Nissan NEVER TOLD ME our Leaf CAN'T DO HILLS !!!!!

[GerryAZ]

As I have said before, the batteries in all three LEAFs that I have owned actually cool slightly when driven at highway speeds after being heated by DCQC.

Define "cool slightly". Then provide some actual data and describe how that can occur, given the lack of air flow, the battery's thermal mass,
and it's low thermal conductivity to ambient. Some need to just accept the fact that the present Leaf without TMS for highway travel is marginal,
and as sure is not comparable to either a Bolt or Tesla for long highway travel.

First, there is air flow around the battery case when the car is moving. There is less space between the top of the 62 kWh battery and the underside of the passenger compartment than the smaller batteries have, but there is still enough space for some air flow. There is also air flow underneath and along the sides of the battery case (above the plastic splash shield) since air flowing through the radiator and HVAC coil flows to the rear of the car above the splash shield. Second, here are some LEAF Spy battery temperatures in degrees F from the longest duration DCQC so far on my 2019 SL Plus (temperatures are relatively low because it was in January): Before charging 70.7, 70.7, 70.2; after charging 96.4, 98.2, 99.6; after driving 47 miles at highway speeds 95.2, 97.0, 100.8; the next morning the temperatures were down to 77.5, 80.2, and 82.2. The thermal mass of the battery pack and positions of temperature sensors are probably the cause for two temperatures to drop slightly while the remaining temperature increased slightly during the 47-mile trip.
,

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

I do feel the 62 battery can take quite a bit of heat. I posted this is another thread, but we did a little over 2 hours of driving yesterday, with the last half at highway speeds (first half was 45-55). When we left temps outside and on the battery were around 77 degrees (woods of Wisconsin). When we pulled into our garage, ambient was 96 degrees, but the battery was only at 90. Ambient for the last hour was at or above 90F. So I can certainly see why it takes a bit to either warm or cool the battery.

On Reddit on the Leaf group yesterday a German leaf driver just installed a very inexpensive additional air flow system over the battery using the tunnel between the front of the car and the battery using a set of tubes and a ventilator to drive air across the battery. His early tests suggesting being able to run 3C off the battery in 15 minutes. That doesn't sounds like much, but if it were to run during the 3-4 hours of driving between DC stops, it could make the difference between 1.5 full powered DC stops and 3, which would be as much as just about any normal driver would need in most scenarios. He is going to do some more testing and report back.

 

[lorenfb]

Second, here are some LEAF Spy battery temperatures in degrees F from the longest duration DCQC so far on my 2019 SL Plus (temperatures are relatively low because it was in January): Before charging 70.7, 70.7, 70.2; after charging 96.4, 98.2, 99.6; after driving 47 miles at highway speeds 95.2, 97.0, 100.8; the next morning the temperatures were down to 77.5, 80.2, and 82.2. The thermal mass of the battery pack and positions of temperature sensors are probably the cause for two temperatures to drop slightly while the remaining temperature increased slightly during the 47-mile trip.

Data at the noise level!

 

[GerryAZ]

I said slight cooling. It is clearly not gaining heat from highway driving after DCQC. Incidentally, the 2011 would actually drop temperature bars on the dash display. That was probably because there was less thermal resistance between the battery cells and the outside of the battery case since it did not have the cold weather package so no battery heater and no thermal insulation.

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

I put this in the other thread, but up here in the Midwest, my battery never made it to ambient, even after over 2 hours of driving.

https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31279

 

[goldbrick]

Still the OP's one and only post. Something seems a little fishy about it to me.

 

[Nubo]

Still the OP's one and only post. Something seems a little fishy about it to me.

There are periodic one-post-wonders with weird or seemingly contrived problems. It sometimes seems like people do some reading about the car here and then craft a tale of woe based on perceived weaknesses to make us dance a jig.

 

[rogersleaf]

This sounds closer to dissatisfaction with the range & charging limitations of the car. Complaining about taking 16 hours to make an otherwise 8-hour ICE drive sounds about right for a 40 KWh LEAF. Personally would pick a different car for any road trip, but that’s just me and my own lack of patience with recharging a LEAF.

 

[lebikerboy]

I live in BC and I can tell you the original poster's story is a crock of BS.
I never had an ounce of problems traveling to Kamloops over the Coquihalla.

 

[alozzy]

Yeah, I think the OP is just sewing seeds of discontent towards Applewood Nissan.