IBeLeaf2 said:I don't recall a summer that hasn't had days in the 90's. Maine is a big state, Presque Isle still has 4' of snow on the ground, Kittery has daffodils up. But don't tell anyone it, isn't tourist season and the restaurants aren't open yet.Aussie said:Are the others you are comparing yourself to also in Maine? With an average high of 79 in July (highest month) I don't expect you would have any significant battery degradation issues, regardless of whether your battery is original or 'lizard' chemistry.IBeLeaf2 said:I wasn't doing much wishful thinking, just trying to determine why my battery is doing so well compared to others who have lost bars.
If it is true that heat is the only reason batteries degrade, than let's spread that fact around. I see too many posts about battery degradation and not enough indicating it is only heat related. I've had people say to me that they won't buy an EV because the "car/battery wears out to fast" and "they aren't suited for the Maine climate"
I've also read on My Nissan Leaf things like "never charge to 100%", "never leave it at 100%", "charge just before you need it, not when you are done using it", "quick chargers are bad for the battery" and other warnings. I do all of those bad things and still the battery is doing well.
Are we giving EV's a bad name? Or justifiably warning potential buyers to avoid the pitfalls.
Or perhaps there have been other upgrades to battery chemistry before the "lizard" that explain why I get away with breaking the rules. Although my car is not expose to temps over 100F, that is due to where I live not because I avoid them.
I understand we are more apt to hear about the problems than the positives. But if it is only heat that causes the problems let's say so and stop worrying potential EV buyers who live in the more habitable sections of the country.
There are other contributors who live in the cooler climes. Seems likely LeftieBiker could chime in here.
Days in the 90's are different to weeks where the lows are pushing the 80's. Yes there are many contributing factors to battery capacity degradation. Based on the evidence available it appears that by far and away the largest contributor is sustained high pack temperatures. All the factors you mentioned are also contributors. Where practical these factors can be avoided, but I for one am willing to charge to 100% as needed, to QC if required etc. I won't do it unnecessarily, but I also need my car to perform its function and am prepared to 'pay with Amp Hours' if that's part of the tradeoff.
There are plenty of leafs running around in the colder states, Canada, northern Europe etc on original chemistry with 11 and 12 bars. An easy way to look at this is to jump on autotrader and have a look at dash photos of what's for sale. Compare that to a lot of us down South looking down the barrel of lost bars on our second battery. Autotrader have plenty of 3-5 bar losers in Dallas (I keep my eye on the market).
There is a lot of misinformation out there (not just with EV's!). Best we can do is try and understand it, and counteract with facts.