Phoenix Range Test Sept 15, 2012 planning!

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TonyWilliams

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
10,107
Location
Vista, California USA
Subsequent Phoenix Range Test Results, Sept 15, 2012

Subsequent 2013 LEAF-S Range Test on Feb 22, 2013

Subsequent 2012 & 2013 LEAF-SL Range Test, San Diego, March 8, 2013

If you own or lease a Nissan LEAF in the Phoenix area, and have lost 2,3, or 4 (or more) battery capacity bars, we want your car!!!! If you are even thinking about having your car tested, but are procrastinating, or feel it is too difficult, or you can't get a baby sitter, let our crack cadre of volunteers happily collect up your car and do the test without you. There's no reason for your car not to participate. The cut off time to add a car will be 8pm, Thursday, Sept 13.

For a summary of Nissan LEAF battery issues, click here.

- We need Gidmeters (for any loan, please affix the owner's name, address, phone, and email)
Five - from GaryG (Tony has in his possession)
One - Boomer23 (Tony has in his possession)
One or more - surfingslovak
Numerous - Phoenix area

- We need portable GPS's (for any loan, please affix the owner's name, address, phone, and email)
Two - TonyWilliams, Garmin Nuvi and Zumo

- We need tow vehicles (full size pickup or SUV with receiver hitch and trailer wiring connection) or regular tow trucks, need dollies or flat bed trailers
One - TonyWilliams, Suburban with Uhaul dolly

- We need drivers for cars


Administrator of this test:

Tony Williams
858-245-8217
12656 Sabre View Cove
San Diego, CA 92128-4160

TonyWilliams -at- LoveMyLEAF -dot- com
858-245-8217


WHY:

September 4, 2012- Andy Palmer, executive vice president of Nissan dismissed recent reports of battery problems in hot weather for the LEAF. He was reported by an Australian source as saying, "We don't have a battery problem." Palmer says the problem is a faulty battery level display.

September 15, 2012- In response to Andy Palmer's comments, some "hot weather" LEAF's, including Scott Yarosh's LEAF (his car currently has the most displayed battery capacity loss with 4 of 12 missing battery capacity "bars" from the car's dash mounted instrument) will be tested to determine if in fact the cars can physically drive as far now as they did when new with a "faulty battery level display", or if this is merely another attempt by Nissan execs to deflect attention from the serious battery issues in hot ambient temperatures that were predicted by many experts well before Nissan manufactured the car. In 2009, the president of Tesla Motors (electric vehicle manufacturer) called Nissan's then proposed LEAF battery "primitive" and he thought that if those batteries failed (with over 84 reported on this forum as of 11 Sept 2012) that it might negatively affect the entire electric vehicle movement.

WHEN:

Friday, Sept 14 - All afternoon / evening - Driving / towing cars to the staging area "PDAT", 7755 South Research Drive, Tempe, AZ 85284 to be charged. The cars will be charged overnight and have time to balance the cells (up to 4 hours). LEAVE THE KEYS WITH ADMINISTRATOR SO THAT THE CAR CAN BE REPOSITIONED DURING THE NIGHT at the staging area. Try to arrive with as much battery power as possible. Make sure the registration, insurance, and Blink card are in the car.

Saturday, Sept 15 - 5:30am - Driver meeting at staging area at:
"PDAT"
7755 South Research Drive
Tempe, AZ 85284

Saturday, Sept 15 - 6:00am -First test vehicle launches on course.

Saturday, Sept 15 - 9:00am-ish - Restaurant 3.7 miles west of staging area (opens at 6:30am):

Crackers & Co Cafe
4.0 star rating
98 reviews
1285 W Elliot Rd
Tempe, AZ 85284
(480) 705-7900
http://www.crackerscafe.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

tempe.jpg



WHO:

Tony Williams - administrator and recovery vehicle driver (Suburban w/Uhaul dolly)
Scott Yarish - recovery vehicle driver (F250 bio-diesel; needs to get a rental dolly)
Scott's spouse - LEAF driver of their car on the test course
TickTock -
leafkabob -
shrink -
spooka -
Many others....

The LEAF's:

Currently, 12 are signed up.


WHERE:

Staging area:
"PDAT"
7755 South Research Drive
Tempe, AZ 85284


COURSE:
From the staging area at 7755 South Research Drive, Tempe, AZ 85284, 101 freeway north for 5.2 miles, then 202 west which becomes 10 west. Speed on course is 62mph as measured by GPS.

