lukep said:
Thanks for the ideas! I checked and PSE isn't offering any rebates for charger installation but we will qualify for the tax credit. I'd like to get a charger that allows me to choose when it charges so we can charge when it's cheaper.
My Cliper Creek Charging station does not have timer capabilities, but the Leaf does. I set my Leaf charge end time to 30 minutes before I leave for work in the morning and 8am on weekends. If I need to charge outside of that schedule, I just hit the charge switch on the dash and away it goes. Research the different charging solutions and their options and find what fits your needs best.
lukep said:
I've been searching for guides on what to look for on Leaf Spy, if anyone has suggestions. I've not had good luck with the videos I've found of YouTube.
Because you're searching in the wrong place. Search here.
Some helpful stuff:
http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=23808&p=491659&hilit=Buyers+guide#p491659
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=21919
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=8342
The LeafSpy help page on the app is something a lot of people don't bother with. It has great information on how to use the app.
Although as a new member and new leaf owner, I found information a bit scattered myself. I simplified my search this way:
If I found a prospective leaf online, and had the VIN, I would check out the Carfax report and VIN lookup:
http://cpo.nissanusa.com/nna/?
Append the VIN to the end of that URL in your browser and, you'll see a PDF of the original sales sticker in your browser. This doesn't work for every leaf, but will give you good information on the vehicles it does pull up, such as options installed.
Mileage isn't as big of a factor on these cars, but make sure you pick something that looks like it was cared for.
I would check the door jam on the drivers side for the manufacture date. Anything 4/2013 or later was on my good list as it's reported that the battery chemistry was improved at that time.
As far as LeafSpy, the numbers I was concerned with were:
SOC: (State of charge): The percentage of charge on the battery currently.
SOH: (State of health): The battery capacity remaining (100% when the car is new but decreases over time and use). As this number drops, the number of 'bars' on the far right dash decreases from 12 down to 1. The threshhold of each bar dropping varies. My Leaf still has all 12 bars and has a SOH of 89%. As you lose bars, you lose range on a full charge.
aHR: (Amp hours at full charge): Like SOH, this indicates the health of the battery. New, I believe the 24kWh Leaf is at ~66 aHR. Mine was at 58.8 when purchased. Once again, you start to lose capacity bars on the dash, and range, as this number decreases. I was shooting for 58+ on my search to meet me range needs.
Apparently dealers and re-sellers can perform a BMS reset, which will reset the capacity bars on the dash board to indicate 12 bars where actual capacity was lower. An example indication of this would be a 12 bar leaf, with an SOC of <75% or aHR of <53. The system would eventually recalibrate and reduce the number of capacity bars on the dash, but potentially not until after the purchase was made. I didn't run into any of these BMS reset leaf's in my search.
Using the bar graph on the main screen, I kept an eye out for bad cells that were way out of range. ALthough balancing can take care of some of this, I was looking for red flags that might indicate a bad cell. All it takes is one to affect the whole pack.
There's also the number L1/L2 and Quick Charges on that first screen in LeafSpy, but I'm not sure how detrimental QC's are to the battery life. Mine only reported '1', so it wasn't a concern of mine.
Take my info with a grain of salt as I probably got something wrong. Someone will come by shortly and correct me if that's the case.