So I used a quick charger for the first time this weekend.

[ggodman]

(A thanks goes out to Carson Nissan and their quick charger, nice people, no problem using quick charger, great location off of the 405 freeway, only wish there were two of them )

So I went to Catalina Island out of San Pedro, this week and I drove from Santa Clarita to San Pedro. It's 52 miles each way according to google so I know I would have to charge somewhere for the drive home.

After doing some research on plugshare etc I discovered Carson Nissan has a level 3 charger and any leaf owner could use it, I worried about having to wait while others charged but figured that would be my best options and shortest wait time.

I got to Carson Nissan Thursday Morning about 9 am with 5 bars showing, went inside asked to charger, they brought out some kind of activating fob thingy and I was off the the races. Walked around, had coffee, came back in 20 minutes and I had an indicated 90% charge. Guess 0 Meter was indicating 77 miles.

Drove 12 miles to the terminal and was indicating 52 miles remaining and was down to 6 bars, I though that was strange.

I came home Sunday and since I knew I would not make it with available charge I Stopped by Carson again on the way home, and of course someone was charging but I expected it on a Sunday afternoon on the 405. Waited about 10 min then it was my turn. Charged for 22 minutes to 90%.

I got home with 1 bar, same driving style in both directions, traffic and temperature approximately the same, same route just reverse.

So why does it seem like my energy usage with the quick charger juice is so much more, getting to Carson took 7 bars with a comfortable margin of safety. Getting back took 10 bars with low battery warning coming on and diving 45 and 35 in eco for the last 20 miles.

I had my battery check 2 weeks ago and all was reported as fine, any ideas or has anyone else experienced this that quick charges more often? Any ideas are appreciated.

 

[Boomer23]

So why does it seem like my energy usage with the quick charger juice is so much more, getting to Carson took 7 bars with a comfortable margin of safety. Getting back took 10 bars with low battery warning coming on and diving 45 and 35 in eco for the last 20 miles.

I had my battery check 2 weeks ago and all was reported as fine, any ideas or has anyone else experienced this that quick charges more often? Any ideas are appreciated.

Altitude, altitude. Simple uphill vs downhill. Same thing was affecting you with your gas cars before the LEAF, it is just way more noticeable with EVs because we are so focused on range and energy economy.

Congrats on your trip and on finding the DC charger. As more of us have these experiences, LEAFs will begin to be used more often for these longer trips.

 

[KillaWhat]

I have found vast discrepancies between what the DCQC thinks it put in the car, and what my GID meter shows.

Get yourself a meter.

 

[TomT]

Two reasons:

1) it is downhill most of the way to Carson, mostly level to San Pedro, and uphill most of the way back.

2) The QC over indicates the amount of charge. 90% on the QC is actually about 82% on the car...

So why does it seem like my energy usage with the quick charger juice is so much more, getting to Carson took 7 bars with a comfortable margin of safety. Getting back took 10 bars with low battery warning coming on and diving 45 and 35 in eco for the last 20 miles.

 

[ggodman]

Thanks all I'll have to get a GID

 

[Karynmw]

Scheduled my first 100 mile trip this week: Burbank to Santa Barbara. Plugshare told me there was a Quick Charger at Thousand Oaks Transport Center. Turns out here are two, plus 2 other Level 2 chargers. First leg: Burbank to Thousand Oaks. Quick charge. Then Thousand Oaks to Santa Barbara. Worked great! So nice, so quick. I did have a few glitches negotiating the Quick Charge ports, but eventually got it with phone support, and was on my way in 30 minutes. I did have to tell the Charging Station "more options...100%". The default is 80%

 

[joewaters]

My first DCQC was this weekend, and it was at the Normal, IL Plug-in Day. Well - sort of - it was about half a block away in the parking garage. I pre-charged on a L2 from --- to 18% at 40 minutes, then moved over into the QC for 18 minutes to 85%. Then back over to the L2 for 40 minutes to top off. Total from really low to 100% = 1 hour 40 minutes. That could have been even faster, but the QC was occupied when I arrived.
But, alas, it is a luxury I may not soon see again, for this QC is 145 miles from home in a direction I have no other interest in. I could really enjoy some long trips if there were enough of these stations around

 

[Berlino]

came back in 20 minutes and I had an indicated 90% charge.