Super Nerd Optional Extra: The LEAF does show GPS speed. First, with the car powered up, turn off the AudioPWR with the hard button in the lower left hand corner quadrant of buttons surrounding the NAV screen, then:
MAP> MAP> MAP>, AudioPWR> AudioPWR>, MAP
It doesn't work every time. Once the new screen does pop up, select:
"Confirmation/Adjustment", "Navigation", "Sensor Information", and on the sixth line of data will be:
"Vgps" will show 1000 (100.0kmh), or slightly higher than 62mph. A dash mount GPS will alternate between 62mph and 63mph to equal 100.0kmh.
The hard buttons will not work while in this mode. To exit, you must touch the screen, then hit "BACK" three times, and the NAV will reboot.

The total distance measured from the staging area and ending on the 101 highway at the E. Elliot Rd overpass at highway 101, the following round trip distances apply to these course reversal exits on highway 10:

52.3 miles - Exit 136, N. 75th Ave
54.3 miles - Exit 135, N. 83rd Ave
56.3 miles - Exit 134, N. 91st Ave
58.3 miles - Exit 133a, N. 99th Ave
62.3 miles - Exit 131, N. 115th Ave / Avondale Blvd
66.3 miles - Exit 129, N. Dysart Rd
68.3 miles - Exit 128, N. Litchfield Rd
72.3 miles - Exit 126, N. Pebble Beach Pkwy / N. Estrella Pkwy
76.3 miles - Exit 124, N. Cotton Ln / highway 303
82.3 miles - Exit 121, N. 195th Ave / N. Jackrabbit Trail
85.1 miles - Exit 120, N. Airport Rd / N. Verrado Way
91.5 miles - Exit 117, S. Watson Road

Program the destination in the NAV to one of the above appropriate exits, and then edit the route to add a new destination as the staging area. You may need an intermediary waypoint to ensure routing via 101 > 202 > 10 and return.

If your car has not hit turtle mode by E. Elliot Rd on your return, keep driving right past that exit. DO NOT EXIT THE FREEWAY AT E. Elliot Rd UNLESS YOUR CAR IS IN TURTLE MODE!! We'll see you go right by and get you when you do hit turtle.

ALTERNATE COURSES:

The backup routes, in case of freeway closure, crashes, etc, is:

PADT charging station is 0.3 miles from the freeway, then:

40.4 miles - RIGHT LOOP - 101 North, 60 East, 202 South, West, then 101 North

21.8 miles - LEFT LOOP - 101 North, 60 WEST, 10 South, 202 East, 101 North

*********

Dropping off the car Friday night at a charger at the staging area: Verify registration, insurance, and Blink Card is in car. LEAVE THE KEYS WITH ADMINISTRATOR SO THAT THE CAR CAN BE REPOSITIONED DURING THE NIGHT.

The range test is simple, but detailed. We need to do the test very early in the morning, and the batteries need to been at uniform, stable temperatures. Tests need to be conducted with the A/C off.

DO NOT DRIVE THE LEAF SATURDAY MORNING UNTIL THE ACTUAL TEST!!!! The cars will get towed from wherever they are (if not at staging area) on Friday night to the staging point (this may happen well before the 5:30 am driver meeting in the middle of the night).

*************

YOUR CAR IS _____________________ (LEAF color with the last 3 digits of serial number, example "White123")

Safety Check and Pre-Departure Checklist

1. Verify required public highway documents; registration, insurance, etc

2. Blink card is in car

3. Insert tow hook in front bumper

4. Check all external lights and verify car is in "as delivered when new" condition

5. Reset all trip odometers, miles/kWh, average speed, timer, etc

6. Set "Show Freeway Exits" MAP> MapMenu soft key> MapView> Map Settings

7. Gidmeter installed

8. Mount GPS to measure distance and maintain speed at 62mph

9. The last three digits of the LEAF's serial number to be affixed on the right top front of the windshield and left rear top of the rear window. Also affix VEHICLE TEST IN PROGRESS to rear window. Cover the upper speedometer panel and clock

