Replaced 12v Lead with 12v Lithium

[LeftieBiker]

The initial voltage before beginning charging was 12.00V.

That is very nearly dead. You are skating on thin ice with that battery.

 

[Stanton]

I too have a 12v lithium ion jump starter - my three essential Leaf accessories:

o 12 volt jump starter
o 12 volt battery tester
o 12 volt trickle charger

Seeing as this is the "replaced 12v Lead with 12v Lithium" thread, my 3 essential Leaf accessories are:

• 12v LiFePO4 battery

• low power heater mod

• LeafDD (or for most people LeafSpy)

And I never have to worry about a "dead" 12v battery

 

[lorenfb]

Obtained additional 12V battery data using battery load testers and determining the battery's voltage and CCA
(cold cranking amps - a measure of a battery's output voltage as a function of load current).

Tester #1:
Midtronics PBT-100

Measurements:

CCA - 375 amps, voltage - 12.06
CCA - 450 amps, voltage - 12.07

Tester #2:
Snap-on Battery Tester

CCA - 500 amps, voltage - 11.5

Since most all automotive ECUs are designed for a minimum operating voltage of 10V, the Leaf battery
load test indicates an adequate battery voltage at an age of 6.5 years, not presently requiring replacement.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Don't say that you weren't warned. You may want, just for fun, to consult a 12 volt battery SOC table to see what percentage of capacity you are working with. You will be surprised.

 

[lorenfb]

Don't say that you weren't warned. You may want, just for fun, to consult a 12 volt battery SOC table to see what percentage of capacity you are working with. You will be surprised.

Have Li-ion jumper in car. No need to increase unnecessary Pb waste, right?

 

[LeftieBiker]

I tried to find one with 12.00 volts, but they seem to prefer 10% increments. Anyway your battery had 45% of whatever capacity it has left available when you tested it. If it's a 30AH (?) OEM Leaf battery, that would be less than 7 usable AH, because of internal resistance. Given the age of the battery, it's probably more like 3AH.

 

[lorenfb]

I tried to find one with 12.00 volts, but they seem to prefer 10% increments. Anyway your battery had 45% of whatever capacity it has left available when you tested it. If it's a 30AH (?) OEM Leaf battery, that would be less than 7 usable AH, because of internal resistance. Given the age of the battery, it's probably more like 3AH.

The Ahr capacity of the 12V battery for BEV is not as critical as for an ICEV, i.e. the needed 12V battery current is only during the startup
mode which basically requires just 10-15 amps for less than a few seconds. Once the BEV enters the run mode, power is supplied by
the traction battery. For an ICEV given its starter motor plus all systems, the Ahr capacity is of more concern for startup. The more key
parameter for an ICEV is the battery's voltage sage for the very high startup load current, i.e. the result of its output resistance which
significantly increases with age.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Well, I tried. Keep the booster battery charged.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

IMHO every EV owner should have a 12 volt battery tester

Maybe "EV owner" should be "LEAF owner". The problem of insufficiently charging the 12V battery seems particular to the LEAF.

Not true. I see 12 volt issues all over covering several different brands

 

[Oilpan4]

I was going to do this. Except I was going to use a much cheaper, smaller, lighter lithium battery for a motorcycle or riding lawnmower.

 

[Stanton]

I was going to do this. Except I was going to use a much cheaper, smaller, lighter lithium battery for a motorcycle or riding lawnmower.

Nothing wrong with that, but my experience says you want to get something closer to 20AHr than say 10AHr (the stock lead acid battery was ~40AHr...overkill for an EV).

 

[Oilpan4]

The one I was going to get was 10ah, I can go a little bigger.

 

[Stanton]

The one I was going to get was 10ah, I can go a little bigger.

I can't guarantee you won't have any problems @10AHr, but I definitely wouldn't go any smaller. I remember doing some (unofficial) 12V testing a couple of years ago, and at some point (definitely under 10AHr) I could no longer start the car. YMMV.

 

[stellerscrub]

I too have a 12v lithium ion jump starter - my three essential Leaf accessories:

o 12 volt jump starter
o 12 volt battery tester
o 12 volt trickle charger

Any recommended/to be avoided brands for the jump starter?

 

[joeriv]

I bought one from Costco which works fine - I used it to help someone who was stuck and it started their car without any problems. The only thing it will not do is start a car with a dead battery that will not hold a charge.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Jumpstarting with another vehicle won't work either with a truly dead battery, unless it's disconnected first.

 

[xmBill]

I leave my 2015 LEAF plugged in after charging for hours every day. I haven't had any issues with the stock 12V battery.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I leave my 2015 LEAF plugged in after charging for hours every day. I haven't had any issues with the stock 12V battery.

The charging algorithm seems to have been improved in 2014.

 

[gncndad]

I leave my 2015 LEAF plugged in after charging for hours every day. I haven't had any issues with the stock 12V battery.

HAHA! I do exactly the same, to 100% every night, and my 2015 LeafS 12V battery lasted 4 years from auto manufacture!!! 37k (city) miles, Dallas Ft. Worth heat, still at 11 bars.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I leave my 2015 LEAF plugged in after charging for hours every day. I haven't had any issues with the stock 12V battery.

And you won't. Leave it plugged in without driving it for a week and you will see.