My Lvl1 charges 20% faster than car says. Why?

[supra410]

Just as the title reads.. When buying my Leaf I never intended on using just the lvl1 evse as my main mode of charging. I intended on getting a lvl 2. The thing I'm noticing is I am having to go to the garage and pull the plug just to keep it around 80%. Last night it read 10 hrs to 100%. After less than 8 I get the notice that it's already 100%. This is a daily occurance as the time given by the car seems much more inflated than the actual. The timer doesn't really help as the car is parked in widely varying hours. I have not figured out a way to set it to stop at 80%. If that is an option a guided tour would be great!

Honestly, I expected the car to take longer than the time shown. Is this typical? I drive around 40 miles a day. More on the weekends. I'm having a hard time, coming to the conclusion of needing a lvl2 evse. I live in a rual area, but frequent Tulsa quite often. The charging options are very limited especially at the stealership as most are blocked by gas passing cars.

Im just curious if anyone else is having this as I know most hate the lvl1 and dismiss the usefullness of it.

 

[davewill]

The charge time estimate is very pessimistic. You can set the car to automatically stop at 80%, so that it will be plug and forget. Level 1 will work fine so long as you have enough time overnight to recharge. If you run the battery way down, or come home late, you may come up short. If you never drive far, or stay out late, L1 may work for you.

L2 also comes in handy if you want to exceed the car's basic range in a single day.

 

[supra410]

I work very late. Mostly returning home at 3 a.m.. The car normally gets a good 12 hr rest. Monday, I returned home with 2 bars after 60 miles that day. I think it read 14 hrs to 100% and I ended up pulling the plug at 92% after 9 hrs. It seems as if I'm getting 1 bar per hour.

 

[smkettner]

Better to change the charge setting to 80% and just leave it plugged in.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Try setting your car's charge timer at 80%, set to start at 12:01 pm and end at 12:00 pm, all seven days. Then, whenever you plug it in, it'll stop at 83% on it's own, no more unplugging, and you won't have to keep resetting the timer.

 

[Nubo]

I've seen it noted that Japanese power grid is 100V/200V vs. US 120V/240V, which would seem to explain the difference if the car's predictive algorithms are based on the lower power.

 

[planet4ever]

We are assuming you have a 2013. If it is an SV or SL, then set a timer as DNAinaGoodWay says using the center console (page CH-21 in the owner's manual). It doesn't matter much what time you use except you should try to use one when you are unlikely to be plugged in. One slight error in DNAinaGoodWay's post: It will charge to 80%, not 83%. The 83 he is seeing is just because 80% is normally 10 bars, and 10/12 = 83%. It's the website which looks at "10 bars" and tries to impress you by saying "83%" instead.

If you have an S model, you set the charging percent on the dash using the buttons to the left of the steering wheel. Get to the Options display and scroll down to Charge %. S model owners don't need to bother setting up a hokey 24 hour timer. You also don't have remote access to the car, so you will never see the misleading 83%.

Ray

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Yes, I'm getting the 83% from the GreenCharge app, bad habit maybe, but I don't really need to know my SOC as I never get close to LBW.

OP's sig indicates a pre-loved '11 SL, how many of those can be found in OK?

Nubo is right, early charge finish is due to lower voltage in Nippon, gets even earlier if you set a CC timer.

 

[adric22]

I have noticed that my 2011 Leaf charges faster both on 120V and 240V than what the car or the smart-phone app predicts. Sometimes as much as 25% faster.

 

[supra410]

OP's sig indicates a pre-loved '11 SL, how many of those can be found in OK?

Indeed, it is an 11 SL-e per the original window sticker. Not quite sure what the e is for. I have seen 3 total in Oklahoma. 2 at the dealership and mine. I know there are a couple roaming the area. Just no visual confirmation.

 

[supra410]

Thanks for the info everyone!

 

[davewill]

Not quite sure what the e is for. ...

The "e" means that it included the QC port and was supposed to be sold to someone who was in the EVProject. Folks in the EV Project got the QC port for free. In 2012, QC was made standard on all SL models, but in 2011 it was a $700 add-on and only available on SL.

 

[supra410]

ohhh... I see. Cool, thanks for that bit of info. I've already logged my first 1000 miles. Absolutely love it! The misses and I rock, paper scissor to see who drives that day. Also compete on building trees...