Headlamp Power Draw

[SageBrush]

I own a 2013 LEAF model 'S' with tech package. I'm hoping someone will know how much power my headlights draw in normal and high beam.

My intent is to do some testing of my 12v battery with the lights as a load; initially to see the voltage drop, and then to monitor the change in voltage over an hour of draw.

[LeftieBiker]

You mean the "Charge Package" with DCFC and LED high beams?

[jjeff]

'13S doesn't have an LED headlight option, unless someone retrofitted them. My halogen Lo/Hi beams are 45w and 65w, to get amperage divide watts by voltage, eg. 45w/13v=~3.5a times 2 for both headlights.
I believe the SV had the option? for LED headlights which were standard on the '13SL.

[SageBrush]

My LEAF does have the DCFC port and rear view camera. Were LED lamps part of the package ? I presume I should be able to tell by just looking at the bulbs in the lamps.

@jjef. thanks. I just googled H13 lamps and found an entry for type 9008 that was spec'd at 55 watt low beam and 65 watt high beam.I'll go with 90 Wh on low beams for the one hour test

[LeftieBiker]

Sorry about the goof on the LED high beams. I actually didn't know that they weren't part of the S Charge Package in 2013. Does any year S offer them?

[SageBrush]

The LEAF outsmarted me ... for now.
The lamps turn off after less than minute.

Is there a way to keep a 12V load on the LEAF and not energize the DC-DC converter ?
Perhaps the Ig-On state ?

About the bulbs: If I peer into the lamp I can a see a small round bulb on the top that I'm pretty sure is a filament bulb, but the main bulb is hidden behind a blue cowl. If access is easy, I'll pull the large bulb to have a look.

For anyone interested in my battery evaluation games:
All battery readings are from a battery tester doodad I have connected to the battery all the time. I read the voltage and "SoC" from a bluetooth connected app that also logs voltage readings every couple of minutes.
I charged the battery to 'full' on 12/30 -- 12.6 volts
The next day the car was driven ~ 45 minutes
Two days later the battery is at 12.2 volts
-- a 90 watt load (~ 8 A)(low beams) dropped the battery to 11.7 volts
-- fiddling with the headlights for under 5 minutes dropped the estimated SoC by 10%
--- So from a short test the battery capacity is ~ 8*5/6 = 7 Ah. Out of perhaps 35 - 40 Ah when new

[jjeff]

The LEAF outsmarted me ... for now.
The lamps turn off after less than minute.

Is there a way to keep a 12V load on the LEAF and not energize the DC-DC converter ?
Perhaps the Ig-On state ?

About the bulbs: If I peer into the lamp I can a see a small round bulb on the top that I'm pretty sure is a filament bulb, but the main bulb is hidden behind a blue cowl. If access is easy, I'll pull the large bulb to have a look.

I believe if you have the headlights OFF when you turn the car OFF, if you turn them back on with the car OFF they will stay on indefinitely.....Also I believe if they turn off in your first scenario if you turn the switch OFF then back ON, I believe they will stay ON. Not positive but I know at least one of my cars act like that
Leftie, I'm not all that familiar with newer Leafs but at least on the older S models, LED headlights weren't an option, no matter what package you got. It's possible the latest Gen 2 Leafs all get LEDs, I just don't know.

[SageBrush]

The LEAF outsmarted me ... for now.
The lamps turn off after less than minute.

Is there a way to keep a 12V load on the LEAF and not energize the DC-DC converter ?
Perhaps the Ig-On state ?

About the bulbs: If I peer into the lamp I can a see a small round bulb on the top that I'm pretty sure is a filament bulb, but the main bulb is hidden behind a blue cowl. If access is easy, I'll pull the large bulb to have a look.

I believe if you have the headlights OFF when you turn the car OFF, if you turn them back on with the car OFF they will stay on indefinitely.....Also I believe if they turn off in your first scenario if you turn the switch OFF then back ON, I believe they will stay ON. Not positive but I know at least one of my cars act like that

You've motivated me to fiddle around
So far, I know that in my car if the lights are turned off by the car and then I turn the knob to off and then on again, the lights only stay on for a short time. I'll try you other suggested variations. Thanks !

[Nubo]

--- So from a short test the battery capacity is ~ 8*5/6 = 7 Ah. Out of perhaps 35 - 40 Ah when new

Keep in mind the "standard" AH measurement is sustained load at the 20-Hour rate, so it's a very gentle discharge. E.g., a 40AH battery should sustain a 2A load for 20 hours. The same battery will not sustain an 8A discharge for 5 hours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peukert%27s_law

[SageBrush]

--- So from a short test the battery capacity is ~ 8*5/6 = 7 Ah. Out of perhaps 35 - 40 Ah when new

Keep in mind the "standard" AH measurement is sustained load at the 20-Hour rate, so it's a very gentle discharge. E.g., a 40AH battery should sustain a 2A load for 20 hours. The same battery will not sustain an 8A discharge for 5 hours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peukert%27s_law

Yep

Google found a generic table that says that 51R PbA batteries have 80 minutes of reserve capacity. That test is at 25 A, so 33 Ahr + Peukert