Storage of a Leaf

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kerrye

New member
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
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Are there any detrimental effects of storing a Leaf for 6 or 8 weeks at a time without being plugged in? If so, are there ways to avoid them?
 
The main battery loses very little charge over that time. But the 12V battery can run down. Either disconnect the 12V terminals or attach a trickle-charger meant to keep the 12V topped off for long periods. Look for threads here discussing "battery tender" where users have discussed various products.
 
It depends a lot on what year Leaf it is. A 2015 or later should be ok with just a top-up charge to the 12 volt battery before you store it. A 2013 Leaf should have a maintainer attached, or be disconnected after the 12 volt battery is topped off. Charging the car won't top off the 12 volt battery. A pre-2013 Leaf is a bit of a crap shoot...
 
kerrye said:
Are there any detrimental effects of storing a Leaf for 6 or 8 weeks at a time without being plugged in? If so, are there ways to avoid them?

Store the car with the main battery at 40-50% charge.
This will slow the battery degredation significantly.
Also disconnect the 12v battery to prevent it draining. Be prepared to clear diagnostic codes with Leafspy when you hook everything back up.

Store the car as cool as you can, but above freezing. 35F is ideal.
 
I have done this for as long as 7 weeks. The main battery will not show any losses - store it at 30-50%. I hook up the 12 volt battery to a trickle charger which also desulfates it. I do not disconnect it from the car. I’ve done this for my 2013 and now for my 2017 without any problems.
 
Unless you anticipate extreme cold temperatures while the car is parked, just make sure the traction battery is around 40% to 60% charge. Turn off the car; disconnect/remove anything connected to the OBDII port; close and lock the doors; and double-check to make sure the interior lights go off.

I routinely park at my office or the airport for extended time without concern. The only problem happened one time with the 2011 when I forgot to unplug the Bluetooth device from the OBDII port and left the Android device running Leaf Spy on the passenger seat. That time, I came back to a completely dead 12-volt battery after only 6 days so I had to jump start the Leaf from my office vehicle. The Bluetooth device and Leaf Spy apparently kept the car's computers from going into low power (sleep) mode and prevented periodic charging of the 12-volt battery. The 2011 was parked for as long as 3 weeks and the 2015 has been parked for as long as 4 weeks so far with no noticeable loss of charge from the traction battery.
 
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