GOM's range is 2 times off!

* I should have posted this under Ask Nissan tread.

I'm driving in ECO mode with no climate control.
On the GOM:
I started out with a range of 88mil.
ended with a range of 32mil.
But I actually only traveled 28mil
The range lost on the GOM was TWICE that.

I don't trust that the 32mil range left on
the GOM could get me home.
Had to do a quick charge to get home.

The GOM uses just one bit of information: the power consumption of the last few minutes (or less) of your drive. If you spend that time slowing down as you approach your house or parking space, you get a wildly inflated reading. Later versions are better, but the early ones are truly terrible. You need LeafSpy to give you a much more useful range estimate.

As you have found out the GOM is worthless. If your car can display the SOC% on the dash that is much more reliable meter of how much power is left. And 88mi will not happen on a 11bar 24kWh Leaf. Expect 60 miles max under normal conditions.

Your issue is an easy fix.

1) Place tape on dash to obscure GOM
2) Get LEAF Spy.

Why does this work?

Your GOM goes from 100% to zero% SOC but as we all know, your car does not stop running when the GOM abandons you.

LEAF Spy shows "real" battery capacity which means its SOC range generally runs from around 98% to 2%

As your LEAF hums along and bars disappear, the BMS is squirreling away range into a hidden reserve. That hidden reserve grows as the GOM drops.

https://daveinolywa.blogspot.com/2020/06/e-plus-summer-range-test.html

goldbrick said:

As you have found out the GOM is worthless. If your car can display the SOC% on the dash that is much more reliable meter of how much power is left. And 88mi will not happen on a 11bar 24kWh Leaf. Expect 60 miles max under normal conditions.

Click to expand...

Couldn't be farther from the truth.

Really? GOM vs SOC% isn't a slam dunk in favor of the SOC% ? YMMV but it works for me.

I disagree with Dave. Perhaps he will explain his reasoning. It's likely that that the SOC display isn't exactly correct, but it's still better than the GOM, especially on Gen I Leafs.

LeftieBiker said:

I disagree with Dave. Perhaps he will explain his reasoning. It's likely that that the SOC display isn't exactly correct, but it's still better than the GOM, especially on Gen I Leafs.

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I only disagree with the "much more reliable" part. To me, there is little difference in hidden capacity be it significant (like the LEAF) or be it a moderate scare tactic like the SOC meter. The bars hang out well after the GOM goes on its coffee break so does that means bars are better?

We humans select self analysis over rules. IOW; we don't do boundaries well and the first time you find you can continue to drive after the SOC hits zero, you are counting down to the day when you are waiting for a tow truck.

Nissan's first priority is a real stop on performance to prevent this but they allow us to drive to a point of dead end options. I find this incredibly stupid. We humans simply do stupid things so any enabling system has to be looked at with a very critical eye. This is where LEAF Spy comes in. Its real data and no, you can't go to zero SOC on LEAF Spy...

Easiest stress free way to boost your LEAF's range; Get LEAF Spy.

goldbrick said:

Really? GOM vs SOC% isn't a slam dunk in favor of the SOC% ? YMMV but it works for me.

Click to expand...

It probably works for you because you don't need the range. But its still not showing you a significant portion of your usable range. YMMV is still the key here. You simply err on the side of sensibility accepting the cost of reduced usability.

I'd rather know everything and decide for myself.

goldbrick said:

As you have found out the GOM is worthless. If your car can display the SOC% on the dash that is much more reliable meter of how much power is left. And 88mi will not happen on a 11bar 24kWh Leaf.

Click to expand...

His car doesn't have a % SoC on the dash or anywhere in the car's UI as it's a pre-'13 as evidenced by the marker lights on the fender which don't exist on US '13+ Leafs.

Also, in https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=31838, he said it was a '12 and you can see the VIN starting with J == MIJ. '13+ Leafs aren't made in Japan and do NOT have VINs starting with J. His car is also an SL, not an SV.

I only disagree with the "much more reliable" part. To me, there is little difference in hidden capacity be it significant (like the LEAF) or be it a moderate scare tactic like the SOC meter. The bars hang out well after the GOM goes on its coffee break so does that means bars are better?

Click to expand...

The SOC display is much more useful than the GOM, and it is more accurate. No one claims it is dead accurate. Hyperbole isn't a good substitute for useful advice. In this case it's moot, because as Cwerdna says, this is a '12 Leaf, with no SOC display. Your advice to get LeafSpy is sound.

LeftieBiker said:

I only disagree with the "much more reliable" part. To me, there is little difference in hidden capacity be it significant (like the LEAF) or be it a moderate scare tactic like the SOC meter. The bars hang out well after the GOM goes on its coffee break so does that means bars are better?

Click to expand...

The SOC display is much more useful than the GOM, and it is more accurate. No one claims it is dead accurate. Hyperbole isn't a good substitute for useful advice. In this case it's moot, because as Cwerdna says, this is a '12 Leaf, with no SOC display. Your advice to get LeafSpy is sound.

Click to expand...

Yeah, saw that. Nissan has come a long way but the continuing process of providing warning way too early and allowing the driver to kill the car too easily is a head scratcher. There is a balance between "getting what you paid for" and reasonable use. After all this time, I still see more than one post a week from someone DOA less than 2 miles from home... Sometimes MUCH less.

I think a better solution is a reduced power mode with say 5 miles or range but still have enough power to maintain a reasonable speed like 40- 50 mph?

