To charge or not to charge

[JimSouCal]

Add me to the list of those that charge to 80% every time I park for the day. The, sometimes, especially in winter, bump it to 100%.

+1 Yep.

Even though I usually only use a couple of bars each drive, there have been those times I am glad I am at 80% and able to quickly get to close to 100 before rolling out if need be... Hey, run out to the Valley for dinner and back from Santa Monica, detour to Home Depot, 405 closed at midnight, etc.

Maybe with the new gen charger it would be different, but I'd like enjoy the most carefree ride possible and am willing to replace the batteries at some point if need be. So, I am in the charge up to 80%, and cradle the LAF just like my cell phone each night.

Also, I have yet to ever quick charge, and when I bought my 2011, was thinking QC's would be lining key points at the transit corridors of Southern California. That was wishful thinking. Meanwhile, 98% of the time, the car meets my distance needs...

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

The timer allows u to plug in assoonas u get homebut not start charging til later. If u r TOU (time of use) u will have cheaper rates late at night.

 

[Razorbil]

Is the timer something built into each Leaf or Carwings or........

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Is the timer something built into each Leaf or Carwings or........

Built into LEAF but can be controlled by carwings or at leastthe timer can be overridden by carwings

 

[dgpcolorado]

There are two timers. Each can be programmed to charge to 80% or 100% with start time and end time or end time only. The latter setting is helpful for charging so that the charging finishes just before one plans to leave home and that keeps the state of charge (SOC) lower overall. Since keeping the SOC at 100% for an extended time is not good for the battery, using an end time only setting is helpful because the car sits for just a short time before being driven. The timers are also set to the days of the week, however both timers can't be set to the same day of the week.

As an example, one timer could be set to 80% charge Monday through Friday for 8 AM. The other timer could be set for 100% on Saturdays for long weekend shopping trips.

One of the buttons to the left of the steering wheel is the timer override. When pushed, it allows charging regardless of timer settings. The timers can also be turned off, at which point the car will charge whenever plugged-in. The timers can also be overridden by using Carwings and a computer or smart phone (assuming the car is in cell phone coverage). Carwings is not available on the base S model.

In addition to the charge timers, there are two climate control timers that can allow preheating or precooling of the car. They work much the same as the charge timers except that you just set the time you want to leave (i.e. when the preheating/precooling should be ready), as well as the days of the week.

Sounds complicated but there are a number of ways to charge the car and the timers are simple to use with a bit of practice. And they really are pretty powerful in allowing the LEAF to be charged on whatever schedule you choose.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

In the winter, I plug the car in whenever I get home and let it charge to 80%. Then again, my travel may be a little less predictable (I have young kids), and I live in upstate NY so it gets cold - frequently below 20F, occasionally below 0F. Plugging it in also allows me to remote preheat the car whenever I'm about to leave.

In the summer, I charge with an end timer only. This allows the battery to cool down during the evening and charge overnight to reduce/eliminate the charging when the battery is warm. I try not to charge when the battery is above 6 temperature bars. Typical summer temps here are 80s/90s during the day, dropping by 10-20 degrees overnight. Obviously it's nowhere near as hot as AZ/TX, but after the capacity loss fiasco, I do what I can.

Given your climate and situation, I would probably recommend setting an end timer, maybe even to slightly after you actually leave, and plugging in the car every night. The Leaf takes about 7-8 hours to charge on 240V (half the time for the 2013 with the 6kW charger), so figure about 13%/hour. If you set the charge timer to end timer only, 80%, and set the time to 1:30 (or 0:45 with the 6kW) after you intend to leave, it should be at about 60% charged when you leave*.

*It has been observed that the 2011/2012 Leaf's end timer is actually a little conservative. In other words, it will typically end, say, about 1 hour BEFORE your end timer. You should then set the end time for 2:30 after you leave, rather than 1:30. You may have to play around with it to get it right.

 

[RonDawg]

the only real issue is the time it takes to charge and the possibility of "unexpected life"....

as a blanket recommendation, just use the 80% charge. even if you dont plan to use more than that, if you ever do, you wont be caught with "your charge down"

"Unexpected life" is why I routinely charge to 80% even though my short commute will allow me to go 3 days between charging sessions. I only have L1 charging at the moment, so if I do let it get low, then I'll have to wait for many hours before I get any decent range.

Plus in the summertime, in my area when it gets very hot we get somewhat frequent (if temporary) power outages due to everybody using their A/C units. Same thing happens when he get high winds which knock down power lines (or trees onto them). Having it charge to 80% every day ensures that I will always have sufficient range unless the outage goes on for several days (and has on occasion due to high winds).

 

[nlagnew]

Here in Chapel Hill I tend to charge it via timer to 80% in the winter regardless. That helps with those cold mornings when there are 4 battery bars. In seasons where my battery temperature is 5 or 6 bars, I consider my next day's drive and only plug in when I get down a bit and know I'll need more the next day. I do not recall seeing my battery go above 6 temp bars last summer (is that possible or have I started on the slippery slope of not recalling details).

On days when my schedule changes and I need to be able to go more than 60 miles, I use the iphone app to take the charge above 80%. I've been known to add a little beyond 80% on a really cold morning when it is just too blasted cold (and I have no garage) -- which in NC is not as cold as in upstate NY, but still, 20 degrees is cold enough for a coat.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Here's some manuals you can start reading:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=255" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Once you start driving it, you'll find the charge levels that work best for you.

 

[Razorbil]

Here's some manuals you can start reading:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=255" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Once you start driving it, you'll find the charge levels that work best for you.

Thank you. You read my mind. I was just going to post that someone should:
*post a .pdf version of the owners manual and
*start a thread explaining all the acronyms!

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

You're welcome.

The manual linked to is the 2011 version, but you can easily get 2013 manuals from the Nissan site.

Use the Google search function on this forum to decipher the acronyms.

In fact, using search will answer almost any question you have.

Enjoy

 

[planet4ever]

Thank you. You read my mind. I was just going to post that someone should:
*post a .pdf version of the owners manual and
*start a thread explaining all the acronyms!

The Nissan Leaf Wiki is a great resource, and a much more efficient way to find information than searching through threads. Among many other things, it has a Glossary which lists and defines many of the commonly used acronyms.

Ray

 

[Razorbil]

Thank you. You read my mind. I was just going to post that someone should:
*post a .pdf version of the owners manual and
*start a thread explaining all the acronyms!

The Nissan Leaf Wiki is a great resource, and a much more efficient way to find information than searching through threads. Among many other things, it has a Glossary which lists and defines many of the commonly used acronyms.

Ray

So I have found. Thank you.

 

[Razorbil]

You're welcome.

The manual linked to is the 2011 version, but you can easily get 2013 manuals from the Nissan site.

Use the Google search function on this forum to decipher the acronyms.

In fact, using search will answer almost any question you have.

Enjoy

Perfect. I found the '13 manual(s) via the Nissan site, downloaded them and now have something to read while waiting for delivery!