10. Affix vehicle identification (e.g., White123) above Battery Capacity meter on dash

11. Driver weight noted (need scale) and ballast added to match heaviest driver

Driver weight ____________

Ballast added ____________

12. Driver cell phone (you MUST have a phone) linked to Bluetooth with the administrator's phone programmed in car for hands free operation. Test to make sure it works. Bluetooth setup for driver's phone, press "MENU", then "Settings", the "Bluetooth Connections", then "Connect Bluetooth", then "Yes". Make sure the cell phone is now "discoverable"

13. Front windows closed, or up to 2 inches open. Do not open rear windows

14. Headlights ON manually (not Auto)

15. CLIMATE CONTROL OFF

16. Water for driver

17. Visually inspect for extraneous weight in car that needs to be removed (child car seats ok)

18. Every car must have stock Bridgestone Ecopia tires, VERIFY 36 psi per tire

19. Have the course map, all checkpoints, and pertainent contact information in car

20. Program the staging area into car's Navigation to be used to determine distance from staging area

21. We will launch cars and assign the course reversal point based on the Gid %. Record assigned Course by circling the assigned course reversal point:

Gid% - Course length
62% - 52.3 miles - Exit 136, N. 75th Ave
64% - 54.3 miles - Exit 135, N. 83rd Ave
67% - 56.3 miles - Exit 134, N. 91st Ave
69% - 58.3 miles - Exit 133a, N. 99th Ave
74% - 62.3 miles - Exit 131, N. 115th Ave / Avondale Blvd
79% - 66.3 miles - Exit 129, N. Dysart Rd
81% - 68.3 miles - Exit 128, N. Litchfield Rd
85% - 72.3 miles - Exit 126, N. Pebble Beach Pkwy / N. Estrella Pkwy
91% - 76.3 miles - Exit 124, N. Cotton Ln / highway 303
98% - 82.3 miles - Exit 121, N. 195th Ave / N. Jackrabbit Trail
101%- 85.1 miles - Exit 120, N. Airport Rd / N. Verrado Way
109%- 91.5 miles - Exit 117, S. Watson Road

Missing capacity bars should equal:

Gid% - Capacity bars remaining
60% - 7 bars
66% - 8 bars
73% - 9 bars
79% - 10 bars
85% - 11 bars
100%- 12 bars

Proposed departure time _____________

Estimated time at Turtle at one minute per mile ______________



Taxi Checklist

1. Record starting position GPS coordinates

Lat/Long - N_________________W_________________ GPS position is found at: Press "MENU", then "Info", then "GPS Position" -or- "Where am I?"

2. Prior to launch on the course, record start time using center NAV display time only

Time _____________

3. Power up LEAF in "Ready" - record starting Gidmeter voltage (should be about 393.5) and record Gid %

Voltage ___________

Gid % ___________

4. Fuel bars observed (should be 12) ______________

Battery capacity bars ________________________

Battery temperature bars (should be six) ________

DTE / GuessOmeter while in ECO _______________



Cleared for Takeoff

1. Select "ECO" mode

2. Drive course safely at 62 mph as measured with the mounted GPS with cruise control engaged. Adjust speed with one "click" up or down per one mph.

3. Stay mostly in furthest right lane

4. Do NOT draft any vehicle. If following a vehicle, safely change lanes when able; only slow down for safety

5. If you must slow for any reason, mentally note slowest speed and duration. Do not, under any circumstance, increase speed over 62 mph

6. When car reaches 8.6% or 24 on the Gidmeter, or the audible alarm is heard indicating Very Low Battery (this should be the second alarm), call the range test administrator. Using "handsfree" methods, report your position relative to Freeway, direction, crossing street ( for example, "White123, 4 miles from staging area, 101 Freeway southbound, crossing E. Broadway") where your car is a white LEAF with the last 3 digits of serial number of 123. Using MENU>INFO>"Where am I?" helps

7. When car reaches "turtle" mode (audible warning and/or slowing speed), turn off cruise control and get safely off the highway, in a position to be safely connected to a tow vehicle

8. Use memory items at Turtle:
Cruise control OFF
Four way blinkers ON
TIME <<< really important



After Landing Checklist

1. Once safely WELL off the highway and stopped, cruise control OFF, four way warning blinkers ON, record stop time using center NAV display time only

Time __________________

2. Enter final resting location GPS coordinates

Lat/Long - N_________________W_________________ GPS position is found at: Press "MENU", then "Info", then "GPS Position" -or- "Where am I?"

