2020 SV Plus rapidgate advice?

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BrOtis

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2021
Messages
6
I recently purchased a 2020 Nissan Leaf SV plus and quickly realized the mistake I had made. I live in Arizona and at the time of purchase I had no idea what passive cooling was and the sales person certainly had no clue about anything involving the car. I knew more than he did.

Had I realized that the battery would suffer such harsh throttling about 90% of the year in Arizona due to the heat, I’d have bought an EV with an active cooling system. I suppose I’m fault here for not doing the proper amount of research but it feels like I got taken for a fool. Please don’t make me feel anymore stupid than I already do.

I could have gotten myself a model 3 for what I paid. And to make matters worse, my cars value somehow depreciated almost 25k in less than 5 months. It has less than 6k miles on it and is in immaculate condition. I know depreciation happens but more than half of what was financed in less than half a year?! How is this legal? That was a real kick In the pants. So I can’t get rid of the car because I’m not rich and I can’t afford to just take on 20k or more in negative equity.

At this point I’m desperate for some sort of help. I think Nissan should not be allowed to sell this car in this state honestly. Does anyone know of anything that will help me?

I tried going to Nissan and they basically told me sorry but you’re out of luck. Apparently the firmware update that help this issue isn’t available for the 2020 model for some unknown reason.

Is there anything I can do to help this? Could I buy a different battery pack with active cooling? Could I pay some custom EV shop to build something? I love the car other than the rapidgate issue. Please don’t respond with snarky comments about how I need to get a different car. I would if I could.
 
BrOtis said:
Is there anything I can do to help this? Could I buy a different battery pack with active cooling?
I'm not aware of any existing for any Leaf of any capacity.

About my only suggestion is to park the car in an air conditioned garage to cold soak for many hours at a time or one that's much cooler than outside ground level temp (e.g. underground or slightly underground garage like at my work https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=29884&p=563182&hilit=underground#p563182). If you use Leaf Spy, you can see the battery temps and see how much or little each has an effect on battery temp along w/how much it rises from L2 and fast charging.

The cooler/cooled garage will help on the first DC fast charge. Are you needing to DC FC often?

As for depreciation and how much you paid, were you eligible for the full $7500 Federal tax credit (having any 2020 tax year tax liability)? Teslas have been ineligible for any Federal tax credit for awhile. And, nobody pays MSRP on Leafs, so those two combined should've made it less than the cheapest 3 at $37,690 + tax and license. $37690 comes from the current lowest price at https://www.tesla.com/model3/design#battery of $36,490 + $1200 dest and doc fee.

Sorry I need to reply w/something snarky... but if needing to DC FC often (and quickly) when it's hot out is important to you, then you need to get a different car. I would point you to used Bolts as they're quite cheap but there's a stop sale right now so GM dealers may be unwilling/not legally able to sell you one (https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/chevy-dealership-sold-me-2017-chevy-bolt-with-sale-stop-order.37026/#post-576295). Yes, there have been folks who have hit that obstacle while others found GM dealers more than willing to sell those '17 and '18 Bolts (where the interim fix to limit charging to 90% is currently not enough to lift the stop sale).

https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/battery-conditioning.33279/#post-512173 lists that guy's observed thermal management behavior. 27 C = 80.6 F. 31 C = 87.8 F, 34 C = 93.2 F.

And yes, I'm aware of how crazy how it is there. I've posted about a Phoenician friend's temps numerous times (e.g. https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=8802&p=307296&hilit=phoenician+friend#p307296) and am still FB friends w/him. I also went to Phoenix and Tucson in Sept 2019 when it was quite hot. :(
 
You must be doing an awful lot of driving. For my needs, the 225 miles of range of an SV Plus would mean I would only need to charge a couple of times a week.

It's unfortunate that you picked the LEAF, just about any other EV would be better in your climate.

One possibility that you might consider is reaching out to Dala (a member on these forums), as he creates custom code for the Muxsan CAN bridge devices.

https://dalasevrepair.fi/can-bridges/

Configurable quickcharge speed/temperature map, possibility to use pre-Rapidgate or Rapidgate settings. Even possible to do more aggressive charge-throttling to maximize battery life.

