TomT
Well-known member
A friend in Cavecreek, AZ (outside Phoenix) was considering buying a Leaf... In light of recent developments in that area, I talked here out of it and in to buying a Volt instead... She picked it up last night and loves it.
Unfortunately, that will be happening more and more until Nissan handles this problem. You did the right thing. I advised a co-worker to buy a Volt also (although as much due to her needs as the heat sensitivity of the Leaf).TomT said:A friend in Carefree, AZ (outside Phoenix) was considering buying a Leaf... In light of recent developments in that area, I talked here out of it and in to buying a Volt instead... She picked it up last night and loves it.
Great chart. But I think the problem is heat not SOC. Rather than saying that 40% SOC would be better I'd say 40C would be better. In other words it's heat more than cycling and, while cycling might help at the edges, if it's hot and you don't have a way to effectively cool the cells then you're going to have accelerated degradation.surfingslovak said:There is a healthy cushion at the top, especially if you only charge to 80%, and an equally healthy cushion at the bottom, if you don't go below the low battery warning. In fact, cycling the battery between 80% and the LBW pretty much emulates what the Volt does with its pack. GM is arguably using a pretty conservative approach there, and their chemistry is similar to ours.
That said, I agree with George that cycling around the middle is both safe and conservative, and you can't go wrong doing that. There is one thing to consider however: 40% SOC could be as good, if not better as your pivot point.
...
Finding a balance between these two processes is a relevant concern for storage. Running a shallow cycle has presumably other benefits as well, but it appears that most of the losses we are currently seeing are due to storage and calendar life, and not cycling.
I think the big downside for Nissan is that by not doing anything they're going to allow the heat related battery degradation issue to get out of hand. Realistically not getting a Leaf if you live in Phoenix or Palm Springs -- or leasing if you want one -- is a good recommendation. But what will happen is that this common sense advice will start being applied to a much wider geographic area. People in CO will start thinking "it's been 100F here last week so this will be a problem" when in fact there is huge difference between CO and AZ. Just about everywhere gets hot occasionally. Given the way people approach new threats, there is a big risk that potential customers will start thinking the Leaf isn't suitable for any of these locations, when in fact that's simply not the case. This might turn "be careful in Phoenix" into "don't get a Leaf if it ever gets hot because the battery won't last".Stoaty said:Unfortunately, that will be happening more and more until Nissan handles this problem. You did the right thing. I advised a co-worker to buy a Volt also (although as much due to her needs as the heat sensitivity of the Leaf).
SanDust said:I think the big downside for Nissan is that by not doing anything they're going to allow the heat related battery degradation issue to get out of hand. Realistically not getting a Leaf if you live in Phoenix or Palm Springs -- or leasing if you want one -- is a good recommendation. But what will happen is that this common sense advice will start being applied to a much wider geographic area. People in CO will start thinking "it's been 100F here last week so this will be a problem" when in fact there is huge difference between CO and AZ. Just about everywhere gets hot occasionally. Given the way people approach new threats, there is a big risk that potential customers will start thinking the Leaf isn't suitable for any of these locations, when in fact that's simply not the case. This might turn "be careful in Phoenix" into "don't get a Leaf if it ever gets hot because the battery won't last".Stoaty said:Unfortunately, that will be happening more and more until Nissan handles this problem. You did the right thing. I advised a co-worker to buy a Volt also (although as much due to her needs as the heat sensitivity of the Leaf).
Nope, and have no plans to do so until an EV meets my needs. But that doesn't stop me from being infuriated at how shabbily Nissan is treating their customers who are experiencing real problems, which will almost certainly result in all EVs (not just Leafs) taking an undeserved hit to their reputation. It's entirely preventable. Nissan should treat their customers as intelligent beings rather than mushrooms. The more info you give them, the more intelligently they can operate their equipment, and the fewer unpleasant surprises there are.thankyouOB said:Guy,
did you buy your leaf yet?
Another one bites the dust. What was your gid count?turbo2ltr said:So I haven't been keeping up on this thread...
My leaf had a little surprise for me this morning
turbo2ltr said:So I haven't been keeping up on this thread...
My leaf had a little surprise for me this morning
turbo2ltr said:I didn't notice until I was on the road already. I'll have to check tomorrow.
What sucks is I have to take a long trip today which I used to be able to do no problem, now I feel like I have to top off at the office before I go...which of course is not good for the battery, but I don't want to pay to charge for a long time at the office..
This is the first time I feel that the leaf may not work for me the whole 3 years. I'm just really glad I leased.
turbo2ltr said:So I haven't been keeping up on this thread...
My leaf had a little surprise for me this morning
turbo2ltr said:Wow, I just realized according to the gauge, my capacity has dropped 6.25% in exactly 6 weeks to the day. That's a rather alarming rate. (2nd bar turns off at 78.75%). I haven't even driven 1000 miles since losing the first bar.
I do still charge to 100% but I changed my end time so it reaches 100% just before I leave in the morning, and 80% on the weekends.
from Nissan Leaf FacebookWe've been following the reports from several LEAF Owners who are reporting battery capacity loss after a year (+/- a few months). As with all Li-ion batteries, capacity loss is inevitable. In general, all batteries exhibit a higher loss of capacity early in life, but then the curve flattens over time. If a LEAF is treated as outlined in the Owner’s Manual, you can expect 80 percent of the battery capacity after 5 years. Variables including driving conditions and habits could make that number higher or lower. If any of our Owners are concerned with their LEAFs battery capacity, we encourage them to visit their Nissan dealer and/or contact our EV Support Team at 1.877.NO GAS EV. - Jonathan C., Nissan Social
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