How Do You limit charging to 80%???

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Recycledoug

Active member
Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Messages
25
Location
Cincinnati, OH
I saw an earlier post by someone asking how do you stop charging at 80% since 80% appears to be an optimal level for long battery life? Is there a fast answer to this (Other than look at the owners manual)?
 
I think I just found the answer from earlier posts... Leafs prior to 2014 had a software option where you could limit the charge to 80%.... In 2014 there is not such option... The charge is 100%... And I guess Nissan's rationale for this is that they have improved the "internal" cooling of the battery cells. IE battery degradation (less) has been improved and therefore Nissan does not see the 80% limit as being necessary especially in "hot" climates....

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong here....
 
Recycledoug said:
I think I just found the answer from earlier posts... Leafs prior to 2014 had a software option where you could limit the charge to 80%.... In 2014 there is not such option... The charge is 100%... And I guess Nissan's rationale for this is that they have improved the "internal" cooling of the battery cells. IE battery degradation (less) has been improved and therefore Nissan does not see the 80% limit as being necessary especially in "hot" climates....

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong here....
Nissan removed the 80% option to get a higher EPA miles range rating, it went from 75 miles to 83 miles.

To charge to 80%, when charging at 3.3 kWh subtract 1:20 off the 240V charge time estimate, for 6.0 kWh subtract 0:40.

If it says 3:30, for 3.3 kWh, set the start time for 12:00 am and the end time for 2:10 am, for 6.0 kWh, set the start time for 12:00 am and the end time for 2:50 am.
 
Well, I stand corrected... On page CH-30 of the 2014 Leaf Owner's Manual it shows how to move between 100% and 80% charging....:

How to set the long life mode (models
without navigation system)
1. Push the switchA on the left side of
the combination meter panel.

2. Push the switch B to highlight
“Charge %” on the dot matrix liquid crystal
display and then push the switch.

3. Use the switch to highlight “80%” or
“100%” and then push the switch to
finalize the selection.
 
Recycledoug said:
Well, I stand corrected... On page CH-30 of the 2014 Leaf Owner's Manual it shows how to move between 100% and 80% charging....:

How to set the long life mode (models
without navigation system)
1. Push the switchA on the left side of
the combination meter panel.

2. Push the switch B to highlight
“Charge %” on the dot matrix liquid crystal
display and then push the switch.

3. Use the switch to highlight “80%” or
“100%” and then push the switch to
finalize the selection.
The manual is incorrect for USA 2014 cars. They didn't update the language from the 2013 manual. So, no, there should be no 80% option for 2014 LEAFs.

It isn't clear that charging to 80% helps all that much with battery life, assuming that the "100%" charging finishes just before you leave home (leaving the battery at 100% for days at a time is very likely not good for it).

But if you want to charge to a lower level you can do that by using end-time charging with the end-time set to after you plan to leave. Since charging finishes a bit early, it will take some experimentation to get the right time. A bit of a kludgy workaround, but it can be done.
 
I asked my dealer if Limiting the charge to 80% is beneficial for better battery longevity? The service department stated that the 100% charge level will not adversely impact the life of the battery.
 
Recycledoug said:
I asked my dealer if Limiting the charge to 80% is beneficial for better battery longevity? The service department stated that the 100% charge level will not adversely impact the life of the battery.
We've had many instances of lack of dealer knowledge. It's funny how Nissan had all sorts of warnings before about leaving the car at high SoC for the '11 thru '13 model years and then changed their tune w/the '14+. As many of us believe, it was done in order to artificially boost their EPA range rating, to make it look more competitive/better than others.

It really sucks that plug-ins get bitten by that. The rules need changing so that either ALL plug-ins are bit by the 80%/100% averaging rule (http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1089545_2014-nissan-leaf-electric-car-84-mile-range-aroundview-standard;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Rav4 EV got bit by that too) or NONE are, to get rid of these shenanigans.

Nissan previously made all sorts of statements about what predictions on battery capacity remaining (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DShtvd5jJHQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; at ~1 min mark, where they claim over 10 year life, 70 to 80% remaining or http://green.autoblog.com/2012/06/15/nissan-still-claims-80-capacity-for-leaf-batt/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and not needing thermal management (http://green.autoblog.com/2010/01/25/is-the-nissan-leaf-battery-pack-under-engineered/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.wired.com/2010/01/nissan-leaf-2/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).

Obviously, they turned out to be not true for those in Phoenix and hot climates (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=9694" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), where some folks lost 20 to 30+% in less than 2 years. And, it seems like it's not going to turn out to be true for many folks in the US (see some thoughts at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=16236" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).
 
I drive a 2013. Lets say my time to charge to 80 percent says 1 hour. If I set my charge limit to 100 percent, it goes to 3 hours, 2 hours more than 80 percent. That last hour, the light is still blinking, but nothing really is happening. It's already at 100 percent. So if I wanted 80 percent, I'd just set your charge timer to 2 hours after you really want to leave. See where that gets you, and adjust your time say 2 minutes for every percent you want to change. Really if you could stop the charge at 95 percent or less you would be alright.
 
johnrhansen said:
...set your charge timer to 2 hours after you really want to leave...
If you are charging the battery, and then going somewhere, then charging to 100% makes almost no difference with respect to battery health. It only matters if it sits at 100% without being used for an extended time.
...you could stop the charge at 95 percent or less you would be alright.
If you are going near 100% charge, then it is worth letting it go all the way. The time spent during the "nothing really is happening" part is used for balancing the battery.
 
Clearly, there are a number of factors to be considered before deciding what level we would like to charge to. Maybe we should just stick to the original question :) I've noted before that the aftermarket gauges allow us to watch the charge level as it is happening.
 
