Battery Upgrade, Pairing? - What's possible with LeafSpyPro and what's not

[Dala]

[MOD : created from this thread: https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=31154&start=10#p614031]

I think this forum needs a sticked wiki that explains what is possible with Leafspy and what's not.

So you are looking to upgrade the battery in your LEAF? You've come to the right place for information. Take some time to familiarize with the content. Please also note that battery upgrades might not be legal in your country (Norway has strict upgrade rules for example), so it might be worthwhile to familiarize yourself with your local legislation.

Different LEAF variants?
There are three major version changes between the LEAF models.

2011-2012 ZE0 (white interior, electrical handbrake)
2013-2017 AZE0 (dark interior, foot operated handbrake)
2018- ZE1 (new exterior style with 40/62kWh batterypacks)
There's also the 24kWh e-NV200, which is technically identical to the AZE0.

The battery packs (24/30/40kWh) are all the same physical size. The 62kWh pack is taller and requires spacers, more on that later. Here are the battery weights. Please note that you might need to re-certify your vehicle for the additional weight.
24kWh = 277kg (601pounds)
30kWh = 294kg (648pounds)
40kWh = 303kg (668pounds)
62kWh = 410kg (903pounds)

Most likely you are going to upgrade an older LEAF. There are a few things to keep in mind, first one being, are you doing a swap or an upgrade?

Battery swap vs Battery upgrade
A direct swap is replacing the same size battery with an identical one for the same version of your vehicle. A battery upgrade is installing a newer generation battery. Take a look at these 4 examples to learn the differences.

A 2011 ZE0 LEAF gets its 24kWh pack replaced by another 24kWh pack from a 2012 ZE0 LEAF. This is a direct swap.

A 2011 ZE0 LEAF gets its 24kWh pack replaced by a 24kWh pack from a 2015 AZE0 LEAF. This is a battery upgrade.

A 2013 AZE0 LEAF gets its 24kWh pack replaced by another 24kWh pack from a 2015 AZE0 LEAF. This is a direct swap.

A 2015 AZE0 LEAF gets its 24kWh pack replaced by a 40kWh pack from a 2018 ZE1 LEAF. This is a battery upgrade.

Battery swap
Now that we have swap/upgrade terms explained, let's tackle the easiest one first, the direct swap. After a direct swap has been performed, the only thing preventing you from driving the vehicle is a check EV warning light along with turtle mode. The fault code P3102 will be triggered. To clear this code and remove turtle mode, simply read DTCs and perform a P3102 clear with the latest Leafspy Pro version (0.46.172 for Android)(1.7.44.15 for iOS [Requires TestFlight]). That's it, enjoy the newfound range!

Picture of pairing screen (Accessible via first reading DTCs, and then selecting to clear P3102)

Here is a how-to video:
https://youtu.be/aSSjde_oAT0

What about battery upgrades?
The battery upgrade is the procedure more commonly performed. This requires either one or two things.

If you are upgrading your 2011-2012 ZE0 LEAF, you will require a B24 22-36pin adapter. You will also need a CAN-bridge.

If you are upgrading your 2013+ AZE0/ZE1/e-NV200 vehicle, you will only require a CAN-bridge since the battery is mechanically plug'n'play.

What is a CAN-brige?
A CAN-bridge (also known as CAN-gateway/translator) is translating the newer style battery communication into an older format the the older vehicle can understand. It is absolutely mandatory for safe operation and charging of the vehicle. There exists over 5 commercial solutions for this.
[*]Muxsan [NL]
[*]EVs Enhanced [NZ]
[*]Dala's EV Repair [FIN]
[*]Véhicules électriques Simon André [CAN]
[*]canmost [RU]
[*]+More that don't have English as primary target audience

What is a B24 adapter?
This section only applies if you have a 2011-2012 ZE0 LEAF. Nissan originally used a 22-pin connector on the battery for these vehicles, and starting from 2013+ they switched to using a 36-pin connector. The amount of pins are the same, it is only the physical connector that changed. If you are upgrading your ZE0 to the newer style, you have a few options on how to get the 36-pin plug.

