tanyaviola said:
I just got a new Leaf and have now charged it twice when in town (we do not have a home charger yet). Is there any way to see what the % of battery you have without being in the car? I know you can do all that if you have NissanConnect, which did not come with this car. I watch the Chargepoint app and I can see approx how many miles it's adding, but it would be nice to see when it hits 80% or so and I can "stop" the charging from the app. Otherwise it's just a guess.
Not a huge deal, but I'm just wondering if there's an app that can connect to the car without Nissan's Connection?
PS- we were told it's not a good idea to charge the battery beyond 80%. Is that a good tip? Obviously, if we need to go on a long trip, we'll want to charge to 100%, but that's rare.
Thanks,
T.
So you got 30 kwh LEAF? Congrats! As far as best charging practices. In your area, its Winter and range is reduced due to several factors NOT including heat and defrost. So even if bundling up, your LEAF won't go as far. Some tips
http://daveinolywa.blogspot.com/2016/12/winter-time-leafing-aka-how-i-get-100.html
So the concern over charging to full or something less is heat related. So my advice; charge to 100% overnight in Winter for all days you plan to drive the next day. The flakiness of Winter Weather means your range could be anywhere from 60 to 100 miles no matter how efficiently you drive. So better to be prepared. There is very little downside to a fuller charge when the temps are low.
In Summer; its a different story. A GREATLY DEBATED subject is at what temperature you need to be concerned with.
**all that follows is
my opinion based on nothing but 7 years of casual observation involving my 3 LEAFs and hundreds of other user reported experiences from all over the United States**
Your main concern should be "time" that your LEAF is at high state of charge (SOC) when its warm out. By warm, I mean your concerns should start as low as 80º. The best rule to follow is to maintain the lowest possible SOC that will cover your needs with a buffer. So you need 50 miles? Add 20% and charge to that level. What that level is is something you need to determine for yourself. Everyone's driving performance, conditions and terrain is different.
This also does not mean that you shouldn't charge to 100% in Summer. That is perfectly fine. What isn't fine is letting the car sit for 2 hours before you run that charge down. Now, a lot of people think that level 2 charging is ok as long as you leave right away when the charge is complete. Now, if this is your only choice, then do it. Remember; your transportation needs are #1 over all else.
But if you have to use normal charging during the day, park in the shade if you can. Start the charge a few hours before you leave for the day.
But if you can (or are willing) the best option is to stop and grab 15 mins or 20 or whatever at a fast charger instead. This reduces time at high SOC simply because you have less time ramping up your SOC and as soon as you get there, you are running it back down when you drive off.
**edit**
Sorry got so sidetracked that I forgot to answer your question. On the Driver display, you can toggle the info and see estimated charge times based on various speeds
120 volts level 1
3.6 KW Level 2
6 KW level 2
Use the time shown to set your charge time.
For example; you have 6 KW charger and time to 100% says 2 hours 30 mins. Keep in mind, it will not take that long to charge to full. Your Battery management system (BMS) charges to a certain voltage then goes into balancing mode where cells are equalized. So take the time displayed and subtract a percentage. I would start with 30 % (sorry, I don't do this so have no experience to pass on)
Then the next morning, determine whether the charge level is too hot, too cold or "just right" and adjust the percentage taken from the charge time accordingly.
I will actually be testing this to see if results are consistent. now that its cold enough to charge at home. (due to heat, I did not use level 2 charging at my house for more than one hour all Summer long. This was my effort to keep my SOC as low as possible when it was "home for the night" )