Lost 3rd Capacity Bar 5/14/16

Quick history... bought my 2011 Leaf used on 9/1/14 when it had 11 bars. Lost the 2nd bar shortly after purchase 10/16/14 and just lost 3rd bar last Saturday. At the time the 3rd bar dropped off, I was at 41,418 miles. Don't have LeafSpy to give AHr, GIDs, etc. Real world driving I get 55 conservative miles, and about 50 if I drive "normally".

Couple thoughts I have at this point. Definitely not going to meet the 5yr/60k battery warranty as I would have to lose that 4th bar within the next two months (car was delivered July 2011 to original owner). I am seriously considering purchasing a replacement pack. Local dealership says it can be done for $5,850 out the door. What do you all think? I understand that the replacement pack is basically what the car is worth. But essentially for less than $6k I am getting something tantamount to a brand-new car. Electrically and mechanically the car is sound, it's just the range that's an issue. Yes, it only has a 3.3kw onboard charger, but I do have a QC port and CHAdeMO is becoming more readily available in my area.

Is this worth it? Am I crazy? What real World miles would I expect out of a new Lizard pack?

Thanks!

If you're comfortable with the risk of losing most of your battery investment money in case insurance wants to total the car after an accident go for it. There's a thread I started not long time ago exactly on this topic, follow the "totaled" link in my signature.

I second what Valdemar said. Also, if you plan to keep the car for a long time you might as well run the old battery as long as you can (at least until you are beyond the warranty). My 2011 lost the second bar about a month after the first; third bar was about a year after second; and forth bar was about a month after the third. You could still lose the forth bar in the next two months since the temperatures are warming up.

Gerry

As for range, with the new battery I'm getting up to 80 miles with 65-70mph freeway driving speeds on broken-in Ecopias inflated to 40psi. Recently managed to get 90 miles before hitting the LBW, 1/3 of which was in a stop and go traffic, most of the rest at 60-65mph. It is very nice after struggling to make 55 miles on a full charge, lots of QC options, range anxiety is no longer. Battery life is still a concern though as we have mixed feedback on capacity loss so far.

Thanks for the info. That range sounds really great, and makes me lean towards getting a new pack. I'm definitely going to hold out until after the warranty expires, and do as much QC in the sun as I can until then in case I can get the 4th bar to drop in time. My commute is 20 miles round trip, so at the moment can only go about a day and a half (including little side errands) before I have to charge to full. Come next winter I'll be charging every day in the colder weather.

Good tip regarding the car getting in an accident and being totaled by insurance. Hadn't considered that. Sounds like a gamble I may have to take knowing that I will get decent range out of a new pack.

Guess I'll keep going until I'm past the warranty date to make a decision, but I really appreciate your feedback.

armelwani said:

My commute is 20 miles round trip, so at the moment can only go about a day and a half (including little side errands) before I have to charge to full. Come next winter I'll be charging every day in the colder weather.

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If I were you I'd spend my money on something else then, unless you make excursions longer than that often and have no other car to use your battery should work for you 5 more years at least.

That's definitely in the back of my mind. I do on occasion drive to other locations as part of my job (I'm in IT support) but it's maybe about 25% of my job and I can make it work on my current range as where I typically go their is a DCQC that I haven't had to compete to use (but it does cost me $10 every time I use it).

However, my wife and I would much rather use the Leaf more than her gasoline car for other trips. An example would be going out to San Juan Bautista on weekends. A bit of a struggle on current range. With the batter pack range you're mentioning, we could even consider a weekend trip to Paso Robles without a problem.

I do think I'm going to wait a while before I make a decision, at least until the 4th bar drops off, but I really appreciate all your feedback and advice.

Do we really need another thread on someone losing a capacity bar? It seems this thread should just be merged into http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=8802 or say http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=19967.

armelwani said:

Quick history... bought my 2011 Leaf used on 9/1/14 when it had 11 bars. Lost the 2nd bar shortly after purchase 10/16/14 and just lost 3rd bar last Saturday. At the time the 3rd bar dropped off, I was at 41,418 miles. Don't have LeafSpy to give AHr, GIDs, etc. Real world driving I get 55 conservative miles, and about 50 if I drive "normally".

Couple thoughts I have at this point. Definitely not going to meet the 5yr/60k battery warranty as I would have to lose that 4th bar within the next two months (car was delivered July 2011 to original owner).

Click to expand...

You should get Leaf Spy. In 2 months w/Leaf Spy, if you work hard at it, you might be able to get that 4th bar to drop. At this point, I think you'd be better off doing that and taking your chances since you seem resigned to paying for a replacement pack anyway.

I'm talking about stuff like https://www.facebook.com/groups/seattlenissanleaf/permalink/1190701384294630/?comment_id=1190747834289985&reply_comment_id=1190790650952370&comment_tracking={%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22} and what (IIRC) mwalsh posted.

Keep that battery HOT, keep it at 100% for long periods of time parked out in the sun, and do things to make it heat up (e.g. multiple DC FCs a day, full throttle accelerations, lots of highway driving, etc.) Use it as a Powerwall. Don't let it cool outside at night. You might luck out and do it since you have plenty of mileage remaining, just not time.

I would sell your leaf for $6k put the $6k with it and work a deal on a 16 leaf with 30 KWH battery 106 miles range. A new car with a 100k battery warranty, new bumper to bumper warranty , better heater , heated seats, a 6.6 charger and more. It has had a good life, move on.

I'd be very surprised if you'll drop that 4th bar by "increased usage" by then... My own 2011 is about to drop that 3rd bar I think--just a function of time rather than usage (full charge of 209-213 GIDS via leaf pro)... You might hold out long enough such that other options present themselves... Who knows? Speculating: a perfect used pack from a total with a qualified installer might be made available... Solutions outside of a dealer might develop too... Here in Los Angeles we also have small but existing footprint of QC... I do agree with others that paying full retail for a new pack at the dealer seems a high stakes bet... Good luck (to all of us...)

Thanks everyone, and my apologies for opening a new thread. I have ordered an OBD dongle and purchased Leaf Spy Pro. I will do my best to kill that 4th bar by July, but if that doesn't happen I will most likely purchase a replacement pack in a year or so, once I feel I am no longer able to truly meet my daily needs. It seems like the cheapest option to get more life out of a paid-off car that I really do love and enjoy driving.

I would hold out as long as possible in hopes that they will offer the 30kwh pack as an option for the replacement. It would take a lot of convincing for me to buy a $5500 24kwh replacement pack.