#1 The cheapest option: Is to take it from the same salvage car that you took the battery from. You can cut a short section of the harness and splice it in with your old car. Example wiring diagram available here: https://github.com/dalathegreat/Nissan-Leaf-Battery-to-OBD2/tree/master/Documentation
#2 The easiest option: Is to order a premade 22-36-connector from a company (Muxsan, EVs Enhanced for example)
#3 The DIY option: Is to order the Yazaki connector and re-pin your harness. Yazaki part number 7287-1065-30 for the 36-connector and the pins are 7116441708 . Purchase link for all (Aliexpress: https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005004180391674.html )

Special notes about the 2011-2012 ZE0 LEAF
The software on the oldest LEAF model is not that compatible with battery upgrades in general. As a whole it works, but there will be some annoyances related to instrumentation that requires more effort if you want it to perform 100% like factory. Now I'm speaking for my own (Dala's) experience, and the battery charge bars (the 12 one on the dashboard), will not really decrement like they should, and sometimes get incorrectly scaled when charge ends. It is possible to solve this with a VCM reflash, or by adding another CAN-bridge for the cluster. Depending on who you get the translation hardware from, they might have improved the situation with additional solutions for the ZE0. You can also ignore these cosmetic issues!

Special notes about 62kWh pack
If you are upgrading to the 62kWh pack from the 2019 e+ LEAF, you will require some additional hardware. The 62kWh pack is taller and has a slightly different mounting flange, so you will need spacers in order to bolt it down. This is not legal in some countries, since you are lowering ground clearance slightly (40mm). Other than spacers, the rear springs need to be changed out to either the e+ rear springs, or custom made springs can also be sourced via Muxsan. The splash shield undertray also needs to be changed to the e+ version. Part numbers listed below

The part numbers are:
55020-5SJ1B for ePlus rear springs, 2 needed.
748N3-5SN0A Splash shield 3
748N2-5SN0A Splash shield 2
74811-5SN0A Splash shield 1
740D1-5SN0A Rear mount LH side (you can also weld and extend the current one)
740D0-5SN0A Rear mount RH side (you can also weld and extend the current one)
40mm adapter rails (fab own or go with premade)

Special notes about the e-NV200
The e-NV200 van can only be upgraded from 24kWh to 40kWh, using a battery pack from another e-NV200. This is because the batteries have another physical shape compared to the LEAF, along with active cooling. So this rules out 30kWh and 62kWh upgrades. When upgrading a 24kWh e-NV200 to 40kWh, Leafspy can be used to pair in the replacement pack. Afterwards, an optional but highly recommended CAN-bridge can be fitted to fix instrumentation and quickcharge issues. For instance the Dala variant is open source software: https://github.com/dalathegreat/Nissan-env200-Battery-Upgrade

Special notes about factory warranty replacements
Nissan itself is offering warranty replacements(and out of pocket) for LEAFs. Here is what is possible via Nissan dealerships
2011-2012 24kWh LEAFs can get 24kWh new replacement packs (new packs with old type connector and BMS)
2013-2016 24kWh LEAFs can get 24kWh new replacement packs
2016-2017 30kWh LEAFs can get 40kWh packs when getting a warranty pack!
2018- No data yet

Example videos?
Below are some example videos, feel free to suggest

 

[ginetto]

FYI there are ZEA0 models with white interior (I've a 2016 model like this... the worst combination having chllds

 

[cwerdna]

Yep. In the US for "2013-2017 AZE0 (dark interior, foot operated handbrake)", we had the choice of a light interior.

in the US, the '13 to '17 S trims only came in black cloth and SL for those years was only available in black leather. '13 to '17 SV could be had with either black or light cloth interior. The light interior was basically like what you'd see on '11 and '12.

https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/release-698a9e429ae04602b683514427ca41ba-us-2013-nissan-leaf-press-kit is the press kit on the '13. That got the foot operated parking brake, 6.6 kW OBC available (and moved to the front of the car), hybrid heat pump heater (only on SV and SL trims), Bose stereo and Around View Monitor was options, etc.

My 1st '13 SV w/both packages had a light interior. My 2nd Leaf (owned used '13 SV w/premium package only) had a black cloth interior.

 

[SageBrush]

Thanks Dala.

You have me wishing that 40 kWh packs were available

 

[kmcmahan]

Thanks Dala for putting all this information in one place. It will come in handy.

 

[knightmb]

Thanks Dala.

You have me wishing that 40 kWh packs were available

I've found out recently (in my area which is Nissan HQ) that it is possible to order 40 kWh packs locally and just get them in raw form, as-is condition, new. But they cost was around $11k for the 40 kWh pack, so probably not cost effective versus looking for a salvage.

 

[SageBrush]

Thanks Dala.

