2014 Leaf S Looses Range When Trickle Charging

I've been looking around, but haven't come across this.

I've had my Leaf a few months, 12 bars, usually level 2 charge at work. I recently decided to try the trickle charge cable at home, just to see how that would charge. I checked the estimated milage (the guess-o-meter as I've seen it called), and I was at 72 miles. About an hour later I started the car, and the estimate went down to 68 miles. There wasn't any noticeable heat coming from the outlet or cable.

I've got an electrician coming out in a week or so, but I just wondered if anyone else had seen this?

Thanks,
Brad

The range estimate is based on the last few (as in maybe 5) minutes of driving, and is worth little. L-1 charging doesn't reduce range. I've been doing it for going on 5 years now, as have others. Let the car charge to 100% and shut off occasionally, and that will balance the battery cells and maximize range. Just don't leave it sitting at 100% for more than a few hours in hot weather.

I have seen that many times. Often we charge from the smaller L1 that is powered from our PV system I find in the first 30 minutes I will lose % of charge and range. However when I saw this I started looking at Leaf Spy before and Leaf Spy always has the % charge higher than when we started (which rarely matches the dash display). My guess is the car is re-calibrating the % and range for some reason, but you actually have more power in the car after a 30 minute L1 charge. It really confused me the first few times I saw this happen and thought what the heck I am losing charge while plugged in?

Thank you for the replies. I'm going to try and set the timer overnight tonight, and leave the car charging for a longer time, and see how things roll out in the morning.

Thanks again for the reassurance.

Brad

You want to let it charge long enough that it reaches 100% charge, then equalizes the cells in the pack, then shuts off charging completely. It's ok if it sits a few hours at 100%, or even overnight if it's cool where you live. If you never do this then the pack may just need to be balanced by a complete charge.

What is the advantage of balancing the pack at 100%? If I've read that I've forgotten.

The individual cells get out of balance - they have different voltages, and when the imbalance gets large enough it lowers range, because the BMS perceives low battery conditions based on the SOC of the lowest cell(s). Balancing only happens at 100% charge with lithium packs, a process known as "Top Balancing."

LeftieBiker said:

The individual cells get out of balance - they have different voltages, and when the imbalance gets large enough it lowers range, because the BMS perceives low battery conditions based on the SOC of the lowest cell(s).

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Yes. Also the BMS perceives full battery condition by the voltage of the highest cell. An out of balance battery pack stores less energy.

LeftieBiker said:

Balancing only happens at 100% charge with lithium packs, a process known as "Top Balancing."

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Top balancing isn't the only option for lithium packs. For uses other than cars, balancing the pack at the bottom can be preferred. There are also methods for using the unbalanced energy in the pack for real usage, often called "dynamic balancing". These methods have the potential for extending pack life and making the system more efficient.

The LEAF's BMS (Battery Management System which Nissan calls the Lithium Battery Controller or LBC) actually balances the cells throughout the charge/discharge cycles, but it tapers the charge rate and dedicates a significant amount of time to top balancing at or near full charge.

Honestly, I don't pay much attention to the mileage anymore, I follow the percentage, it is more accurate for me, I get a bit over a mile per percent, as I get 110+ miles per full charge now on my 2013 since they replaced the battery.