3. Uncover instrument panel, record trip length, and miles/kWh from dash

Odometer Trip miles _________________________

Miles/kWh from dash _________________________

Fuel bars observed (should be zero) _____________

Battery capacity bars _________________________

Battery temperature bars (should be six) _________

4. Record ending Gidmeter voltage and record Gid %

Voltage ___________

Gid % ___________

5. Turn car off, make arrangements for tow back to a charging station

6. Return this completed list to administrator at "PDAT", 7755 South Research Drive, Tempe, AZ

7. Charge car for 10 minutes at DC charger

8. Eat breakfast with the gang at 9am-ish

9. Make appointment with Nissan dealer for battery check


************************************************


Nearby charging from staging point:

North 3 miles, 2 Blinks
Rio Salado - Southern
3320 S Price Road
Tempe, AZ 85282

South 3 miles, two Blinks
AAA - Chandler
4040 W. Ray Road
Chandler, AZ 85226

East 4 miles, 6 Blinks
JMIP Antique Mall
1509 N. Arizona Ave
Chandler, AZ 85225

West 4 miles, near breakfast spot, 4 Blinks
IKEA - Tempe
2110 W. Ikea Way
Tempe, AZ 85284


**************


FOR RECOVERY VEHICLE DRIVERS

Recovery zone on highway 202 eastbound and 101 southbound:

7.4 miles north - N. Scottsdale Road (In-N-Out Burger, Starbucks)
4.4 miles north - E. Broadway Road
3.4 miles north - E. Southern Road (must exit 101 northbound at Baseline)
2.4 miles north - E. Baseline Road
1.4 miles north - E. Guadalupe Road
0.3 miles south - E. Elliot Road
1.3 miles south - E. Warner Road
2.3 miles south - W. Ray Road
3.3 miles south - W. Chandler Blvd

When the LEAF driver reports they are safely off the freeway, they will give you the distance from the staging area. If that is north of E. Elliot Road, then drive that distance from the staging area, get off at the exit ramp past that point (where you should see the LEAF on your left, off the highway in the opposite direction), and turn around and recover the LEAF.

If the LEAF passes E. Elliot Road southbound, just simply follow it in the southbound lane for recovery. Return all LEAFs to the staging area.
 
dsh said:
Tony, Good idea, but do you think a Nissan Dealer will do a battery test by just showing up? I see issues with getting an appointment on a Saturday morning, especially if it is not the 1 or 2 year check up.

For Scott's car, make an appointment for Saturday. For other cars, any time in the follow days would be fine. We just want something that "proves" that Nissan's own test says everything was OK during our range test.
 
Can you give an outline of what will be done in a 2 hour test?

Also, I know that Nissan requires and therefore pays for the annual battery test. But if you already had the annual battery test and now simply wants another battery test for your own purpose, will Nissan dealerships be willing to perform it for free?
 
How about this for a route? 

Start at the antique mall in Chandler:

1509 N. Arizona Ave
Chandler, AZ 85225

The have six L2 Blinks. 

We can end at the nearby QC's at PADT:

7755 S. Research Drive
Tempe, AZ 85284

People wouldn't have to wait too long to get home if we all get in a free QC after the range test. Only thing is, I don't think there are any L2's at that site.

Arizona Ave. south to maybe Queen Creek Road? Then head West towards I-10 to highway 347 en route to Maricopa, then go west (turn right) on Riggs Rd? Should be mostly flat, 45 mph speed limit, and little traffic. Not sure where to turn around, but someone can figure that out. 

Just a suggestion. If anyone has better ideas, let me know.

Would anyone want to test my 2-1/2 month old 2012 with 2500 miles on it?
 
Volusiano said:
Can you give an outline of what will be done in a 2 hour test?

Also, I know that Nissan requires and therefore pays for the annual battery test. But if you already had the annual battery test and now simply wants another battery test for your own purpose, will Nissan dealerships be willing to perform it for free?

Basically, everything I've posted many times on this forum. I'll repost here

If you can't get a free test, and don't want to pay, then just don't do it.
 
Great idea, Tony! Thanks for taking a leadership role on this!

I'm sure you have considered this, but please be sure to have a low-mileage LEAF from a dealer as well as other fairly new LEAFs such as shrink's included as controls.
 