You might be able to pick a speed/temp map that permits higher charging rates at high ambient temperatures, but realize that rapidgate exists for a reason. I doubt that Dala's code would allow it, but picking too high of a charging rate at high ambient temperatures could be dangerous.

If Nissan ever found out about the mod, you would surely void your battery pack warranty.
 
https://electrek.co/best-electric-vehicle-prices/ has some example new EV pricing, but those may all be wrong now since we're in 2021. If you do pursue a Bolt (new or used) or some other EV with CCS1 (SAE Combo) inlet, make sure it has the two extra holes for the 2 extra pins needed for DC FCing. See https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/how-to-find-out-if-a-used-bolt-has-dc-fast-charger.37075/#post-577362. Bolts w/DC FCing have that orange flap covering the 2 holes.
 
BrOtis said:
I recently purchased a 2020 Nissan Leaf SV plus and quickly realized the mistake I had made. I live in Arizona and at the time of purchase I had no idea what passive cooling was and the sales person certainly had no clue about anything involving the car. I knew more than he did.

Had I realized that the battery would suffer such harsh throttling about 90% of the year in Arizona due to the heat, I’d have bought an EV with an active cooling system. I suppose I’m fault here for not doing the proper amount of research but it feels like I got taken for a fool. Please don’t make me feel anymore stupid than I already do.

I could have gotten myself a model 3 for what I paid. And to make matters worse, my cars value somehow depreciated almost 25k in less than 5 months. It has less than 6k miles on it and is in immaculate condition. I know depreciation happens but more than half of what was financed in less than half a year?! How is this legal? That was a real kick In the pants. So I can’t get rid of the car because I’m not rich and I can’t afford to just take on 20k or more in negative equity.

At this point I’m desperate for some sort of help. I think Nissan should not be allowed to sell this car in this state honestly. Does anyone know of anything that will help me?

I tried going to Nissan and they basically told me sorry but you’re out of luck. Apparently the firmware update that help this issue isn’t available for the 2020 model for some unknown reason.

Is there anything I can do to help this? Could I buy a different battery pack with active cooling? Could I pay some custom EV shop to build something? I love the car other than the rapidgate issue. Please don’t respond with snarky comments about how I need to get a different car. I would if I could.
Please explain your real issue with "rapid gate". With 6k miles in 5 months, your monthly mileage is less than mine and I have no issue charging my 2019 and had no issue charging my previous LEAFs. My car has only 9 DCQCs in almost 25k miles because it is much cheaper to charge at home. If you cannot charge at home and are dependent upon DCQC, then a Tesla would have been a better choice with their proprietary charging network. I used a DCQC on Sunday and there was no charge throttling issue--charge rate started at 43 kW, increased to 45 kW, and tapered to 35 kW just before the EVgo charger stopped after 46 minutes (I wish they would keep charging instead of automatically stopping after either 30 or 45 minutes). The SOC (state of charge) was 21% before charging and 81% after the EVgo charger stopped. During previous DCQC sessions I have seen EVgo chargers cut back to 18 kW after 15 minutes (probably to avoid excessive 15-minute power demand charges which are triggered above 20 kW), but that is not the fault of the car.

I am not sure how you are determining depreciation, but EV's that qualify for the Federal $7,500 tax credit do take a large depreciation hit as soon as you drive off the lot because a new one qualifies for the credit while a used one does not even if the original purchaser is not able to use the credit.

There are no alternative battery packs available (plus you would lose the Nissan 8-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty, 5-year, 60,000-mile EV system and powertrain warranty, and 3-year, 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty if you modify the car) and the costs for modifications, if available, would exceed the losses you would incur by just selling the car.

Personally, I am glad that Nissan sells EV's in Arizona because the LEAF fits my daily driver needs very well.
 
OP: How much of a choice do you have in whether to DC charge ?

----
As an aside, as Chief LEAF critic in non-cool climates, I am not surprised at your negative opinions and I expect them to get worse as battery degradation becomes apparent. That said, some of your OP reads as hyperbole, or perhaps trolling. E.g., the 25k depreciation is hard to accept. How much did you pay for the car before TTL and tax credits ?
 