A smart EVSE would shutoff power when the state of charge reaches 80% . I expect we will see this capability in the future but it isn't available unless you want to decode the CAN buss data stream and implement it. I would think adding bluetooth transponder to the Open EVSE project to talk to the LEAF and decide when to stop the charging has some merits.
 
I only drive 5 miles to work in the morning. I dont want my car sitting around all day at that high of a charge. If my commute were 10 miles further I'd charge to 100.
 
Nekota said:
A smart EVSE would shutoff power when the state of charge reaches 80% . I expect we will see this capability in the future but it isn't available unless you want to decode the CAN buss data stream and implement it. I would think adding bluetooth transponder to the Open EVSE project to talk to the LEAF and decide when to stop the charging has some merits.

There's an easier but a bit less accurate way. I dont know the exact number, but at approximately 90 percent charge, the current drawn from the evse begins to taper off. Add a feature to the evse that has it turn off if that current falls to a certain vallue. You need some logic interlocks so that you don't have false turnoffs, but I think it can be done.
 
And, here in June 2017, with a new 2017 Leaf in my garage - which is on top of a mountain... I sure wish there was a way to limit the charge percentage. If I don't monitor the charge and manually stop it before it hits about 95%, I get no regenerative braking effect at all when I leave the house. That's not only an efficiency issue. It may be an exaggeration to call it a safety issue, because the brakes do work. But certainly It's much less pleasant to have to pump the brakes going down the mountain, than to get the steady braking of using "B" mode. And it's wearing out the brakes. I also have a gas powered car and with that I can downshift to get engine braking. The B mode is much nicer that engine braking but it just doesn't work at all at 100% charge. When I take my foot off the brake, the car accelerates rapidly going downhill. And I hate to ride the brakes.

So it amazes me that there is no manufacturer option nor aftermarket software to put this charge limit in affect. Especially considering that they had it and took it away from us. I do not have a regular commuting schedule so the suggestions about "set the end time to after you will actually leave" are not practical for me.

Oh and speaking of monitoring the charge... I can do that with the Nissan Connect app but when I do, it takes several full minutes to connect, then almost always gives me old data. Then I check the charge again and it takes another 2-3 minutes, and still gives me stale data (often). And sometimes on the third try it connects and tells me the current charge state. So it takes maybe 6-10 minutes to just get the state of the charge. Or I have to go to the garage and turn on the car. Tips are appreciated for a better way to do this. I'm a newbie here.

Sigh.
 
MountainTopLeaf said:
And, here in June 2017, with a new 2017 Leaf in my garage - which is on top of a mountain... I sure wish there was a way to limit the charge percentage. If I don't monitor the charge and manually stop it before it hits about 95%, I get no regenerative braking effect at all when I leave the house. That's not only an efficiency issue. It may be an exaggeration to call it a safety issue, because the brakes do work. But certainly It's much less pleasant to have to pump the brakes going down the mountain, than to get the steady braking of using "B" mode. And it's wearing out the brakes. I also have a gas powered car and with that I can downshift to get engine braking. The B mode is much nicer that engine braking but it just doesn't work at all at 100% charge. When I take my foot off the brake, the car accelerates rapidly going downhill. And I hate to ride the brakes.

So it amazes me that there is no manufacturer option nor aftermarket software to put this charge limit in affect. Especially considering that they had it and took it away from us. I do not have a regular commuting schedule so the suggestions about "set the end time to after you will actually leave" are not practical for me.

Oh and speaking of monitoring the charge... I can do that with the Nissan Connect app but when I do, it takes several full minutes to connect, then almost always gives me old data. Then I check the charge again and it takes another 2-3 minutes, and still gives me stale data (often). And sometimes on the third try it connects and tells me the current charge state. So it takes maybe 6-10 minutes to just get the state of the charge. Or I have to go to the garage and turn on the car. Tips are appreciated for a better way to do this. I'm a newbie here.

Sigh.

Welcome! And sorry to hear you suffering from the same issues.

I've resorted to plugging the car in an hour before I need to leave on alternating days, because that brings the charge up to 80%. Not really convenient, I know, but it's far better than using the Connect app, and doesn't take more than a minute to do.
 
Thanks!
I can do that; at least mostly. I work from home and my driving tends to be spur of the moment. I don't always anticipate that I'll be driving in an hour. :) Right now I'm trying to get out of the habit of plugging in to charge every time I return home. I had only the trickle charger for a few weeks and would plug in right away upon returning home, for a slow recharge. Then I installed a Siemens EVSE, 30 AMP unit. With the faster level 2 charging, it's harder to stop it before it's full. And I'm still getting used to the general range/recharge-time rhythms. Loving the car - it's surprising how many little things are different.
 
MountainTopLeaf said:
Thanks!
I can do that; at least mostly. I work from home and my driving tends to be spur of the moment. I don't always anticipate that I'll be driving in an hour. :) Right now I'm trying to get out of the habit of plugging in to charge every time I return home. I had only the trickle charger for a few weeks and would plug in right away upon returning home, for a slow recharge. Then I installed a Siemens EVSE, 30 AMP unit. With the faster level 2 charging, it's harder to stop it before it's full. And I'm still getting used to the general range/recharge-time rhythms. Loving the car - it's surprising how many little things are different.

Yeah, some things just take getting a little used-to.
Wait until you've had the leaf for a few weeks and get into an ICE the first time!

The smell of gasoline came to me as the biggest shock! Gasoline fumes is a known carcinogen, and here we all were breathing it in on our daily commutes, completely oblivious to how desensitized we had become - kind of like habit-smoking, but without the calming effect.
 
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