Sudden Drop in Charging Capacity

[barbarasklar]

Hello. I purchased a 12 bar 2015 Leaf this summer. All was well.
I lost a bar of charging capacity about 2 weeks ago which I was expecting. However I now seem to only be able to charge my vehicle up to 68 miles whereas in the past I always hovered between 82-86. Any thoughts? Do you think I should take it into a local Nissan Dealer and have it looked at? Any ways to do some troubleshooting myself? Thanks for your help.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Have the last few minutes of your driving route, before you park, changed? That's what the range estimator uses. Is your actual range reduced? The range estimator is called a "Guess O Meter" for good reason - it isn't often very accurate. I assume you still have all 12 charge bars showing when full?

 

[Titanium48]

Did it get significantly colder where you live recently? Cold reduces range in a number of ways, some of which are accounted for by the GOM.

 

[barbarasklar]

Yes, it has gotten colder and I noticed that if/when I put on heat there is a dramatic drop in estimated mileage. However, something different seems to be going on. Yesterday, after charging at work, the mileage read 85 and within 1/4 mile once again dropped to 68. I am going to track actual mileage and see what I am getting. What about a LEAF SPY? Might looking at battery health be helpful. Thanks.

 

[estomax]

there is a small chance that you have a weak cell developing in the pack, but most likely it is the colder temperatures. The range on the GOM is a wild guess, focus more on the battery percentage, that is a much better indicator of rate of discharge. I live my commutes/drives in how much % capacity they take, rather than how many miles of range they use.

for example, depending on speed and temperature my drive to work can take 25-35% of battery, and i don't live somewhere where the temperature fluctuates that much even.

LeafSpy is a good idea for monitoring this car in any case, if you dont have it yet.

Marko

 

[alozzy]

If you have an S, then expect at best 60 miles of range, in Eugene winter weather, on a dry day. Snow and rain reduce range even more.

Also, make sure your winter tires are inflated to 40 psi to reduce rolling resistance a bit. With winter tires on my LEAF, I estimate I lose almost 10% range.

In short, winter range sucks, a 30% range loss isn't out of the ordinary.

 

[cwerdna]

Yes, it has gotten colder and I noticed that if/when I put on heat there is a dramatic drop in estimated mileage. However, something different seems to be going on. Yesterday, after charging at work, the mileage read 85 and within 1/4 mile once again dropped to 68. I am going to track actual mileage and see what I am getting. What about a LEAF SPY? Might looking at battery health be helpful. Thanks.

Forget the stupid GOM. I can charge to full w/the GOM showing 80 miles, drive 8 miles and it'll become 88. If I go up highway 17, after 10 miles, the GOM drops 40+ miles.

Yes, turning the heat on/off along w/eco on/off will affect the GOM.

If you have range complaints, answer the questions at https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=275421#p275421 here.

Since you have a Leaf that's model year '13+, you should instead being looking at the % state of charge display. GOM is a waste of time.

Yes, LeafSpy will let you see SOH and if there are any weak cells.

 

[alozzy]

Luckily, for Vancouverites driving a 24kWh LEAF, there's pretty much a 1:1 km to kWh ratio during winter, which makes it really easy to estimate range.

Eugene climate is pretty similar to Vancouver, and the terrain isn't very hilly, so I would think that .6 miles per 1% SOC is a pretty accurate estimate of range on average.

 

[Astros]

Did the range drop happen after you turned on cruise control? The range estimation (Guess-O-Meter) changes the way it does the calculation when you turn that on, and it almost always is much more pessimistic (and realistic!).