SageBrush said:
WetEV said:
lorenfb said:
Amazing what one can do by changing a few binary numbers, right?
Why not do a range test and see what the reality is,
Range tests are too susceptible to driving and environmental variables.
Charging up is a much better test, albeit with perhaps a 5% variation in charging losses even if the test is consistent with L1 or L2 charging. I'm coming around to the idea that the update changed the LB and VLB thresholds. Since people use VLB as a practical range limit, the update has merit so long as it does not drag the battery down into SoC levels at VLB that will accelerate degradation.
I agree range tests can be variable which is why the tests here were dyno based with external current metering. Significant efforts were also made to temperature stabilise the battery (needed heating, cold here in New Zealand at the moment). The final answer is how much energy can the battery deliver when driving.
One of the dealers here uses the charge method to prove actual capacity and this result doesn’t change with the update. One friend who had dropped to 80% SOH on Leaf Spy had the check done and charge method showed around 88% SOH so a dealer could claim no fault. However as this issue affected LBW and VLBW levels it meant the effective range was reduced. This has been a useful wake up from Nissan that EVs have their own complexities.
Another issue is mentioned in a local forum - especially relevant if people don’t like letting their car go below LBW:
“I think something important has been left out of the conversation here. The patch doesn't just fix the perception of range, it also results in more of the battery being used between charges, and thus the battery being at a lower state of charge on average. If I can charge my car every 3 days instead of every 2 days, my average state of charge will be lower and my (real) battery degradation should be lower over time.
So not applying the patch could cause it to decline in capacity sooner than if you had the patch installed.
Some of the rapid degradation we have seen, even after the patch is applied is thus very real, and caused by people keeping their batteries at a higher state of charge than they knew.
This is probably a small effect, but noteworthy for those of us who have a choice around charging and want to keep the battery in top shape.“