2011 LEAF battery degradation

Hi all, I can't seem to find a thread that addresses my specific concern--apologies if this is a duplicate.

I have a 2011 LEAF that I purchased used two years ago. I drive 26mi one way to school every day and charge on campus while I'm in class. The car usually states that it has about 45-55 mi of range when I unplug it (charged to 80%) and drops down to about 10-15 mi by the time I get to school. I drive about 62 mph, always put it in eco mode, and barely ever run the AC/heater. I don't know if there is something wrong with my car or if this is just to be expected, but the range is much shorter than I expected when I bought it (after carefully researching and reading about LEAFs online). I had expected to be able to drive it round-trip without having to charge at school. Please let me know if there is something I'm missing or if I should be asking more questions at the dealer (recently took it in, 12v battery was replaced, was told there were no other problems). I'm getting a little worried about being able to get to school as the weather gets colder here (which also shortens the range).

Thanks for your help,

Oregon vet student

It's difficult to tell by just observations.

You need to get access to the Leafspy app (and a bluetooth OBD dongle) to see the battery data and determine exactly what is happening.

if you have dead cells, it'll show up on the Leafspy. Just reach out to someone here on the forum who lives close to you and see if you can get a reading off the Leafspy app.

mxp said:

It's difficult to tell by just observations.

You need to get access to the Leafspy app (and a bluetooth OBD dongle) to see the battery data and determine exactly what is happening.

Click to expand...

Yep. Forget the stupid GOM (guess-o-meter) aka the crappy display that tries (in many cases badly) to predict your remaining range which it can't really do anyway since it can't predict the future.

Although you've supplied some info, we really need more. Please answer http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=275421#p275421 here.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=8802 is the GIGANTIC thread on '11 to '12 Leaf battery degradation. Also, since you have a pre-'13 Leaf, you REALLY should be using Leaf Spy anyway since the GOM is crap and the instrumentation in that vehicle causes unncessary range anxiety.

For the distance being driven, there is no reason not to charge to 100% overnight. Charging to 100% is not bad for the battery. The problem comes with leaving it at 100% for extended periods of time, especially in the heat. Also, the battery needs to be periodically charged to 100% to balance the cells. I would suggest using the timers to charge to 100% on the days with more travel, and to 80% on the other days.

If the car has only been charged to 80% for the last two years, then the cells are in serious need of balancing. This can affect the range. Also, higher speeds shorten range quicker. Try limiting speeds to 55 or 60 mph.

I always charge to 100% and was able to make my 52-mile round trip (26 miles each way) with my 2011 even after losing 4 capacity bars until Nissan replaced the battery under warranty. My commute is about 20 miles of freeway with surface streets at both ends (including a mile or so of neighborhood streets at home). I always used A/C, but would not have been able to make the trip with heater or defroster use. I always keep up with traffic in the carpool lane so speeds varied. I could not measure a difference in energy consumption (using revenue accuracy meter on supply to EVSE) between Drive and ECO mode for my commute in the 2011 so use whichever mode that gives the accelerator pedal response you prefer.

I suggest that you start charging to 100% except for days when the car will not be driven. This will help balance the cells and give you enough charge to make it home if you cannot charge on campus. You may want to have the dealer check to see if the P3227 software update was done on your car. That software update greatly improved the accuracy of the dashboard instrumentation and the CANBUS data being read by Leaf Spy on my 2011.

Gerry