Getting only 20kWh with CHAdeMO instead of the normal 41-43kWh

[EthanZ]

Hey guys, I've had my 2019 Nissan Leaf SV PLUS for a couple years, and have only used the CHAdeMO chargers when on long trips, and charge at home with level 1 the other times. Recently I went from Houston to Dallas and hit three chargers--one EV Connect, one Electrify America, and one Chargepoint during the times 3pm-9pm. ALL three of them gave my max of 20kWh (one was only a max of 15) when normally I get 40-43kWh. This is incredibly frustrating for long road trips as it extends my road trip by hours. What is going on?? This seems like a continual theme with DC fast charging now. Is it my battery? Is it the intense TX summer heat? Is it the charging stations themselves? Any ideas welcome.

 

[cwerdna]

You talking about charging rate, which is measured in kW?

Or are you saying that charging stops after 20 kWh of energy have been dispensed?

kW and kWh are totally different metrics.

If the charging rate (kW) is low, did you check Plugshare? How about your battery temperature? Leaf has to slow charging if the battery is too hot. What about starting % state of charge?

 

[SageBrush]

Is it the intense TX summer heat?

Yes, although of course much worse performance in a LEAF

 

[cwerdna]

Houston to Dallas is ~240 miles. Looks like it'll hit a high of 94 F in Dallas on Thursday, but yeah, if the battery is hot, DC FCing will be slower. And, DC FCing multiple times a day really heats up the pack, causing even more slowdown.

If you get Leaf Spy and compatible OBD2 dongle for your phone OS, you can see the actual temp sensor values.

Update: From a quick peek at https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/a319796a4173829988d68c4e3a5f90c14de5723d3432d1532b4f76f2ccb04fc8 and https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/29e569022d8a75becaf5aa57e570ebf09fae8b84e2b628118c0793de7b8f6243a15b6c9ae95c9de8d0825d92a19d3c12, it looks like it was 100 F or nearly 100 recently.