Leaving Leaf Plugged In

[Bob]

I read here that if the Leaf is left plugged in for an extended period of time, the 12V battery won't get topped off. That behavior was noted with 2011 and 2012 model years.

Does anyone know if this behavior has been changed or is it still that way?

If it has been changed, what does it do now?

And when did they make a change?

Thank you.

Bob

 

[Reddy]

I'm surprised others haven't replied yet. I don't believe this problem has been fixed, but don't take my word.

 

[LeftieBiker]

This kind of topic gets created so often, folks wish that people would just find one already here, using the Google search engine. The answer is "No, as far as we know, the issue hasn't been addressed."

 

[cwerdna]

This kind of topic gets created so often, folks wish that people would just find one already here, using the Google search engine. The answer is "No, as far as we know, the issue hasn't been addressed."

A hint at having Google limiting searches to this site is to put in site:mynissanleaf.com followed by keywords. Also, since Google doesn't seem to index this site that well, may as well also use Yahoo/Bing search w/the same syntax.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

And yet, given the frequency of 12V issues, you might think that they would have devoted some resources to it by now. Maybe they have, and failed. OTOH, never had an issue yet, but never left it plugged in for an extended time. As the car gains acceptance with the general public, it will only be a continuing issue.

 

[LeftieBiker]

You can leave it plugged in for as long as you want, but ONLY if you have it connected to a 12 volt battery maintainer, preferably at least 1 amp.

 

[rawhog]

This is all interesting. After 3 years I still leave mine plugged into the Upgraded EVSE. If I am not driving or away from the house, it is plugged in. Never had an issue.

 

[Stoaty]

I read here that if the Leaf is left plugged in for an extended period of time, the 12V battery won't get topped off. That behavior was noted with 2011 and 2012 model years.

I have never figured out why someone would want to leave their Leaf plugged in all the time. I plug mine in when it needs charging. What is the thinking behind your question?

 

[desiv]

I have never figured out why someone would want to leave their Leaf plugged in all the time. I plug mine in when it needs charging. What is the thinking behind your question?

Not sure what the OPs thinking is, but it's possible they want to pre heat/cool the cabin while plugged in...

If you have to run down to your car to plug it in, so you can use your iPhone to remote start the CC, that kind of detracts from the benefit there a bit.. ;-)

desiv

 

[LeftieBiker]

Yup. This is especially useful in very hot or very cold weather, and when the car is some distance away from you.

 

[mgs333]

This is all interesting. After 3 years I still leave mine plugged into the Upgraded EVSE. If I am not driving or away from the house, it is plugged in. Never had an issue.

It's only an issue if you leave it plugged in for an extended period of time. (say more than a couple of weeks)

 

[azguy]

I left my leaf plugged in for 4 weeks when i was travelling abroad, 2015 manual says "The indicator light 3 flashes when the 12-volt battery is being charged. "
did not have any issue , car started fine after 4 weeks of not driving . For my other car i was using battery tender .

 

[LeftieBiker]

It may be safer to leave the car plugged in for longer periods than for medium ones, because of the periodic auto-recharge. If you keep leaving it plugged in for, say, just under a day, then drive it, then repeat a few times, that could easily drain the accessory battery. Not everyone has this issue, as it is almost certainly tied to driving patterns, as well as the quality of the 12 volt batteries.

 

[Bob]

What follows is my understanding, but please correct me if you know better.

The Leaf adds a packet of charge to the 12V battery from the traction battery roughly every 5 days, unless the car is plugged in. You see this as a blinking of blue hood indicator light #3. (Page CH-35 of 2013 owner's manual.) If the car is plugged in, it will not top off the 12V battery. I'm not sure why, but there must be a reason.

Many more things run from the 12V battery in the Leaf than in a conventional car, including the charging system, so the Leaf is harder on the 12V battery than a common car. That's why it needs to be topped off periodically. In addition, unlike lithium-ion batteries, lead-acid batteries last longest if they are kept at full charge.

When the Leaf is on, the 12V battery is constantly recharged by the traction battery. So if you drive the car a few times per week, this is all moot.

Bob

 

[LeftieBiker]

That's correct, as far as I know. I don't know for a fact that the top-off doesn't ever happen while plugged in, but that seems right.

When the Leaf is on, the 12V battery is constantly recharged by the traction battery. So if you drive the car a few times per week, this is all moot.

Not necessarily. I ran some errands in town this evening, driving all of three miles, but with several stops. I was using the heating system, steering wheel heater, and one seat heater, plus the lights and stereo. The battery had been on the maintainer before I drove it (green light), and when I got home I debated whether to put it back on - snow is expected soon, lots of it. I did connect it, and it took roughly an hour for the 2 amp Diehard maintainer/charger to top it off again. That's about 2 amp hour net loss, in a ~20AH battery. Short trips, especially in Winter, tend to deplete the battery more than it gets recharged.

EDIT: I forgot to account for charge tapering, so it was probably more like 1.2 AH below full after that trip.

 

[TimLee]

I ran some errands in town this evening, driving all of three miles, but with several stops. I was using the heating system, steering wheel heater, and one seat heater, plus the lights and stereo. The battery had been on the maintainer before I drove it (green light), and when I got home I debated whether to put it back on - snow is expected soon, lots of it. I did connect it, and it took roughly an hour for the 2 amp Diehard maintainer/charger to top it off again. That's about 2 amp hour net loss, in a ~20AH battery. Short trips, especially in Winter, tend to deplete the battery more than it gets recharged.

EDIT: I forgot to account for charge tapering, so it was probably more like 1.2 AH below full after that trip.

Thanks for the excellent information.
The LEAF 12V charging on my 2011 without cold weather package usually drops back to 12.96V in less than a minute when in Ready mode.
It at best is only keeping it about 90% charged.
And in your case in cold weather with heated seats and steering wheel it can be worse than that.

Sorry about the more heavy snow.