coming up on the 18 month birthday of our LEAF.

 

[EatsShootsandLeafs]

My car was driven to "turtle mode" (where the car is almost out of battery power) approximately 20 times, which is unique because other cars in similar climates with far less miles, and which had never been to turtle mode, have shown a greater loss of autonomy (with loss of the first capacity bar) than my LEAF.

Have you inadvertently discovered the fountain of youth for the Leaf battery? :lol:

 

[ztanos]

My car was driven to "turtle mode" (where the car is almost out of battery power) approximately 20 times, which is unique because other cars in similar climates with far less miles, and which had never been to turtle mode, have shown a greater loss of autonomy (with loss of the first capacity bar) than my LEAF.

Have you inadvertently discovered the fountain of youth for the Leaf battery? :lol:

He did... He sold it and replaced it. :lol:

 

[edatoakrun]

"TomT",

So from your example, assuming you begin at 100% and your non-freeway speeds have remained constant, I'd say your approximate loss of available battery capacity could be calculated by the m/kWh consumed at those speeds, and the proportion of freeway miles on this drive, right?

For example, all freeway, loss of ~8-10% of capacity.

Half freeway, loss of ~4-5 % of capacity.

So what actual percentage or your earlier capacity do you think you have lost?

Do you consider this an unexpected, or unacceptable amount of loss of range, after 18 months and 22,000 miles of your, driving and charging habits, in your climate?

Do you dash, nav screen, and CW reports (if you have them) of m/kWh reflect consistency for trips driven under the same conditions, since new, or do they show something else?

Here is one example of where it has made a difference (I'm down one capacity tick). I drive a route fairly regularly that is well controlled (it is always at pretty much the same speeds, etc.) When the car was new and until about a year ago, I could do the freeway sections on CC at 65 and arrive home at exactly LBW. The last three times I have done it, I've had to drop the speed to 60 to arrive home at LBW...

Question to users:
Okay, you lost 2 bars, but, have you really observed a loss of autonomy?
If yes, how much?