RegGuheert said:
Great idea, Tony! Thanks for taking a leadership role on this!

I'm sure you have considered this, but please be sure to have a low-mileage LEAF from a dealer as well as other fairly new LEAFs such as shrink's included as controls.


Yes, we need a control car (or several).
 
My 10 bar Leaf is available and willing.

If we are meeting in Chandler, I'd have to QC before the test since I would be driving about 45 miles to get to the meetup site. Not sure if that would be an issue. I'd probably be at 7 bars on the temp gauge and it would most likely stay there all day. I have no technology to measure anything and would need help with that. I am beyond due for my annual battery check and if I do it over the next few weeks, I would think that would be close enough to count for the test's purposes.

If the need for a QC takes me out of the mix, let me know.

Does anyone have the details on Scott's car regarding why Nissan is allowing him to return it? Curious about that!
 
spooka said:
My 10 bar Leaf is available and willing.

If we are meeting in Chandler, I'd have to QC before the test since I would be driving about 45 miles to get to the meetup site. Not sure if that would be an issue. I'd probably be at 7 bars on the temp gauge and it would most likely stay there all day.

All the cars need to arrive at the test start the night before, for an early morning test. Every car needs to be at the same temperature. If your car can't be delivered the evening before, it won't participate in any test that I administer.

I don't want to put a bunch of effort into a project that has loopholes and exceptions. Every car will have everything, as much as is humanly possible, identical, EXCEPT the condition of the battery.
 
I would propose that we use the PADT site at the south west corner of 101 and Elliot that has a free QC as the assembly point. Beside the QC station, they also have 2 L2 charger there. This way, people who don't want to have to pay to use the Blink L2 station can use the Blink QC station for free.

We can use this location as both the depature point and the arrival point for the test.

This location is right next to the freeway 101. I would propose we use the freeway to do the test because
1. It can help reduce the test time since driving on the freeway will burn up the energy faster.
2. It can help make the driving test more consistent because there won't be many traffic lights interfering with the uniformity of the test.
 
spooka said:
My 10 bar Leaf is available and willing.

If we are meeting in Chandler, I'd have to QC before the test since I would be driving about 45 miles to get to the meetup site. Not sure if that would be an issue. I'd probably be at 7 bars on the temp gauge and it would most likely stay there all day. I have no technology to measure anything and would need help with that. I am beyond due for my annual battery check and if I do it over the next few weeks, I would think that would be close enough to count for the test's purposes.

If the need for a QC takes me out of the mix, let me know.

Does anyone have the details on Scott's car regarding why Nissan is allowing him to return it? Curious about that!

It doesn't have to be Chandler. I live in central Phoenix myself. I just suggested that location because it has 6 L2's. Assuming the antique shop is okay with it, I figured we could use all 6 to get 100% charges overnight in their lot. A QC is about 3-4 miles northwest of that location for travel back home, and there are two more QC's en route back to central PHX and the north/northwest valley - Riverview Toyota and Camelback Toyota. South of Chandler there are also uncrowded 2-lane highways in the desert, along the Gila reservation.

A more central location could be Rio Salado Tempe - near I-10 and 143. They have 7 L2's, but if we all arrive back at LBW, VLBW, or turtle, we'll all have to sit there for a couple hours longer to get home. I don't know of any great routes originating from that area either.

Another option may be the area of Central and Camelback in Phoenix. There are 4 L2's and the Days Inn at 7th Ave and Camelback and two at Hulu's restaurant on Central, just south of Camelback. The latter, however, are often ICE'd. From there, people can QC to get home about 2 miles East at Camelback Toyota. I think a few of us LEAF owners live within a few miles of that area, too.

If we end up in Chandler and you don't mind dropping your car there overnight, I'm centrally located and might be able to get you (and others) home and back for the AM test. That's why I have a Volt :)

Let me know if anyone has any thoughts or better ideas. I'm off the top of my head here...
 
Volusiano said:
I would propose that we use the PADT site at the south west corner of 101 and Elliot that has a free QC as the assembly point. Beside the QC station, they also have 2 L2 charger there. This way, people who don't want to have to pay to use the Blink L2 station can use the Blink QC station for free.

We can use this location as both the depature point and the arrival point for the test.

This location is right next to the freeway 101. I would propose we use the freeway to do the test because
1. It can help reduce the test time since driving on the freeway will burn up the energy faster.
2. It can help make the driving test more consistent because there won't be many traffic lights interfering with the uniformity of the test.