You have me wishing that 40 kWh packs were available

I've found out recently (in my area which is Nissan HQ) that it is possible to order 40 kWh packs locally and just get them in raw form, as-is condition, new. But they cost was around $11k for the 40 kWh pack, so probably not cost effective versus looking for a salvage.

Interesting !

What does 'raw form' and 'as-is' mean ?

No warranty ?
Missing parts ?

Compared to $8k for 24 kWh, $11k does not sound so bad. I think though that the 24 kWh fleet has gotten too old for any significant number of people to put that kind of money into these cars, even if the pack was warrantied. Like so many other consumer electronics products, repair and upgrades seem like a good idea but the pace of innovation kills the business case, and the parts shortage of 6 - 12 months is not long enough to turn us into Cuba type markets.

 

[Stanton]

I've found out recently (in my area which is Nissan HQ) that it is possible to order 40 kWh packs locally and just get them in raw form, as-is condition, new. But they cost was around $11k for the 40 kWh pack, so probably not cost effective versus looking for a salvage.

Not so fast: my salvage (40 kWh) Leaf cost me more than $11k, so I think that's a pretty fair price if that's what you're looking for.
Also, I highly recommend Dala's CAN-bridge...and his "after sale" support is first-rate!

 

[knightmb]

I've found out recently (in my area which is Nissan HQ) that it is possible to order 40 kWh packs locally and just get them in raw form, as-is condition, new. But they cost was around $11k for the 40 kWh pack, so probably not cost effective versus looking for a salvage.

Not so fast: my salvage (40 kWh) Leaf cost me more than $11k, so I think that's a pretty fair price if that's what you're looking for.
Also, I highly recommend Dala's CAN-bridge...and his "after sale" support is first-rate!

Last I checked was before I bought my 2020 (was going to upgrade my 2013), I'll check if things have changed since then and what prices they offer now.

 

[kmcmahan]

I am interested to. I have been watching wrecked car auctions and seeing Leaf prices spiral out of control. A no hassle buy of a new 40 kWh battery at $11,000 might work.

 

[goldbrick]

I agree that $11k for a 40kWh pack isn't unreasonable. The 'as-is' part does give me pause since it implies no warranty. That may not be a problem but it could also be an outlet for Nissan to sell batteries that they don't want to put into cars for whatever reason.

 

[mwalsh]

Following with interest.

 

[Dala]

Updated the env200 section with new info and a link to the open source software that can be used:

Special notes about the e-NV200
The e-NV200 van can only be upgraded from 24kWh to 40kWh, using a battery pack from another e-NV200. This is because the batteries have another physical shape compared to the LEAF, along with active cooling. So this rules out 30kWh and 62kWh upgrades. When upgrading a 24kWh e-NV200 to 40kWh, Leafspy can be used to pair in the replacement pack. Afterwards, an optional but highly recommended CAN-bridge can be fitted to fix instrumentation and quickcharge issues. For instance the Dala variant is open source software: https://github.com/dalathegreat/Nissan-env200-Battery-Upgrade

 

[LeftieBiker]

So this rules out 30kWh and 62kWh upgrades.

I have seen articles about 30kwh versions. I think they only made them for a year or so.

 

[kaiat]

There has never been a 30 kWh e-NV200 (except from whatever prototypes Nissan may have hidden away in a shed somewhere). They went right from 24 kWh to 40 kWh with that one.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I went back and tried to find what I'd read. One source was an ambiguously worded headline, one that I couldn't find again was a piece on a camper conversion, with the owner as the source, and a third was an obviously wrong 2014 for sale listing - unless a conversion had been done. Oh, and one was a post here, speculating that it was only for one year. Sorry about that!

 

[Dala]

Edited first post, added info about which iOS version has the P3102 removal:

(1.7.44.15 for iOS [Requires TestFlight])

 

[Domt177]

Just to confirm, can Leafspy Pro pair a 2019 40kWh battery to a 2018 Leaf which also originally had a 40kWh battery?

Want to make sure it can do it for ZE1 leafs before I buy anything.

 

[Dala]

Just to confirm, can Leafspy Pro pair a 2019 40kWh battery to a 2018 Leaf which also originally had a 40kWh battery?

Want to make sure it can do it for ZE1 leafs before I buy anything.

The answer is YES!

 

[Dala]

Added this info;

The part number is 55020-5SJ1B for ePlus rear springs (for 62kWh upgrades)