Its as if EV designers wanted to maintain as much of the gasser experience as possible so they add this in? Creep I can see a value in that (I don't need it) but the running out of gas thing needs to go.

On a pre '13 Leaf you really need Leafspy or at the Least something like a Leaf DD like I have, as others have said the GOM is REALLY bad and I agree. Way too optimistic at first and then too pessimistic during lower SOC %.
I personally really like SOC% and can't figure why some of the newer EVs lack this basic reading, instead just relying on a GOM or battery bar SOC like all Leafs have but I totally ignore.

I am with you, SoC is the way to go, and just keep a reasonable multiplier in your head based in weather/current efficiency and battery health.

Agreed, but as cwerdna pointed out, the OP's car doesn't have a SOC% display. 2013 seems like the sweet spot year to me now-days. Has the connectors to easily allow a 40kWh upgrade, the 80% charge limiter, SOC% display, etc.

I highly recommend LEAF Spy Pro for numerous reasons (better display of remaining energy, display of tire pressures, and ability to read/clear error codes being the main ones). Based upon your two photos, you still had over half of your actual usable range left even though you were misled by the GOM. Personally, I liked features on the 2011 and 2012 that were deleted on 2013 and later USA cars so I think you will enjoy your car after you get used to the range you actually have. The heater (actually a little electric water heater) takes a lot of energy so you may want to get the aftermarket switch and wiring that allow either reducing its power consumption or turning it off completely.

In reply to others arguing about the SOC% display on 2013 and later LEAF's: It is more accurate than the GOM, but not perfect. It does not provide indication once the battery gets really low because it goes blank when you really need it. It does provide reasonable guidance in that 50% SOC means you have used about one half of your available range, but it gets inaccurate when the battery gets low and makes it look like the battery is almost dead when there is still significant range remaining.

I'd already gotten Leaf Spy Pro.
I would be looking at the Miles -> LBW @ 4.0 mi/kWh.
That's my range meter now.

What features from 2011-2012 were deleted?

johnnybegoode said:

What features from 2011-2012 were deleted?

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What do you mean deleted? '13+ was a mid-cycle refresh that changed a bunch of stuff, added a bunch of standard items (e.g. % SoC display) and available features besides adding a new lower cost trim level, the S trim.

http://sfbayleafs.org/news/2013/01/2013-nissan-leaf-product-highlights/
https://web.archive.org/web/20151002135819/http://articles.sae.org/11993/
http://sfbayleafs.org/commentary/2013/09/2013-vs-2011-nissan-leaf-whats-new-whats-gone-whats-changed/

On pre-'13 Leafs, you also couldn't get a black interior nor leather, CHAdeMO on trims below SL (it's available on S and SV for '13 to '17 and standard in SL), 6.6 kW on-board charger, hybrid heat pump heater (standard on SV and SL), better heater (on S), better stereo (Bose), Around View Monitor, And, it seems like the battery chemistry was quietly improved on 4/2013 built thru model year '14 Leafs. '15 got the "lizard" pack (search https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17168&p=374490 for lizard and see https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=320754#p320754).

I guess one downside of a '13 to '17 is that '11 and '12 all came w/LED headlights but '13 to '17 S only had crap halogens. '13 to '17 SV only had crap halogens standard unless you got the quick charge + LED headlights package. '13 to '17 SL came with the equivalent of quick charge + LED headlights package.

GerryAZ said:

I highly recommend LEAF Spy Pro for numerous reasons (better display of remaining energy, display of tire pressures, and ability to read/clear error codes being the main ones). Based upon your two photos, you still had over half of your actual usable range left even though you were misled by the GOM. Personally, I liked features on the 2011 and 2012 that were deleted on 2013 and later USA cars so I think you will enjoy your car after you get used to the range you actually have. The heater (actually a little electric water heater) takes a lot of energy so you may want to get the aftermarket switch and wiring that allow either reducing its power consumption or turning it off completely.

In reply to others arguing about the SOC% display on 2013 and later LEAF's: It is more accurate than the GOM, but not perfect. It does not provide indication once the battery gets really low because it goes blank when you really need it. It does provide reasonable guidance in that 50% SOC means you have used about one half of your available range, but it gets inaccurate when the battery gets low and makes it look like the battery is almost dead when there is still significant range remaining.

Click to expand...

GerryAZ mentions that there are features deleted on 2013 and later models.
That's why I was asking "What features from 2011-2012 were deleted?"

Off the top of my head, I can think of the headlight changes I mentioned. The other is the noisemaker disable button went away starting w/model year '12 and never came back. There are also the side front fender marker lights that went away after '12 + any aluminum panels (e.g. doors). All the exterior panels on '13 to '17 Leaf are steel.

There are a few changes from a Leaf Spy POV. From the PDF of the manual I have a copy of:

xA yV Example 31A 244V or 31A 5V (Only available on Models 2011/2012) When an EVSE is plugged into the Leaf these numbers indicate the maximum available current the EVSE can provide the Leaf and the voltage supplied by the EVSE. For the first example the EVSE can provide up to 31 amps of current and is supplying a charge voltage of 244 volts. The second example shows the reading when the EVSE is attached to the Leaf but the Leaf is not charging. In this case a voltage reading of around 5 volts can be expected.

Click to expand...

Search the PDF for 2011 or 2012 for some other values that are n/a on newer ones. '13 to '17 have one fewer battery pack temp sensor.

Multiple folks have said the '13 to '17 Leafs are a bit slower off the line in terms of acceleration.