For what it’s worth I think you have a great car, and that is coming from a Very happy Tesla model 3 owner. Leafs do what they do very well and the hatch back is great. Not to mention a very good looking car in my opinion. Miss my leaf. We retired and didn’t need two cars so we sold it.

But I’m sure a ton of people here want yo know. What kind of driving conditions are you using it under. You have so few miles but you need to fast charge. Are the only trips you make 500 miles? Most people rarely fast charge. I know Tesla owners who have never been to a fast charger in 3 years. Do you have charging at home?

Soooo curious on this. Please let us know.

Cheers.
 
webeleafowners said:
You have so few miles but you need to fast charge. Are the only trips you make 500 miles? Most people rarely fast charge. I know Tesla owners who have never been to a fast charger in 3 years. Do you have charging at home?

If the OP doesn't or can't charge at home, that might explain it. Fast charging only wouldn't be very nice anyplace.
 
GerryAZ said:
BrOtis said:
I recently purchased a 2020 Nissan Leaf SV plus and quickly realized the mistake I had made. I live in Arizona and at the time of purchase I had no idea what passive cooling was and the sales person certainly had no clue about anything involving the car. I knew more than he did.

Had I realized that the battery would suffer such harsh throttling about 90% of the year in Arizona due to the heat, I’d have bought an EV with an active cooling system. I suppose I’m fault here for not doing the proper amount of research but it feels like I got taken for a fool. Please don’t make me feel anymore stupid than I already do.

I could have gotten myself a model 3 for what I paid. And to make matters worse, my cars value somehow depreciated almost 25k in less than 5 months. It has less than 6k miles on it and is in immaculate condition. I know depreciation happens but more than half of what was financed in less than half a year?! How is this legal? That was a real kick In the pants. So I can’t get rid of the car because I’m not rich and I can’t afford to just take on 20k or more in negative equity.

At this point I’m desperate for some sort of help. I think Nissan should not be allowed to sell this car in this state honestly. Does anyone know of anything that will help me?

I tried going to Nissan and they basically told me sorry but you’re out of luck. Apparently the firmware update that help this issue isn’t available for the 2020 model for some unknown reason.

Is there anything I can do to help this? Could I buy a different battery pack with active cooling? Could I pay some custom EV shop to build something? I love the car other than the rapidgate issue. Please don’t respond with snarky comments about how I need to get a different car. I would if I could.
Please explain your real issue with "rapid gate". With 6k miles in 5 months, your monthly mileage is less than mine and I have no issue charging my 2019 and had no issue charging my previous LEAFs. My car has only 9 DCQCs in almost 25k miles because it is much cheaper to charge at home. If you cannot charge at home and are dependent upon DCQC, then a Tesla would have been a better choice with their proprietary charging network. I used a DCQC on Sunday and there was no charge throttling issue--charge rate started at 43 kW, increased to 45 kW, and tapered to 35 kW just before the EVgo charger stopped after 46 minutes (I wish they would keep charging instead of automatically stopping after either 30 or 45 minutes). The SOC (state of charge) was 21% before charging and 81% after the EVgo charger stopped. During previous DCQC sessions I have seen EVgo chargers cut back to 18 kW after 15 minutes (probably to avoid excessive 15-minute power demand charges which are triggered above 20 kW), but that is not the fault of the car.

I am not sure how you are determining depreciation, but EV's that qualify for the Federal $7,500 tax credit do take a large depreciation hit as soon as you drive off the lot because a new one qualifies for the credit while a used one does not even if the original purchaser is not able to use the credit.

There are no alternative battery packs available (plus you would lose the Nissan 8-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty, 5-year, 60,000-mile EV system and powertrain warranty, and 3-year, 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty if you modify the car) and the costs for modifications, if available, would exceed the losses you would incur by just selling the car.

Personally, I am glad that Nissan sells EV's in Arizona because the LEAF fits my daily driver needs very well.


