New 2015 S with strange LeafSpy numbers

Just got my new Leaf on Sept 29 2015. I have had some strange numbers for a new car (with a new battery)
Tues - got new car
Thur - LeafSpy says SOH is 95% (first measurement)
Sat - LeafSpy says SOH is 94%
Monday - LeafSpy says SOH is 93%

So now sitting as SOH 93% with less than 58 AH and when fully changed LeafSpy says SOC is 97.1.

What's up, are the LeafSpy numbers meaningful? If so I would have expected a better SOH on a new battery!

What is the manufacture date? It should be on the sticker between the doors on the driver's side.

The date is 04/15

If the car sat charged to 100% on the lot from April it could have lost some capacity. But give it some time, I remember reading that the numbers tend to increase over time as the battery controller better "learns" the pack during charge and discharge cycles.

Thanks Valdemar,
Seems wrong that a new vehicle would already have 7% degradation. I will update with any changes in readings over time.

Should I contact Nissan to tell them that my new vehicle has this issue?

Yeah, seems a bit excessive, I don't think reporting it to Nissan will get you anything as their language is based on capacity bars, Leaf Spy data is not something they would consider as evidence.

I would definitely report it to Nissan in one form or another and do whatever you can to try to undo the sale. They'll probably immediately ignore anything from LeafSpy, but you could phrase the problem as "less than expected range" (you could do a range test to bolster your claim) or maybe cite how your "new" car is actually 6 months old based on the manufacture date. Remember that those 6 months represent a long, hot summer, so your car might as well be a full year old.

I guess this is a good cautionary tale for anyone considering buying a Leaf, whether used or new: Check it with LeafSpy first and check that manufacture date!

KyleL said:

Just got my new Leaf on Sept 29 2015. I have had some strange numbers for a new car (with a new battery)
Tues - got new car
Thur - LeafSpy says SOH is 95% (first measurement)
Sat - LeafSpy says SOH is 94%
Monday - LeafSpy says SOH is 93%

So now sitting as SOH 93% with less than 58 AH and when fully changed LeafSpy says SOC is 97.1.

What's up, are the LeafSpy numbers meaningful? If so I would have expected a better SOH on a new battery!

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Same thing with my car being 10 months old when I got it. SOH changes daily. It has usually 59-61 AHr. Even with the low numbers, there is good driving range. One day it made 80 miles on 17 KWh.
Where are you located? Did you buy?

Am close to Seattle and bought the car. I will perform a mileage check and see if the degradation is real or measurement error.

Today Leafspy reports: SOH: 91% AHr: 57!

At this rate I will be a bar down in no time :shock:

KyleL said:

Am close to Seattle and bought the car. I will perform a mileage check and see if the degradation is real or measurement error.

Today Leafspy reports: SOH: 91% AHr: 57!

At this rate I will be a bar down in no time :shock:

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I would not put too much stock in these initial readings. Don't get caught up in all the pessimism surrounding batteries. Nobody knows what will happen to the batteries for certain. If your car drives well, enjoy it and check it again in six months. It is an awesome vehicle

Agree on not focusing too much but I am watching the numbers.
Today at SOH: 90% and AHr: 56

After 100% charge I get 86 miles on the GOM. That seems lower as well.

Edit Summary:
09/29 - got new car
10/01 - SOH: 95% (first measurement)
10/03 - SOH: 94%
10/05 - SOH: 93%
10/07 - SOH: 91% AHr: 57
10/09 - SOH: 90% AHr: 56

On the positive side, if this trend continues you'll get a new battery for Christmas

Is the pack well balanced? Are there any suspect modules with lower voltages?

All between 4.11 and 4.13 according to LeafSpy.
Yes a new battery for christmas would be nice (though I just paid for a new car).

Valdemar said:

On the positive side, if this trend continues you'll get a new battery for Christmas

Is the pack well balanced? Are there any suspect modules with lower voltages?

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Yes, those numbers are a bit ominous!

My pack after a 100% L2 is all red, unbalanced. After QC it is nearly perfect. Valdemar, is there any evidence of QC being "good" for the battery? I thought I read that somewhere.
My GOM gives me >100 miles almost every time at 60AHr +/-0.5
Kyle, do you have QC?
Otherwise run to turtle and do a full charge, preferably in cool weather.

EVforRobert said:

Valdemar, is there any evidence of QC being "good" for the battery?

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Not claiming to be an expert but I don't think so. The pack is just balancing more at high SOC I think, hence the shunting (red). QC is rarely done to 100%, so there is less shunting after QC. Excessive red doesn't mean your pack is not balanced, it is the difference between lowest and highest cell voltages you need to look at. I've seen reports that AHr goes up after QC, not sure if this was just coincidental, even if not likely it is due to instrumentation error.

Valdemar said:

EVforRobert said:

Valdemar, is there any evidence of QC being "good" for the battery?

Click to expand...

Not claiming to be an expert but I don't think so. The pack is just balancing more at high SOC I think, hence the shunting (red). QC is rarely done to 100%, so there is less shunting after QC. Excessive red doesn't mean your pack is not balanced, it is the difference between lowest and highest cell voltages you need to look at. I've seen reports that AHr goes up after QC, not sure if this was just coincidental, even if not likely it is due to instrumentation error.

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I just ran Leaf Spy and at 62.5% SOC 97% SOH 60.68 AHr 79F battery temperature every bar is blue.
I am not sure where my car sat or its SOC for the ten months before I got it. OP has a similar story. Kinda bad luck with this being the hottest ever summer in the PNW if heat is any factor in the 2015 battery.

EVforRobert said:

My pack after a 100% L2 is all red, unbalanced. After QC it is nearly perfect.

Click to expand...

That is because a QC charges too fast to really tell if the pack is well balanced or not, while L2 is able to really taper down the charge rate and squeeze in more charge while balancing cells with higher voltage.

A screenshot of LeafSpy of your cell-pair voltages at 100% and say at LBW would give us a good indication of just how well balanced the pack is or if you have another issue. Screenshots at 100%, LBW and VLBW would be very informative.

I get some very inconsistent measurements from LEAFSpy on my '15 S. I've seen the SOH actually increase at times! Don't stress.

KyleL said:

Just got my new Leaf on Sept 29 2015. I have had some strange numbers for a new car (with a new battery)

Click to expand...

What is your charging regimen? What EVSE are you using? 120 or 240 VAC? Do you have a QC that you can use locally?

All of the QC around here seem to be broken. I will pass by the dealership and try there. I charge at 6kw at work and trickle at home.