Is there a way to go directly from ”on" to "accessory "?

[Firetruck41]

New owner of a 2013 here... I searched the manual and the forum to no avail. The question is: Is there a way to go directly from ”on" to "accessory "? Specifically, wondering if it can be used like my truck, when I shut off the truck I can just switch to the accessory position and continue listening to the radio without the radio every shutting off. On the Leaf, I have to cycle off then to accessory. That is about a 20-30 second 'sound of silence' while the stereo reboots. Any insight is appreciated.

 

[GlennD]

You are better off leaving it on but in park. The battery charge is marginal and you need the inverter keeping up the 12V battery. It is not like a gas car where the engine keeps running.

 

[Firetruck41]

Thank you for your reply. I was thinking I could turn it to accessory instead of staying in park/On, and then turning off auto head lights and climate control (not sure of anything else I can turn off manually), which would turn off when in accessory mode. There's a lot of times when I park and then want to listen to the end of a song, or a news segment or play-by-play for a couple of minutes before I get out of the car.

 

[Graffi]

It is easier to just leave the car ON until you are ready to leave. The amount of electricity that is used in park is almost nil. Just leave the climate control on also, may as well be comfortable.

 

[DesertDenizen]

+1. I have been driving Leafs for four years and never once put it in Accessory mode.

 

[Firetruck41]

As a newbie, I have been focused on trying to think how to preserve range, but you make good points.

 

[dgpcolorado]

You are better off leaving it on but in park. The battery charge is marginal and you need the inverter keeping up the 12V battery. It is not like a gas car where the engine keeps running.

Yes. Accessory mode is hard on the 12V battery and the LEAF doesn't do a good job in keeping that battery at the proper charge level to begin with.

This time of year I do a lot of roadside noxious weed work. When I make a stop I just put the car in park and leave it on rather than cycling it on and off over and over. Lets me listen to my music on the USB drive while I work.

 

[RonDawg]

As a newbie, I have been focused on trying to think how to preserve range, but you make good points.

The best ways to preserve range are:

• Slow down. The faster you go, the MUCH faster the battery gets used up. Dropping your speed from 75 to 65 makes a big difference. See this range chart: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=4295 and note how going from 65 to 75 drops your range by over 17%. Note how at lower speeds, the 10 MPH difference in speed has a lesser percentage drop in range. Hang out with the truckers in the right lane if you have to.
• Minimize heater usage. If you have a 2013+ SV or SL, the heat pump heater helps a lot, otherwise for other models the resistive heater will suck down energy quickly. Pre-heat while plugged in if possible, and you can set a timer to do this automatically. If you have a 2012 or later model, make use of the seat and steering wheel heaters, and on 2013+ models you can actually turn off the heater if necessary. Unfortunately you cannot not turn off the heater without turning off the entire system on 2011/2012 cars without modifying the control panel (instructions for that elsewhere in this forum).
• If your car has it, use "B" mode to maximize regen and also helps save your friction brakes. Think of it as a "jake brake" for an electric car, but without the obnoxious noise :lol:

 

[TimLee]

...Accessory mode is hard on the 12V battery and the LEAF doesn't do a good job in keeping that battery at the proper charge level to begin with.

+10

I am now on third 12V battery in 51 months since last Monday.

First replacement was no cost warranty replacement at 24 months.
Using On mode (no foot on brake, push start button twice) killed it.
In that mode the DC to DC will periodically charge the 12V.
But it lets it sag to 10V which is way to low before it does that.

That replacement died at 27 months, but running it dead three times helped kill it even though I have regularly trickle charged it the past year. Also I usually do not unplug the OBDII bluetooth adapter and they pull a lot.
The prorated replacement under warranty was $48, but the dealer cut me a break and pro-rated the labor too which they were not required to do.

Using accesory is disastrousy bad for the 12V.

Best to keep the car in Ready mode any time you are using 12V. That keeps it floated at 13V.

And even if you do that and routinely trickle charge, the LEAF 12V charging protocol will still quickly destroy the battery.

 

[dgpcolorado]

...Best to keep the car in Ready mode any time you are using 12V. That keeps it floated at 13V.

And even if you do that and routinely trickle charge, the LEAF 12V charging protocol will still quickly destroy the battery.

I'm glad I got to learn from the experiences of others here early on. My 12V battery is approaching four years (October 2011 car manufacture date) and it is still doing ok. But, then, I routinely get 7-9 years for 12V batteries in my cars, given routine care and a cool climate.

 

[Stoaty]

Best to keep the car in Ready mode any time you are using 12V. That keeps it floated at 13V.

And even if you do that and routinely trickle charge, the LEAF 12V charging protocol will still quickly destroy the battery.

I have 50 months on my 2011 original battery (time of ownership of Leaf). Park in the hot San Fernando Valley 40 hours per week. The fact that some people are having trouble with the Leaf 12 volt battery doesn't mean it is a universal phenomenon.