Capacity Loss on 2011-2012 LEAFs

[keydiver]

Chalk up another bar lost in South Florida. I lost my first bar today, 19,229 miles and 20 months of ownership. I knew it was going to be soon, as I've been tracking it with the ELM327 app.

 

[Weatherman]

The next question is, when is bar #11 going to fall?

On July 11th, my LEAF's battery was at 57.45 Ahr. Today, it's at 56.30 Ahr. The weather is, basically, going to be unchanged for the next two-and-a-half months.

I predict 54.00 Ahr by the end of the rainy season, on October 19th.

 

[KJD]

The next question is, when is bar #11 going to fall?
On July 11th, my LEAF's battery was at 57.45 Ahr. Today, it's at 56.30 Ahr. The weather is, basically, going to be unchanged for the next two-and-a-half months.
I predict 54.00 Ahr by the end of the rainy season, on October 19th.

Have you measured the temp outside the garage at night and compared it to the temp inside the garage ?

 

[Weatherman]

Have you measured the temp outside the garage at night and compared it to the temp inside the garage ?

In my case, it doesn't matter. The LEAF stays outside all the time, unless I'm taking the Volt out for an extended duration trip.

Air temps, down here, from mid May through mid October are in the 90s during the day and 80s at night. It might drop down into the 70s, but only briefly after it rains, but then it warms right back up into the 80s.

Battery temps are, consistently, in the upper 80s to mid 90s.

 

[vrwl]

Chalk up another bar lost in South Florida. I lost my first bar today, 19,229 miles and 20 months of ownership. I knew it was going to be soon, as I've been tracking it with the ELM327 app.

What were your battery app readings (AHr, CAP%, Health, GIDs) when you lost your bar?

 

[keydiver]

What were your battery app readings (AHr, CAP%, Health, GIDs) when you lost your bar?

Honestly, I wasn't watching it that closely, but last time I checked 2 weeks ago I was just a hair over 85%. That was yesterday, and today they are:
Ahr: 55.73
CAP%: 84.12%
HEALTH: 81.13%
GIDS: 196 (69.8%)
All cells are actually rather tightly grouped, with only 17mv differential. My bar loss actually happened just a few minutes after we left home. I stopped at a Dollar store for my wife, so I sat over hot Florida asphalt for 10 minutes. When we drove off, I noticed right away something had changed, as there was only a 1 bar differential between my capacity and my charge, whereas before I shut off there was a 2 bar differential, 10 bar charge and 12 bar capacity. At first I thought that somehow I had picked up a bar of charge, but no such luck.
BTW, did I miss something? 196 GIDS seems rather good. :? Did he recalibrate the software reading?

 

[vrwl]

What were your battery app readings (AHr, CAP%, Health, GIDs) when you lost your bar?

Honestly, I wasn't watching it that closely, but last time I checked 2 weeks ago I was just a hair over 85%. That was yesterday, and today they are:
Ahr: 55.73
CAP%: 84.12%
HEALTH: 81.13%
GIDS: 196 (69.8%)
All cells are actually rather tightly grouped, with only 17mv differential. My bar loss actually happened just a few minutes after we left home. I stopped at a Dollar store for my wife, so I sat over hot Florida asphalt for 10 minutes. When we drove off, I noticed right away something had changed, as there was only a 1 bar differential between my capacity and my charge, whereas before I shut off there was a 2 bar differential, 10 bar charge and 12 bar capacity. At first I thought that somehow I had picked up a bar of charge, but no such luck.
BTW, did I miss something? 196 GIDS seems rather good. :? Did he recalibrate the software reading?

Are the 196 GIDs for an 80% charge or a 100% charge? If it's for an 80% charge, then yeah, it seems kind of high for a bar loss already. Maybe some of the other GID analyzing guys can pitch in their opinion on that too.

 

[TomT]

That would be typical for an 80% charge based on his other numbers... I lost my first bar with much higher numbers than his...

Are the 196 GIDs for an 80% charge or a 100% charge? If it's for an 80% charge, then yeah, it seems kind of high for a bar loss already. Maybe some of the other GID analyzing guys can pitch in their opinion on that too.

 

[keydiver]

Are the 196 GIDs for an 80% charge or a 100% charge?

I only charge to 80% weekdays. I'll try to do a 100% charge later and compare readings.

 

[Weatherman]

I'm getting around 196-198 on an 80% charge, also (which could be anywhere from 79.3% to 79.8%, depending on how warm the battery is, at the time).

I don't even bother with tracking the 100% charge readings, since the measured SOC is more like 91 to 92%. Maybe, when the battery cools off in December, I'll get something closer to 95% on a 100% charge.

 

[vrwl]

I'm getting around 196-198 on an 80% charge, also (which could be anywhere from 79.3% to 79.8%, depending on how warm the battery is, at the time).