I posted before reading this. Great points, but if we start there and they only have 2 L2's, it'll be hard for all of us to be @ 100% when charging. I think we want to avoid a QC pre-test.

Also, good point about the freeway. Do we want that at 65 mph or the 2 lane highways at 45 mph?
 
TonyWilliams said:
Volusiano said:
Can you give an outline of what will be done in a 2 hour test?

Also, I know that Nissan requires and therefore pays for the annual battery test. But if you already had the annual battery test and now simply wants another battery test for your own purpose, will Nissan dealerships be willing to perform it for free?

Basically, everything I've posted many times on this forum. I'll repost here

If you can't get a free test, and don't want to pay, then just don't do it.
Below is what you proposed for the test in the other thread. I see a number of issues with it.

First of all, where are we going to find 3 new LEAFs off the dealer lot to use as control cars? Even if we can find them, one may be a newly arrived car, another might have been sitting around the dealership's parking lot for the last 3-6 months in the heat at 100% charge. So they won't have uniform batteries to begin with. The only relatively new LEAF I can see using in Phoenix is Shrink's, but it's not brand new off the lot though.

Secondly, you want to drive the suspect car 5 times for the whole length of 70 miles each time. That's not going to be done in 2 hours. That's going to require the testing to be spread out in 5 days because the suspect car has to start out in the exact same condition each time, meaning early in the morning when the battery temperature has settled down.

Thirdly, in order for the test to have some kind of legitimacy, there has to be an independent 3rd party performing the test drive and not the owners or somebody biased to either side. This independent third party must have some kind of credibility in the first place (the news media maybe?), and everything has to be thoroughly documented by this independent party, and not by us.

Fourthly, it'll take time to organize and find an independent third party, propose a driving test that the third agrees to that it's fair, set up process and procedure, etc, including documentation, participants, maybe even invite media coverage. It's not going to happen by 9/15.

So while I'm game with getting together and do the test, I think we must organize it more thoroughly instead of rushing into it in 1 week time and at the end not be able to lend credibility to our data because there's lack of an independent 3rd party participation.

Also, I'm a little confused by the proposed test below. For each car to yield an end results in number of miles, that means that the end reference has to be LBW or VLBW or something like that, right? Does that mean that it has to be a long enough route, and all test cars will not complete the whole route because some cars will get to LBW before others. Which is fine, but what are cars going to do when they don't arrive at the destination before they reach LBW and need a charge?

That's why I asked for an outline of the proposed test drive here so we can review it exactly.

TonyWilliams said:
Now, drive the "control" cars (new LEAFs off the dealer lot) under these specific guidelines from that post ^^^ up there.

You'll get:

New Car A - 84.5 miles
New Car B - 86.2 miles
New Car C - 85.4 miles

Then drive the suspect car, on EXACTLY the same course in EXACTLY the same conditions... do it 5 times:

Suspect Car
Drive 1 - 72.3 miles
Drive 2 - 71.3 miles
Drive 3 - 69.8 miles
Drive 4 - 70.0 miles
Drive 5 - 71.2 miles
 
All good points, that we will have to work through. The rush is because Scott must turn in his car on Sat, Sept 15, and that is the primary car I wish to test.

We will use climate control off, as there are too many variables there, and I suggest as level highway as can be found in your area. I recommend strongly that this be an "out and back" test on the freeway at either 60mph or 62mph (100kmh). So, the site suggested with 6 L2 EVSE's near a freeway is awesome (sorry, I don't know the area well, but I was at my son's house in San Tan Valley in July).

Battery temperature is easy to match, because every car will be sitting overnight at the same spot.

The same vehicle weight between the cars and dry road conditions. We don't need to measure, but just ensure one car doesn't have different loads than the others. Hopefully, every car will have a Gidmeter.

The freeway will be perfect early Saturday morning to maintain a steady speed. To compensate for any wind and to compensate for elevation variations (you absolutely will be returning to the same elevation when you pull back into the starting point at the end of the test), I recommend 40-ish miles out, and return of 40-ish miles in the opposite direction, all at 60mph / 62mph for a new-ish car. How do we know it's new-ish? It can charge to 275 or greater Gid.

