78% on 80% charge time?

[dvlax40]

Hello all,

just recently got the 2013 leaf sv. ive noticed that when i set the car to longterm battery health (80% charging) i was only getting to 79. now im only getting to 78.

is this an issue with the software or am i already loosing capacity?

 

[planet4ever]

Neither. There are two cases:

• If you are referring to the big number on the right side of your dash, we call that the "GuessOMeter". It varies based on how and where you were driving the day before. Most of the time you should just ignore it. (Actually, now that I think about it, yes, this is an "issue" with software, in the sense that the computer is trying to predict the future, and it really can't do that.)
• If you are talking about the State of Charge percentage inside the battery outline that can be displayed in the center of the dash, see this thread: 80% Charge only 9 bars?. That thread started before the new SOC gauge was available, but the discussion applies to both. You will see that some people think 9 bars (or less than 80%) means they are losing capacity, but that doesn't really make much sense.

Ray

 

[dvlax40]

Neither. There are two cases:

• If you are referring to the big number on the right side of your dash, we call that the "GuessOMeter". It varies based on how and where you were driving the day before. Most of the time you should just ignore it. (Actually, now that I think about it, yes, this is an "issue" with software, in the sense that the computer is trying to predict the future, and it really can't do that.)
• If you are talking about the State of Charge percentage inside the battery outline that can be displayed in the center of the dash, see this thread: 80% Charge only 9 bars?. That thread started before the new SOC gauge was available, but the discussion applies to both. You will see that some people think 9 bars (or less than 80%) means they are losing capacity, but that doesn't really make much sense.

Ray

thanks ray, that makes sense, the weird part is im still showing 10 bars, but the percentage in the middle is low.

if you say its not cause for concern after 15 days then im good to go!

 

[planet4ever]

Do you use a timer for charging, or charge immediately when you plug in? Do you park outdoors or in a garage? Warm batteries can hold more electricity. If the battery is cool when you finish charging, and has warmed up by the time you check it in the morning, it will be less "full" in the morning than it was at the end of the charge, but that doesn't mean it has lost electricity, just gained capacity. The percentage you are looking at is (usable electricity in the battery) / (present usable battery capacity), though there are also some inaccuracies involved in the measurements.

Ray

 

[evnow]

Hello all,

just recently got the 2013 leaf sv. ive noticed that when i set the car to longterm battery health (80% charging) i was only getting to 79. now im only getting to 78.

is this an issue with the software or am i already loosing capacity?

Yes - I also see 79%.

I think it depends on temperature & how balanced the cells are. Probably Leaf stops the charge at what it thinks is 80% (may be a preset voltage) - and recalibrates the SOC afterwards.

 

[davewill]

Calculating the battery level is an inexact science, especially when the battery is actively charging or discharging. After the charge is done and the battery is allowed to rest, the system is recalculating the level. The possibility also exists that the battery is balancing cells, which might result in a slightly lower state of charge when finished.

 

[dvlax40]

Thanks for the insight guys.


car is parked and charged in a garage. but its arizona, its hot everywhere! lol i also use the timer during the week, and no timer on the weekend (off-peak)

 

[cwerdna]

car is parked and charged in a garage. but its arizona, its hot everywhere! lol i also use the timer during the week, and no timer on the weekend (off-peak)

Can you update your location info via User Control Panel (near top) > Profile (left side)? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it.

If you're on a hot part of AZ (e.g. Phoenix), hope you leased and didn't buy...

 

[dvlax40]

car is parked and charged in a garage. but its arizona, its hot everywhere! lol i also use the timer during the week, and no timer on the weekend (off-peak)

Can you update your location info via User Control Panel (near top) > Profile (left side)? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it.

If you're on a hot part of AZ (e.g. Phoenix), hope you leased and didn't buy...

I will update it now!

and yes, im in phoenix and i leased. hopefully they get their act together on battery cooling and maybe it will buy one outright !

 

[RonDawg]

Bumping this thread as my Leaf did something odd tonight that's a bit similar to the OP's.

My charge timers are set so that the car will charge up to 80% if plugged in anytime between midnight and 4 PM. With my commute, on L1 (no L2 at home yet) that generally means charging takes about 4-5 hours.

I didn't need to come to work for several hours past my usual start time, so my Leaf stayed plugged in well past the time it normally needs to. So imagine my surprise when I came out 6 hours after I normally leave for work and the third charging light is still blinking!

I didn't have the time to go to my computer and bring up CarWings to get the approximate percentage of charge, but the car's display says charging times were both 0:10 for both L1 and L2. 10 of the 12 charge bars were lighted. That indicates to me that for some reason, the charging was "stuck" just shy of the 80% mark, and was that way for several hours.

It just happened tonight so I don't know if this is something I should be concerned with or not, and/or if this is a symptom of something greater.

 

[davewill]

... I didn't need to come to work for several hours past my usual start time, so my Leaf stayed plugged in well past the time it normally needs to. So imagine my surprise when I came out 6 hours after I normally leave for work and the third charging light is still blinking!

I didn't have the time to go to my computer and bring up CarWings to get the approximate percentage of charge, but the car's display says charging times were both 0:10 for both L1 and L2. 10 of the 12 charge bars were lighted. That indicates to me that for some reason, the charging was "stuck" just shy of the 80% mark, and was that way for several hours. ...

Or the car started charging again because of either temperature changes or cell balancing and you just happened to catch it.

 

[RonDawg]

Would cell balancing happen if the car is only told to charge to 80%? I thought you had to charge it to full (and leave it plugged in for some time afterward) for cell balancing?

Anyway, it didn't happen today, so perhaps it was a fluke.