I don't even bother with tracking the 100% charge readings, since the measured SOC is more like 91 to 92%. Maybe, when the battery cools off in December, I'll get something closer to 95% on a 100% charge.

Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out how close I am to losing my first bar. Today's readings are:

Ahr: 57.64
CAP%: 87.86
Health%: 75.48
Last 80% charge gave me 204 GID, last 100% charge this past weekend gave me 237 GID.

One saving grace for my car.... my husband and I are seriously considering moving from TX to PA next year (spring/summer) for a variety of reasons, and I was hoping that the battery bars would last through this TX summer till we can move to a cooler climate. But with 1.5 months of summer weather still ahead of us, that's probably not going to happen.

 

[LEAFfan]

I'm getting around 196-198 on an 80% charge, also (which could be anywhere from 79.3% to 79.8%, depending on how warm the battery is, at the time).

I don't even bother with tracking the 100% charge readings, since the measured SOC is more like 91 to 92%. Maybe, when the battery cools off in December, I'll get something closer to 95% on a 100% charge.

Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out how close I am to losing my first bar. Today's readings are:

Ahr: 57.64
CAP%: 87.86
Health%: 75.48
Last 80% charge gave me 204 GID, last 100% charge this past weekend gave me 237 GID.

One saving grace for my car.... my husband and I are seriously considering moving from TX to PA next year (spring/summer) for a variety of reasons, and I was hoping that the battery bars would last through this TX summer till we can move to a cooler climate. But with 1.5 months of summer weather still ahead of us, that's probably not going to happen.

You're at 84% GIDs so when u are down to 81-80%, u will most likely lose the bar. That's where most drivers here lost their first bar.

 

[vrwl]

You're at 84% GIDs so when u are down to 81-80%, u will most likely lose the bar. That's where most drivers here lost their first bar.

Thanks for that info, I'll keep an eye on it then.

 

[TomT]

I lost my first bar at 83% of Gids...

You're at 84% GIDs so when u are down to 81-80%, u will most likely lose the bar. That's where most drivers here lost their first bar.

 

[JeremyW]

I must have got reeeeeally close to losing my first bar before the update. I was at 236 as my worst 100% charge. After the update/reset I was at 256. Now I'm in the 240s I think. 59.2 Ah and dropping.

I've noticed that the gids tend not to "fly off" when driving on an 80% or 100% charge. Before it seemed like I'd drop 5-10 gids in the first half mile of driving, now it seems a bit more reasonable at a few gids.

 

[LEAFfan]

I lost my first bar at 83% of Gids...

Probably because you're in a cooler climate than TX or AZ.

You're at 84% GIDs so when u are down to 81-80%, u will most likely lose the bar. That's where most drivers here lost their first bar.

 

[Reddy]

One saving grace for my car.... my husband and I are seriously considering moving from TX to PA next year (spring/summer) for a variety of reasons, and I was hoping that the battery bars would last through this TX summer till we can move to a cooler climate. But with 1.5 months of summer weather still ahead of us, that's probably not going to happen.

Perhaps the better solution is to keep the car in TX until you lose the 4th bar. Then get the battery replaced under the warranty and quickly move it up north

 

[TomT]

sINCE THE BARS ARE JUST VERY COARSE CAPACITY MEASUREMENTS - PARTICULARLY THE FIRST ONE - WHO REALLY CARES HOW MANY ARE SHOWING. iT IS THE ACTUAL CAPACITY THAT GIVES YOU THE RANGE... Stupid Caps lock key!

One saving grace for my car.... my husband and I are seriously considering moving from TX to PA next year (spring/summer) for a variety of reasons, and I was hoping that the battery bars would last through this TX summer till we can move to a cooler climate. But with 1.5 months of summer weather still ahead of us, that's probably not going to happen.

 

[vrwl]

sINCE THE BARS ARE JUST VERY COARSE CAPACITY MEASUREMENTS - PARTICULARLY THE FIRST ONE - WHO REALLY CARES HOW MANY ARE SHOWING. iT IS THE ACTUAL CAPACITY THAT GIVES YOU THE RANGE... Stupid Caps lock key!

One saving grace for my car.... my husband and I are seriously considering moving from TX to PA next year (spring/summer) for a variety of reasons, and I was hoping that the battery bars would last through this TX summer till we can move to a cooler climate. But with 1.5 months of summer weather still ahead of us, that's probably not going to happen.

The fewer bars we have, the worse the resale value will be whenever we decide to sell it. Unfortunately, this isnt a lease.

 

[mark1313]

You need to time your sale of the Leaf around getting the new battery pack ..I expect in 2 years to need a new battery replacement again, that is when I will sell the Leaf and buy a new one, as long as the same warranty is in use ...

I will be curios in 2015, what a 2011 Leaf will be worth with 56000 miles, and with a new battery pack ....