So daily use isn’t an issue. But I have friends that I would like to visit in San Diego. And in Vegas. I was assured this wouldn’t be an issue with the Leaf and to be fair, I can drive there it just takes quadruple the amount of time I thought it would. I tried to go from Phoenix to San Diego in it twice, once when it was super hot out and once recently. I assumed the first time I went it took so long due to the heat outside. It took 14 hours. The second time I thought I wouldn’t have this issue. Still took me 12 and half hours. And I never went over 65 mph. Kept on eco too. And going to Vegas isn’t possible at all. If it is then I’m not aware of how. I’m angry with myself for making the mistake of not fully understanding this car before buying. That might have come off in my tone and that’s my bad for sure.

When I purchased the car, KBB said what I was paying for a new leaf was accurate. But now, if I check KBB it says it’s only worth have of what I paid. After taxes and fees it came out to right at 46k amount financed. They offered me 18k for it. Even if you account for the 7500 dollar tax credit, which makes no sense to me because you can’t even claim all of it if you don’t have enough liability, that’s still about 20k of upside negative equity. Don’t get wrong I know that a cars value depreciates the moment you drive it off the lot. I’ve bought several new cars and that’s usually about a 5k depreciation within the first year. That’s about average according to every person I know. And even the highest I’ve seen was 10k in a year. 20 in 5 months? Come on. You have to admit that’s not normal.
 
webeleafowners said:
For what it’s worth I think you have a great car, and that is coming from a Very happy Tesla model 3 owner. Leafs do what they do very well and the hatch back is great. Not to mention a very good looking car in my opinion. Miss my leaf. We retired and didn’t need two cars so we sold it.

But I’m sure a ton of people here want yo know. What kind of driving conditions are you using it under. You have so few miles but you need to fast charge. Are the only trips you make 500 miles? Most people rarely fast charge. I know Tesla owners who have never been to a fast charger in 3 years. Do you have charging at home?

Soooo curious on this. Please let us know.

Cheers.

It’s only when I have I charge more than once. Second fast charge is instantly slower than the first. Taking about 2 hours. 3 is slower than a level 2 charger. I’ve tried going from Phoenix to San Diego which took 14 hours. A 5 hour trip in a gas car. I also tried Phoenix to LA with similar results. I tried both in the best of the summer and about a month ago. For San Diego to compare how it did with cooler temps and instead of taking 14 hours it took just under 13. Which is still pretty unacceptable to me. Maybe this is normal for EVs? I’m just a regular person who decided to try and be more Conscious about my car on foot print. And now I feel as though I was prayed on by my ignorance. I realize this is probably just how it works. But it is a hard pill to swallow when you thought the technology was something it isn’t. And your stuck with an insane amount of debt that the car isn’t worth.
 
webeleafowners said:
For what it’s worth I think you have a great car, and that is coming from a Very happy Tesla model 3 owner. Leafs do what they do very well and the hatch back is great. Not to mention a very good looking car in my opinion. Miss my leaf. We retired and didn’t need two cars so we sold it.

But I’m sure a ton of people here want yo know. What kind of driving conditions are you using it under. You have so few miles but you need to fast charge. Are the only trips you make 500 miles? Most people rarely fast charge. I know Tesla owners who have never been to a fast charger in 3 years. Do you have charging at home?

Soooo curious on this. Please let us know.

Cheers.

Also, I will trade cars with you anytime you want lol.
 
cwerdna said:
https://electrek.co/best-electric-vehicle-prices/ has some example new EV pricing, but those may all be wrong now since we're in 2021. If you do pursue a Bolt (new or used) or some other EV with CCS1 (SAE Combo) inlet, make sure it has the two extra holes for the 2 extra pins needed for DC FCing. See https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/how-to-find-out-if-a-used-bolt-has-dc-fast-charger.37075/#post-577362. Bolts w/DC FCing have that orange flap covering the 2 holes.

My partner refuses to ride in a Chevy. She had a friend that was killed by a malfunction in one and so as much as I like the Bolt it isn’t really an option for me. But also, I mean unless the bolt has some sort of crazy incentives that can eat about 20k in negative equity there isn’t a single thing I can do but keep my leaf.
 
The depreciation might be real depending on if he is going off MSRP.

My 2018, bought in 2019, was MSRP upper 30's at the time I think. And KBB now says its worth maybe 18k if I am lucky.