How do L3 chargers come up with such estimates?

If the LEAF is telling them the SOC%, shouldn't it be relatively accurate at that level?

Or is that 90% referring the percentage of a target reached, for example 90% of 80%, meaning only 72% SOC%?

 

[mbender]

Or is that 90% referring the percentage of a target reached, for example 90% of 80%, meaning only 72% SOC%?

Others here will know or be able to explain better, but that is my understanding and is, at least for me, "close enough". In my experience, 100% on each of the three kinds (Blink, Eaton, or dealer [Aerovironment?]) of units that I've used almost always correlates to roughly an 80% or "10-bar" charge in the car itself.

 

[ObjetDart]

I QC'd 4 times in one day last weekend (getting to the Portland Plug-In event and back), 3 times on AeroVironment stations and once on a Blink. All 4 times the % charge on the station seemed to match exactly the % charge shown on the LEAF dash (I have a 2013.)

 

[mbender]

I QC'd 4 times in one day last weekend (getting to the Portland Plug-In event and back), 3 times on AeroVironment stations and once on a Blink. All 4 times the % charge on the station seemed to match exactly the % charge shown on the LEAF dash (I have a 2013.)

Ah yes, I think I remember that they changed the software beginning with 2013s just to complicate things (or simplify, depending on one's perspective).

Four QCs in one day?! Hope your battery temp didn't hit the red zone!

 

[philipscoggins]

Yep, the Quick charger shows about 8% more than your actual charge. It's a LEAF problem, does it on all brands of quick chargers.

 

[Woosie]

goodman, I use this particular L3 charger often, as it is between work in Long Beach and home in Torrance for me. Carson Nissan is very nice to visit and you can use any of their four L2 chargers when you reach 80% from the L3.

As for the GOM vs. number of bars, leave the central Instrument Panel LCD screen in Battery Percentage mode. That's a much better indicator of the state of charge of your battery, notwithstanding use of an aftermarket device. I use it full time and pay attention to that rather than battery bars or the GOM.

 

[cwerdna]

goodman,
...
As for the GOM vs. number of bars, leave the central Instrument Panel LCD screen in Battery Percentage mode. That's a much better indicator of the state of charge of your battery, notwithstanding use of an aftermarket device. I use it full time and pay attention to that rather than battery bars or the GOM.

If goodman's delivery date was really in 2011 and he has no '13 Leaf, the '11 and '12 Leaf have NO % SoC indicator ANYWHERE. It was much requested feature that Nissan finally added on the '13 Leafs.

Those folks have to use devices that plug into the OBD2 port to read gid values, as a proxy for % SoC. Otherwise, all they've got is the GOM, the 12 "fuel" bars and the estimated time to charge.

 

[jsongster]

Quick Chargers are our friends! If we could get networks of them every 40 miles away or so all the LEAFs and even a few iMievs could cruise much farther.

The more gas trips we replace the better. With enough quick chargers these become 1st cars not simply good 2nds.

Since I have a 2013 I have never seen the difference of the percentage problem. In fact watching my SOC on the little screen... I am often amused ( easily I admit) by the slight delay in the QC displaying the SOC of a few seconds... the car usually indicates slightly ahead of the QC screen at my Nissan Dealer.

 

[JPWhite]

I have found vast discrepancies between what the DCQC thinks it put in the car, and what my GID meter shows.

Get yourself a meter.

I've noticed a large variance on Blink DCFC units. The recently installed Nissan units at dealers seem to be within 1-2% of what leaf spy pro says. Looks like they have improved the algorithm in the Nissan units. The DCFC outside Nissan HQ was inaccurate when first put in a few years ago. They must have improved the firmware.

 

[Maaz]

goodman, I use this particular L3 charger often, as it is between work in Long Beach and home in Torrance for me. Carson Nissan is very nice to visit and you can use any of their four L2 chargers when you reach 80% from the L3.

As for the GOM vs. number of bars, leave the central Instrument Panel LCD screen in Battery Percentage mode. That's a much better indicator of the state of charge of your battery, notwithstanding use of an aftermarket device. I use it full time and pay attention to that rather than battery bars or the GOM.

i also use carson sometimes when coming from school in long beach to torrance.