More cold weather expierments...for Science!

[Limey]

So I tried this morning running my short commute (6 miles) without heat, to see what effect is was going to have. Yes, I have mental issues doing this on days where they closed all the schools and public buildings due to cold.

Yesterday heat on 72 degrees. Left house @ 98%, made to work with 85% (nice and toasty to boot)

Today, no heat (except for removed frost buildup on the windshield from my breath) left 97%, made to work with 88%.

Regen did not kick in till I was almost all the way to work, and then it was just one bubble.

Now, maybe it was due to the shortness of the journey, but since heat didn't seem to effect the remaining charge, I wonder what would happen if I heated my garage to make the car in general warmer. I know the drive back would be different (after sitting outside all day). Would that help my morning commute regen?

 

[Den]

Regen did not kick in till I was almost all the way to work, and then it was just one bubble.

Now, maybe it was due to the shortness of the journey, but since heat didn't seem to effect the remaining charge, I wonder what would happen if I heated my garage to make the car in general warmer. I know the drive back would be different (after sitting outside all day). Would that help my morning commute regen?

How many temperature bars you have had on dashboard?

Mine is always in garage (+8 - +9C) for night, 4 bars, -15C outside. Regen works usually with 3/4 bubbles (1 is missing), sometimes droppes to 2/4 bubbles. Ones i had only 3 temp. bars after working day. Regen started very lazy with one bubble but then started to grow slowly.
Last winter (had no garage) I sometimes had zero temperature bars, but regen still worked but very lazy in the beginning (first kilometers) of trip. But this was before sw update.

 

[adric22]

My cars stay garaged at night as well, and I think that makes a big difference. For example, it was 20 degrees this morning in Ft.Worth but my car was reading 50 degrees when I powered it on in the garage. Plus I pre-heat the car for 15 minutes before leaving. I can only imagine if I left the car outside all night long, the battery pack would be a lot colder.

It probably wouldn't affect our Volt much being left outside as long as it was plugged in, because the TMS would keep the battery warm. My 2011 Leaf has no battery heater. Even the newer Leafs that do have them, I think they only work to keep the battery above a certain temperature, not at an ideal temperature.

 

[Limey]

How many temperature bars you have had on dashboard?

Mine is always in garage (+8 - +9C) for night, 4 bars, -15C outside. Regen works usually with 3/4 bubbles (1 is missing), sometimes droppes to 2/4 bubbles. Ones i had only 3 temp. bars after working day. Regen started very lazy with one bubble but then started to grow slowly.
Last winter (had no garage) I sometimes had zero temperature bars, but regen still worked but very lazy in the beginning (first kilometers) of trip. But this was before sw update.

I had two bars, temp wise. I seem to range 2 for butt ass cold, 3 for cold, and 4 for warm and hot (never been over 4, even in 90 degree weather.

Mine is kept in a garage as well. It may be old and drafty, but it should be keeping it around the same temp as new unheated garage. I don't know why you are getting so much regen. Are you sure you are starting out with that many? I only get that much regen after driving for 10-15 miles.

 

[Limey]

But this was before sw update.

Maybe I need to see if there is a software update I'm missing. I know there was the voluntary recall one (which I have yet to schedule) but maybe my dealer was lazy and didn't update it before I leased it.

 

[Den]

Are you sure you are starting out with that many? I only get that much regen after driving for 10-15 miles.

Yes, I'm usually starting at 3 (out of 4), but at highways it usually drops to 2 and then returns to 3 when I exit highway. Soc 60-80%. Today was something wrong with electricity at work so car didn't charged and I ended to less than 50% and probably for that reason even saw full 4/4 regen at this point (in the end of the day, so car were whole day outside).

If you don't have update don't do it. Without update (last winter) regen worked fine even with NO temp. bars (car was always outside), now it worth, at least those highway regen reductions is new (BAD!) thing after update.

And my commute is usually only 12 km (less that 10 miles) and I have winter package (battery is isolated).

 

[Limey]

Yes, I'm usually starting at 3 (out of 4), but at highways it usually drops to 2 and then returns to 3 when I exit highway. Soc 60-80%. Today was something wrong with electricity at work so car didn't charged and I ended to less than 50% and probably for that reason even saw full 4/4 regen at this point (in the end of the day, so car were whole day outside).

If you don't have update don't do it. Without update (last winter) regen worked fine even with NO temp. bars (car was always outside), now it worth, at least those highway regen reductions is new (BAD!) thing after update.

And my commute is usually only 12 km (less that 10 miles) and I have winter package (battery is isolated).

Wow, even if my battery has available charge, I usually won't get 3 or even 4 bubbles for quite some time. Even when I have my long commute, I don't get more than 1 bubble until I am well depleted (where in the summer it would be charging back up almost immediately)

 

[Den]

But this really should be garaged at nights to keep this 4 bars temperature level! That's what I afraid, if I move to place without garage then also will have problems with regen :/ As I said last winter I even saw 0 bars when car was always outside. But as sw wasn't yet updated there were no big regen problems like you now are reporting.

 

[EatsShootsandLeafs]

Even a non-heated garage will keep the car's bars much higher as long as it's attached because heat leaks out of the house's walls. Although it's been blisteringly cold this winter, last winter I had a couple of days near as cold as this one and never saw less than 2 bars because I started each day with it in the garage. Now it's outside and I see zero bars regularly. It is reasonable to expect a range drop when left outside. The battery sucks at making juice when it has no bars.

 

[Berlino]

Is the battery heater more effective in the MY13 LEAF?

I almost never see less than two bars, despite a colder than normal Winter and the car usually being outside.

 

[Limey]

Yes, I'm usually starting at 3 (out of 4), but at highways it usually drops to 2 and then returns to 3 when I exit highway. Soc 60-80%. Today was something wrong with electricity at work so car didn't charged and I ended to less than 50% and probably for that reason even saw full 4/4 regen at this point (in the end of the day, so car were whole day outside).

If you don't have update don't do it. Without update (last winter) regen worked fine even with NO temp. bars (car was always outside), now it worth, at least those highway regen reductions is new (BAD!) thing after update.

And my commute is usually only 12 km (less that 10 miles) and I have winter package (battery is isolated).

OK, So I recorded my morning stats:
Outside temp: -1
Bars on battery: 3 (Car stored in garage) never lost a bar all morning
Car programmed to auto heat, so started with 97% charge.

Had Zero bubbles when started
Frist bubble of Regen at .3 miles (97%)
Second Bubble at 4.2 miles (86%)
Third bubble at 12 Miles (70%)
fourth bubble, never seen as of 22.3 miles