But as others said, I did not pay nearly that much. I paid 15400 out the door. That included dealer discount and rebates and tax credits.
And with my loan payment I'm almost at exactly owing 10k right now. So "depreciation" yes, but I'm not sure its fair to say it is 37k minus 18k or 19k worth of depreciation, because i didn't really pay most of that.

Of course, if the OP did pay full MSRP and did not get any fed tax credit or state rebates, that would be unfortunate.
I wouldn't pay anywhere near MSRP right now on a Leaf.
 
One thing I would add, as someone else did, if you have access to a garage, then do as much charging in your garage as possible. And if possible, AC your garage. Even a swamp cooler might help overnight, though those don't work as well in AZ as where I live. A swamp cooler can blow cool air right under your car for best effect.
 
BrOtis said:
GerryAZ said:
BrOtis said:
I recently purchased a 2020 Nissan Leaf SV plus and quickly realized the mistake I had made. I live in Arizona and at the time of purchase I had no idea what passive cooling was and the sales person certainly had no clue about anything involving the car. I knew more than he did.

Had I realized that the battery would suffer such harsh throttling about 90% of the year in Arizona due to the heat, I’d have bought an EV with an active cooling system. I suppose I’m fault here for not doing the proper amount of research but it feels like I got taken for a fool. Please don’t make me feel anymore stupid than I already do.

I could have gotten myself a model 3 for what I paid. And to make matters worse, my cars value somehow depreciated almost 25k in less than 5 months. It has less than 6k miles on it and is in immaculate condition. I know depreciation happens but more than half of what was financed in less than half a year?! How is this legal? That was a real kick In the pants. So I can’t get rid of the car because I’m not rich and I can’t afford to just take on 20k or more in negative equity.

At this point I’m desperate for some sort of help. I think Nissan should not be allowed to sell this car in this state honestly. Does anyone know of anything that will help me?

I tried going to Nissan and they basically told me sorry but you’re out of luck. Apparently the firmware update that help this issue isn’t available for the 2020 model for some unknown reason.

Is there anything I can do to help this? Could I buy a different battery pack with active cooling? Could I pay some custom EV shop to build something? I love the car other than the rapidgate issue. Please don’t respond with snarky comments about how I need to get a different car. I would if I could.
Please explain your real issue with "rapid gate". With 6k miles in 5 months, your monthly mileage is less than mine and I have no issue charging my 2019 and had no issue charging my previous LEAFs. My car has only 9 DCQCs in almost 25k miles because it is much cheaper to charge at home. If you cannot charge at home and are dependent upon DCQC, then a Tesla would have been a better choice with their proprietary charging network. I used a DCQC on Sunday and there was no charge throttling issue--charge rate started at 43 kW, increased to 45 kW, and tapered to 35 kW just before the EVgo charger stopped after 46 minutes (I wish they would keep charging instead of automatically stopping after either 30 or 45 minutes). The SOC (state of charge) was 21% before charging and 81% after the EVgo charger stopped. During previous DCQC sessions I have seen EVgo chargers cut back to 18 kW after 15 minutes (probably to avoid excessive 15-minute power demand charges which are triggered above 20 kW), but that is not the fault of the car.

I am not sure how you are determining depreciation, but EV's that qualify for the Federal $7,500 tax credit do take a large depreciation hit as soon as you drive off the lot because a new one qualifies for the credit while a used one does not even if the original purchaser is not able to use the credit.

There are no alternative battery packs available (plus you would lose the Nissan 8-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty, 5-year, 60,000-mile EV system and powertrain warranty, and 3-year, 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty if you modify the car) and the costs for modifications, if available, would exceed the losses you would incur by just selling the car.

Personally, I am glad that Nissan sells EV's in Arizona because the LEAF fits my daily driver needs very well.


So daily use isn’t an issue. But I have friends that I would like to visit in San Diego. And in Vegas. I was assured this wouldn’t be an issue with the Leaf and to be fair, I can drive there it just takes quadruple the amount of time I thought it would. I tried to go from Phoenix to San Diego in it twice, once when it was super hot out and once recently. I assumed the first time I went it took so long due to the heat outside. It took 14 hours. The second time I thought I wouldn’t have this issue. Still took me 12 and half hours. And I never went over 65 mph. Kept on eco too. And going to Vegas isn’t possible at all. If it is then I’m not aware of how. I’m angry with myself for making the mistake of not fully understanding this car before buying. That might have come off in my tone and that’s my bad for sure.

