Advice please: Battery Warranty & LeafSpy New Buyer Questions

[Valdemar]

It is very unlikely you will drop 4 bars in your climate before the capacity warranty expiration, so choosing the "healthiest" battery should be a safe bet given all other things check out. I wouldn't worry about the extra 10k miles. $10k for a certified car with extended warranty doesn't sound too bad, although some people did manage to pick a brand new 2015 at the end of last year with about $17k discount from MSRP, federal tax rebate money including, plus some could get their hands on state incentives if they were available to them, not to mention 72-month 0% financing.

 

[bigbearballs]

How are you guys estimating how many miles you have left in a charge? What I've been doing is changing my miles/kwh as I drive. So if I'm only getting 3 mi/kwh on the highway then I know how many miles I have left on the current charge according to leaf spy. Should I look at anything else? Is this the best way to do it?

 

[cwerdna]

How are you guys estimating how many miles you have left in a charge? What I've been doing is changing my miles/kwh as I drive. So if I'm only getting 3 mi/kwh on the highway then I know how many miles I have left on the current charge according to leaf spy. Should I look at anything else? Is this the best way to do it?

In the lower right of screen 4 (http://www.electricvehiclewiki.com/Leaf_Spy_Pro#Screen_4), you can tap on the "miles remaining" to change the threshold to LBW, VLBW or 5%. You can then use the +/- buttons to alter the miles/kWh value.

So, if you only achieve 3.0 miles/kWh, set it to that. Reset your car's miles/kWh display and make sure you maintain at least 3.0. Set your VLBW, LBW or 5% tolerance to whatever you wish.

Do keep in mind you might be in for surprises if you have unexpected uphill grades or something else that saps efficiency (e.g. turning the heater on, rain, slush or snow).

 

[bigbearballs]

I've started driving with the intent of getting a battery replacement under warranty and my numbers have gotten BETTER!?

 

[GerryAZ]

I've started driving with the intent of getting a battery replacement under warranty and my numbers have gotten BETTER!?[/quote]

I am not surprised. After having the 2015 for a little over a year, I have noticed that the LEAF Spy numbers look better if I drive it hard and deeply discharge it than if I drive gently and charge from a higher state of charge. I don't know what the "abusive" treatment is really doing to the battery, but time will tell. I will know more in another year.

Gerry

 

[gncndad]

New member here, 2015. I'm interested to know if GerryAZ's experience is normal or the exception to the rule.
I haven't had the time to get to seriously explore my LeafSpy numbers, but will be doing so in the near future.

 

[paulcone]

I've started driving with the intent of getting a battery replacement under warranty and my numbers have gotten BETTER!?[/quote]

I am not surprised. After having the 2015 for a little over a year, I have noticed that the LEAF Spy numbers look better if I drive it hard and deeply discharge it than if I drive gently and charge from a higher state of charge. I don't know what the "abusive" treatment is really doing to the battery, but time will tell. I will know more in another year.

Gerry[/quote]

I noticed this the other day, too. My SOH has been around 90% for weeks and then the other day we drove a whole bunch and it went to 92%. Now it's back at 90% again.

 

[LeftieBiker]

My guess is that the battery cells, while mainly kept in balance by the BMS when the pack is charged to 100%, also get balanced a bit under heavier discharges. This could lower the internal resistance, which seems to be the basis for the Hx reading.