12 Volt Lead Acid Battery Replacement

[battman]

I have replaced my ICE honda 12V battery that weighed 35 lbs w my 2.5 lb 7Ah Lithium Lifepo4 type.
That was almost 2 years ago.!
From experience ( and physics ) the less mass , the less energy it takes to move it.
this is most relevant on acceleration and going up hills.
You can debate it yourself whether its worth it.
Lithium is certainly 'greener' than lead.
If I had a leaf ( waiting ) I would be embarrassed showing off an old , heavy lead acid battery.
It is a simple drop in replacement.
Different sizes available depending on your ACC ' on ' needs.
Getting too big however defeats the whole purpose of having a lightweight battery.
I would think if you needed ACC ON for hours at a time, simply bring a spare lead acid battery
and use that in parallel.
I plan on supplying Leaf owners with these after market Lithium 12V batteries.
If your wondering what the current draw is on the 12V battery when not driving.. use a clamp ammeter.
That will tell you exactly how much current is being used when not in operation.
I am willing to loan someone the meter to do it.
I would also like to know the current reading when all accessories and headlites are ON
If the drain is really small over a 5 day non usage period, then, a very small battery can work - 8 oz.
Replacing the 12V lead battery w another will not affect the warranty as people change batteries all the time.
Swapping batteries can be done easily without affecting any settings, disconnecting the power, etc.
I DO want to see a picture of the terminal types on the lead battery, if normal SAE posts, or not.
Any takers for this upgrade ? .. early adopters ?? (need someone who can take some pics )

Andy
The Battman

 

[ttweed]

I DO want to see a picture of the terminal types on the lead battery, if normal SAE posts, or not.

A search of the forum will turn up pics of the stock battery.

TT

 

[battman]

thanks
yep, looks like a 35 pounder
no problem replacing this boat anchor

 

[TomT]

Seems like a diet would be better, cheaper, and have much more wide-ranging benefits... :lol:

thanks
yep, looks like a 35 pounder
no problem replacing this boat anchor

 

[TonyWilliams]

Seems like a diet would be better, cheaper, and have much more wide-ranging benefits... :lol:

Have you seen the price of some of those diets? Tossing the lead weight for a couple hundred bucks is cheaper than most of those bought-and-paid for diets!!!

Fortunately, this choice is an easy one for folks to make, which ever way they go.

 

[battman]

update
Nissan dealer confirms the OFF condition has a 17milliamp drain.
which is insignificant
battery can be changed without disconnecting power

 

[Stanton]

battery can be changed without disconnecting power

Huh? I don't understand. BTW, what kind of $$ are we talking about for this Lithium replacement?

 

[TonyWilliams]

update
Nissan dealer confirms the OFF condition has a 17milliamp drain.
which is insignificant
battery can be changed without disconnecting power

That may be true, but there are specific protocols for popping the battery in and out, in the Nissan Maintenance Manual... which I posted earlier in the thread.

 

[Herm]

You could get 4 of the Headway high power 8Ah cells, about $92

http://www.3xe-electric-cars.com/images/LiFePO4-battery-EV/LiFePO4-battery-cell-180ah-promotion-3xE-electric-cars.jpg

Here is another one for $151

http://www.electricmotorsport.com/store/ems_ev_parts_batteries_lpf_gbs_20ah.php

 

[battman]

$225 for this one

many choices out there for replacing the lead battery
battery can be replaced w/o voltage interruption

 

[jhartman009]

Would a same physical size and weight battery but with more available power be more desirable than a reduced weight only battery? Thinking of those humid summers and cold winters in Ohio.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Would a same physical size and weight battery but with more available power be more desirable than a reduced weight only battery? Thinking of those humid summers and cold winters in Ohio.

If you battery works then leave it in place. This is the same form factor as the Prius and there is a Hawker upgrade I believe but there is no point to upgrading unless you need a new battery. If you need to have something on the put the car on and you will be fine. The ac and heat do not run off your 12V battery.

