2019 40kwh Leaf - is the range normal?

[MYK]

Hi. We have recently bought a second hand 2019 40kwh Nissan Leaf Acenta, 66k miles on the clock. Battery state of health = 88.5% as per LeafSpy.

We've been monitoring our battery performance, also recording outdoor temperature (see below).
Our driving is in-town I.e. fair amounts of stop-start in traffic and the odd short stretch on dual carriageway. I'm driving in Eco-mode and using the E-pedal. Minimal use of climate control, radio etc.

23/01/2022 (6 degrees)
Start: 66136 mileage, 41%, 57 miles predicted
Finish: 66149 mileage, 23%, 33 miles predicted
0.72 miles per percent

30/01/2022 (6 degrees)
Start: 66203 mileage, 31%, 45 miles predicted
Finish: 66219 mileage, 16%, 24 miles predicted
1.067 miles per percent

01/02/2022 (12 degrees)
Start: 66219 mileage, 49%, 72 miles predicted
Finish: 66232 mileage, 40%, 59 miles predicted
1.44 miles per percent

02/02/22 (15 deg)
Start: 66232 mileage, 66%, 96 miles predicted
Finish: 66248 mileage, 53% 77 miles predicted
1.23 miles per percent

03/02/22 (8 deg)
Start: 66248 mileage, 53%, 77 miles predicted
Finish: 66258 mileage, 45%, 65 miles predicted
1.25 miles per percent

We are a little surprised at how low the range is when we are driving fairly slowly and efficiently.

1) Is the miles per percentage point what one should expect from a car of this spec?
2) Can anyone with similar vehicle give us some numbers on how temperature affects their range?
3) Is there anything else - short of going to a Nissan garage for diagnostics - that we should look at to better understand the battery's health and performance?
4) We purchased the car <30 days ago - would this performance be considered a "fault" for which we should contact the seller, or speak to Nissan and invoke their battery warranty?

Thanks.

 

[goldbrick]

A lot depends on how fast you're driving, the condition of the roads (clear or wet/snowy), how much heat you are using, what PSI the tires are at and finally how well you know how to maximize the range of an EV.

I assume those temps are in Centigrade. If so, I'd say your range is fine. For comparison, my 2017 Leaf is at about 92% SOH and I can get 1.2 mile/% SOC during the summer in mixed town/highway driving. All highway driving (60 mph) that would drop to about 1.0 mile/%. Add in cold weather or rain, that would drop to 0.9 mile/ %.

Cold weather takes a big toll on EV range since 1) the battery loses capacity when it's cold, that's physics and can't be helped 2) The heat in the cabin comes from energy taken from the battery 3) The air is denser and the tires lose pressure when cold leading to higher rolling resistance.

There are numerous things you can do to try to increase the range. The easiest is to just keep the tires inflated to 40 PSI or so. The higher the PSI, the less the rolling resistance. You will notice the difference. Then as you get more used to an EV you will probably learn how to maximize coasting and minimize fast starts/stops. Or not, it all depends on how important range is to you vs 'fun' of driving.

I'd also guess that when the temps warm up the efficiency will come up quite a bit. The 1.44 miles/% is probably what you'll average in the summer unless you spend all your time going 70+ MPH. Wind resistance increases exponentially with speed so that will eat into range no matter what you do.

 

[rogersleaf]

I own a ‘19 Leaf SL with a 40KWh and comparable mileage and battery SOH. Your finding are comparable. On your expected range relative to each 1% of the battery, I see anywhere from 1 mile in very cold (~0F) to 1.25 miles around freezing to closer to 1.5 miles in moderate warm temps (60-70F). Also keep in mind the the upper 50% SOC is relatively linear for that expected range and the bottom 50% erodes at a faster rate due to Nissan hiding the last 10% of the battery capacity as a reserve. Leafspy is needed to see that mapping and to safety use it should you deep discharge the battery. Enjoy your Leaf.

 

[MYK]

Thank you both for your responses - that's reassuring! Good tips re tyre and faster SOC degradation at lower levels.

 

[Triggerhappy007]

Roger is right. Don't compare the top half of the Leaf with the bottom half. The Leaf hides the actual percentage when you get to the bottom of the pack. If you want to compare, test when the charge is between 50%-90%.

 

[SageBrush]

Minimal use of climate control

Clarify 'minimal.'

Since you have LeafSpy, monitor your power consumption directed towards heating. If you have cabin heating on, I'm willing to bet your heater is drawing 2.5 kW - 4 kW. In city driving at say 50 kph average, that adds 50 - 80 Wh/km energy consumption, or about 30 - 50% more energy/km than in summer.

There are good mitigation strategies if you need them.

 

[decimal]

One mile per % seems about right for winter. Leaf 40kWh has a 36kWh usable battery, so if the health is 88% that goes down to 32kWh. In winter, you'd expect perhaps 3 miles per kWh = 95 miles range in total. 1% = 1 mile (although the % display is non-linear, and the Leaf is notorious for hiding a lot of usable battery capacity).