You need to reset your odometer and miles/kWh economy meter on the dash at the beginning of your run, but don't then reset this data until you've collected the data at the end of the test. You should use the Nav economy meter (which reads 0.1 high with the present firmware) to get steady speed data. Get your car at the stable target speed and then reset the Nav economy meter while at that target speed to (hopefully) get the target miles/kWh at that speed.

For instance, while on the outbound 40-ish mile leg, at 60mph with cruise control, hit reset on the Nav economy screen reset, and at the end of a continuous 40-ish miles while still at 60mph, expect to see 4.0 miles/kWh on that meter before you start slowing down to reverse course. Then subtract 0.1 to match the console date, to get 3.9 miles/kWh.

Then do the same on the return run. Get to speed, then reset Nav economy gauge, and read the result at the end BEFORE you change the speed. Again, if there's any wind, or elevation changes, or both, you'll get two different numbers for each direction. Again, do not reset the dash economy meter until you've recorded that data for the entire trip, from 100% charge to Turtle mode. Naturally, the dash miles/kWh number won't match your two way averaged 60mph Nav data (even when corrected -0.1), since you weren't driving 60mph the entire trip.

Its not so important to note fuel bars (but you can) as they are a variable In energy capacity per unit. For instance, the fuel bars will show 12 units at "100%" charge, even if the battery is -20C with 50% degradation. Important "hard data" landmarks are the mileage readings at Low Battery Warning, Very Low Battery, and subsequently Turtle. You don't need to drive the car to dead, just Turtle mode.

Check the tire pressure before a run! 36psi is recommended, and all cars will be run at 36 psi. Reset both economy meters and odometers. We will not attempt this on a windy day. Do NOT use the GoM (that's just dumb) and all GoM's should be covered.

BALANCE THE BATTERY CELLS FIRST!!! That means, we will charge to 100% and let the car sit for up to 4 hours after the car reaches 100% while still plugged in. Or, if you observe a top off charge between one and four hours after reaching 100%, you can then consider the cells balanced (as much as is possible). You don't have to do anything else. The LEAF's automation will take care of all the dirty work.

Checklist before the data collecting run:

1. Any changes to car from stock (all cars need the same tires, with no bike rack, Texas cattle horns, etc)
2. Tire pressures set at 36, heater and air conditioning off, car at 100% charge, cells allowed time to balance
3. Gross vehicle weight? 3350 pounds plus operator, passengers, spare tire, bags, concrete, etc
4. All cars will drive the same route (dry, concrete/asphalt, etc)
5. Assumed or measured battery temp (ATIS reports from local airports for official temperatures)
6. -N/A-
7. Gid count at start, if available
8. -N/A-
9. Starting total voltage (should be 393.5v from GidMeter)

Data to record:

1. Outbound steady speed (confirm with cruise control on)
2. Outbound observed steady speed miles/kWh from Nav adjusted -0.1
3. Inbound steady speed (confirm with cruise control on)
4. Inbound observed steady speed miles/kWh from Nav adjusted -0.1
5. Miles at Low Battery Warning
6. Miles at Very Low Battery
7. Overall miles covered to Turtle
8. Overall miles/kWh from dash economy display
9. Calculated battery useable energy (miles / miles/kWh = battery kWh)
10.Ending pack voltage, and Gid (350v-ish from GidMeter)
 
gascant said:
So what is this test going to demonstrate?

September 4, 2012- Andy Palmer, executive vice president of Nissan also dismissed recent reports of battery problems in hot weather for the LEAF. A number of owners in America complained of reduced range during summer, but Palmer says the problem is a faulty battery level display.

"We don't have a battery problem," he says.

Andy Palmer holds global responsibility for product planning, program management, market intelligence, IS, marketing communications and corporate planning, including in a leadership role for the zero-emissions business unit during the development of the Nissan LEAF.

September 15, 2012- In response to Andy Palmer's comments, some of the Phoenix cars, including Scott Yarosh's LEAF that currently has the most displayed battery capacity loss, will be tested to determine if in fact the cars can physically drive as far now as they did when new with a "faulty battery level display", or if this is merely another attempt by Nissan execs to deflect attention from the serious battery issues that were predicted by many experts before Nissan manufactured the car.
 
Can you trust a QC to give you an accurate reading of kWh delivered?.. is it derived from the canbus thus suspect or internally generated at the QC?
 
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