 

[EVDRIVER]

$225 for this one

many choices out there for replacing the lead battery
battery can be replaced w/o voltage interruption

Yea, that's going to just drop in and work with the LEAF charging system. Here is the mandatory :roll:

 

[lenny]

So, after all this time, has anyone done it yet?

 

[coolfilmaker]

LOL. The whole idea was to eliminate lead from the system. Not go out and put more in. You might want to read my original post.

 

[Nubo]

LOL. The whole idea was to eliminate lead from the system. Not go out and put more in. You might want to read my original post.

Ah, I thought the discussion had included AGM. I'm not so concerned with the atomic elements involved as with the free electrolyte, and AGM takes care of that and with a bit of size and weight savings. But looking over the thread again I see your point. I'll save my Plumbing for a different thread

 

[garygid]

1. The first On-Button press (with foot OFF the brake)
turns on the center Nav and Radio.
The 2nd press turns on the dash.
Not the other way around, I think.

2. In either of these "ACC/on" modes, the HV Pack does
NOT get connected and charge the 12v battery, I believe.
So, these modes tend to drain the 12v battery.

3. Turning the car ON (Ready) by pressing the On-Button
while depressing the brake DOES connect the HV Pack
and charge the 12v battery.

 

[KJD]

Are these really A123 cells or are they fakes?

Correct me if I am wrong, but the stock battery is about 30 amp hours and this one is only 7 or 8 amp hours. Seems way to small to me.

$225 for this one

many choices out there for replacing the lead battery
battery can be replaced w/o voltage interruption

 

[Ingineer]

I like people to get a feel for how the cool tech in the car works, and to play some tunes for the show attendees. The second accessory position (where the car is essentially on, but a drive mode can't be selected) is perfect for this, and my car will typically be in this mode anywhere from 2-6 hours.

This position drains the 12v battery.

Here is a post I made about setting the Leaf up at car shows so there is no danger of drive off, or a dead 12v battery:

I'd like to leave the car on so people can see the instrumentation. I always leave the 120V EVSE plugged in so people will notice it is an electric car. However, the EVSE is not actually connected to the wall. I'm pretty sure this will still disable the car from actually going anywhere if somebody were to put it into drive. What do you think?

The Leaf will not go into "Ready" mode with the J1772 connector still plugged in, regardless of whether the EVSE is powered. However, the car will shift into neutral if any attempt to put the car in gear is made. This will enable the car to roll if not chocked.

Also, and the biggest problem, leaving the Leaf powered up in this mode, but not Ready, will cause the 12 battery to rapidly deplete until it's dead and you will not be able to turn it back on, so you'll need to get a jump. Unless the Leaf is in Ready, it will not be able to use the main pack's energy to power the 12v systems.

If you want to keep it lit up, I recommend you make the Leaf Ready as normal before driving, but then in the interior fuse holder, you pull out the second fuse down from the top that's in the middle row (10A/Red) and the top fuse in the right-most row (15A/Blue). This will disable the park actuator, while leaving the car in Ready mode. You will keep your 12v battery from going dead (by using main pack energy), and the car absolutely will not come out of park no matter what, and the traction motor will not run.

Unfortunately you will not be able to connect the EVSE connector, otherwise it will instantly pull the Leaf out of Ready mode and stop charging the 12v system. (You could unplug the connector behind the inlet, then it would ignore the EVSE.)

Be sure and replace those fuses before you try to leave. Additionally, you will need to disconnect the 12v battery for about 60 seconds (with Leaf off) to clear the codes that will be set by this trick, but that could also be done later, after you arrive home. The Leaf will still run fine if those codes set, the only indication will be the little red/yellow triangles on the dash. It may also self-clear after a few drive cycles as well.

FYI: This is what Nissan does at car shows to prevent attendees from driving off in the cars on the floor.

-Phil

 

[hornstudio]

there is much much space for a large battery if you throw out the plastic battery carrier. it gives you space for a 280x160x200mm battery which may have 72Ah, insteaf of the tiny stock 36Ah battery. wouldnt it be nice to help out the main battery not having to recharge the 12V battery all the time? wipers, vent, lights, sound system... costs a lot of electricity.