Later in 2011 : Leaf will come in Cold Weather Spec

[DaveinOlyWA]

i agree with EVnow especially since i sit here with it being 36º right now that the cold weather pack is something i will probably get and i am VERY glad to hear that it can be retrofitted afterwards.

although i have minimal need for heat most of the time, my SO is just the opposite. heated seats would be invaluable. i have them in my Prius and it makes a world of difference for us. in the 2006 we constantly fought over cabin temps. with heated seats we can run the temperature much closer to my comfort level.

but at the same time, days like this (which we will have 20+ this year as always) the warmth will be welcome.

as far as charging the batteries. the need for active charge management is well known in the EV world. there will be something sensing the charge on each cell or group of cells and the charge will be adjusted appropriately. without this, any battery pack would fail in 3-6 months.

mine works on a diode isolation system. it senses charge levels from each battery and if need be, shut off charge on a high battery and bleed it to the low battery. this runs constantly. this does affect range, but guessing its probably insignificant. my charge balancing is stated to be 93% efficient.

there are times when i know my Zenn will be sitting for extended periods of time and maintaining a trickle charge is essential especially in winter when lead-acid's ability to maintain a charge is lessened. because of the charge balancing system, i can hook up a 12 volt battery charge to a single battery and it will maintain charge on the entire pack.

 

[EVDRIVER]

I wonder if heated seats could be remotely pre-heated, that would really help save energy in making a cabin feel warmer than it is.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I wonder if heated seats could be remotely pre-heated, that would really help save energy in making a cabin feel warmer than it is.

i actually had a PC'er post a heated seat that plugged into the 12 volt adapter. still using the pack, but has to be better than heating the whole cabin on a solo drive to work

 

[walterbays]

i actually had a PC'er post a heated seat that plugged into the 12 volt adapter. still using the pack, but has to be better than heating the whole cabin on a solo drive to work

12V electric blankets are cheap and available from several sources, e.g. http://www.smarthome.com/9209/12V-Electric-Travel-Blanket/p.aspx

 

[EVDRIVER]

I wonder if heated seats could be remotely pre-heated, that would really help save energy in making a cabin feel warmer than it is.

i actually had a PC'er post a heated seat that plugged into the 12 volt adapter. still using the pack, but has to be better than heating the whole cabin on a solo drive to work

There are all sorts of after market heated seat options that are affordable and go into the factory seats. If Nissan makes these work on the timer I will buy the factory ones and install them myself if they are a retro part. Heated seats are very low power compared to a heater and would be very effective.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

climate control is on a timer, i dont see why heated seats would not. but then again, it does not get cold enough 95% of the time for me to need both. my 2010's heated seats work awesome. i almost wish they had some sort of temperature control. as it is, even on the coldest days (leather seats get COLD!!) i am very toasty after maybe 2 minutes or so.

now if i could get away from having to use defrost all the time. last night, my windows were literally dripping. one thing about the Prius is that over sized windshield.

 

[EVDRIVER]

climate control is on a timer, i dont see why heated seats would not. but then again, it does not get cold enough 95% of the time for me to need both. my 2010's heated seats work awesome. i almost wish they had some sort of temperature control. as it is, even on the coldest days (leather seats get COLD!!) i am very toasty after maybe 2 minutes or so.

now if i could get away from having to use defrost all the time. last night, my windows were literally dripping. one thing about the Prius is that over sized windshield.

Rain-X and Fog-X applied on very dry, and very clean glass. This helps quite a bit, in fact I put fog-x on my bathroom mirrors.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

rain X is awesome and have used it for years. Fog X i tried years ago and it did not perform very well. i may revisit it soon though. definitely need something

 

[garygid]

I had not heard that the cold-weather package could be dealer installed to upgrade "fair-weather" LEAFs. I thought it was a factory only option.

Am I mistaken, or did I misread a previous post?

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I had not heard that the cold-weather package could be dealer installed to upgrade "fair-weather" LEAFs. I thought it was a factory only option.

Am I mistaken, or did I misread a previous post?

before this thread i had the same thought. kudos if its true. if its not, i frankly would not be surprised

 

[EVDRIVER]

They are going to drop the pack to install the package, seems odd and a pain.

 

[LakeLeaf]

i agree with EVnow especially since i sit here with it being 36º right now that the cold weather pack is something i will probably get and i am VERY glad to hear that it can be retrofitted afterwards.

This is news to me - the initial announcement for the cold weather package specifically said it could *not* be retrofitted. I really should have delayed my order until this was ready - but if it can be retrofitted, that would be great.

It would be great to get official verification one way or the other.

 

[evnow]

I missed the source of information on the retrofit - where is it ?

 

[kmp647]

Nissan specifically states: cold package can not be added later"


who is saying it can be added

very unlikely zero chance it can be added


order a model with cold spec or live without til you trade out or buy another Leaf with cold package.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Nissan specifically states: cold package can not be added later"


who is saying it can be added

very unlikely zero chance it can be added


order a model with cold spec or live without til you trade out or buy another Leaf with cold package.

How did you come up with zero chance? Many complex features can be dealer added. If the parts are available then it can usually be added and it may even be offered as a dealer add as well. This is a heading pad and some wiring harnesses so it may be labor intensive but if the vehicles are being pre-wired it could possibly be a feasible but labor intensive upgrade.Depends on the location of the pad. I would bet a pack drop is not that difficult on a Leaf.

 

[kmp647]

OK I shoulnt have said Zero!

 

[EVDRIVER]

OK I shoulnt have said Zero!

Perhaps -1 in 10

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

actually having looked back it appears i misread the part where it could NOT be retrofitted. bummer. oh well, it would have been nice but had pretty much already decided on the 12 volt seat warmers as a solution anyways

 

[kmp647]

My hope is I can order a 17511 SL with cold package.
I can't order til end of December anyway at soonest.

 

[TimeHorse]

My hope is I can order a 17511 SL with cold package.
I can't order til end of December anyway at soonest.

+1 (but then again, Kevin here and I are working closely to get a good deal for our LEAFs this month in the D.C. Area, so it's no surprise our goals would be aligned!)