When I purchased the car, KBB said what I was paying for a new leaf was accurate. But now, if I check KBB it says it’s only worth have of what I paid. After taxes and fees it came out to right at 46k amount financed. They offered me 18k for it. Even if you account for the 7500 dollar tax credit, which makes no sense to me because you can’t even claim all of it if you don’t have enough liability, that’s still about 20k of upside negative equity. Don’t get wrong I know that a cars value depreciates the moment you drive it off the lot. I’ve bought several new cars and that’s usually about a 5k depreciation within the first year. That’s about average according to every person I know. And even the highest I’ve seen was 10k in a year. 20 in 5 months? Come on. You have to admit that’s not normal.
I'm sorry that you are in this situation now. The only thing you can do now is use the car within 1 or 2 QC. If you need to drive farther, rent a car or use your partner's car. Next time, don't listen to car salesmen, do your own homework especially when it comes to electric cars.
 
After taxes and fees it came out to right at 46k amount financed.
Depreciation calcs do not include taxes or fees.

It *sounds* like you paid ~ msrp for your car, which is as someone already said ... unfortunate, and it explains most of your current malaise.

So long as you own the car I think you will have to accept that it is not a good choice for your long trips. Rent something else for those occasions or use public transport. That still leaves 350+ days a year where the LEAF meets you daily use.
 
SageBrush said:
After taxes and fees it came out to right at 46k amount financed.
Depreciation calcs do not include taxes or fees.

It *sounds* like you paid ~ msrp for your car, which is as someone already said ... unfortunate, and it explains most of your current malaise.

So long as you own the car I think you will have to accept that it is not a good choice for your long trips. Rent something else for those occasions or use public transport. That still leaves 350+ days a year where the LEAF meets you daily use.
[/quote]

This post came off way more like a complaint that I meant it to. I’m just upset with myself and that came out. I was just hoping beyond hope that someone new of something that could be done to help. I heard rumors of possibly routing some of the cars AC into the battery compartment to help but haven’t seen anything that’s actually been done. I considered just popping off the port hole in the back seat area and sticking some sort of portable AC unit to blow straight into it. But I dunno if that would do anything.
 
BrOtis said:
This post came off way more like a complaint that I meant it to. I’m just upset with myself and that came out. I was just hoping beyond hope that someone new of something that could be done to help. I heard rumors of possibly routing some of the cars AC into the battery compartment to help but haven’t seen anything that’s actually been done. I considered just popping off the port hole in the back seat area and sticking some sort of portable AC unit to blow straight into it. But I dunno if that would do anything.
Was more than a rumor. I recall seeing a kit long ago (I never could find the URL or FB page again) of some sort of Japanese "racing" kit for Leaf that literally involved routing a hose from the passenger side AC outlet into the center hump area in the back to where the service plug is. It basically blocked the entire front passenger seat. Not clear how much that would really help.
 
Not sure if Nissan still gives credit but they did in 2019 when I got mine so that is cheaper to use public charging as well.
As far as "rapidgate" it happens to me in Colorado but it usually takes DCFC 3 to get hit it (in a day) I had it happen on the 2nd in a hot day. This of course only happens on road trips like you going to visit your friend in San Diego. I see no way around it even a guy in Norway hit it. Another problem with the Plus is once you rapid gate is to get it to cool down it does take a bit depending on outside temperature, if I am camping at high altitude (yes I camp with the LEAF) it cools down quickly. In AZ itself yea I wonder how it will do as well, your state is too how for the LEAF, the Ariya might be OK. If you can I recommend charging on l2 (or quick chargers at 6kw) at home or in other places, this is much slower but is fine for around town or a few towns really at 200 mile range. So yea the LEAF is not the best car for multistate driving, it does it but it takes time to charge. For my climate the car does great in trips under 600 miles.

If you don't hate Nissan take a look at the Ariya that is coming that should be much better. Most other brands have active cooling as well.
 
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