New to EV - just got 2016 Leaf S

Hi! Yesterday we got our first ever EV - a 2016 Leaf S. Base model suits us fine, since the car will primarily be used by my husband for his short commute and everyday driving. It's a third car for the family, which is me, husband, and almost 18-year-old daughter.

Usually I research the pants off any purchase, and I did that... for the BMW i3. But what I learned is that they are relatively rare on the East Coast (we're outside Philly) and therefore tough to find used in our price range (under $15K), and tho super fun to drive, potentially a money pit once the warranty expires. So we went out yesterday to try other EVs, and the Leaf checked so many boxes for us that we went ahead and got it as a CPO from the local Nissan dealer.

Battery lifespan worries me a little but we only plan to have this particular car for 3 years, max, and since it only has 26K and will probably be driven <4K miles a year, I think it will suit the need!

We can trickle charge in our garage, and my husband's employer has several charging stations available, including one right outside his building - not free, but Level 2, so faster, and charging at home isn't free either, so...

I'd love to hear your best tips or favorite things about the Leaf! So far, my favorite thing is the keyless entry and ignition.

Driving past gas stations on cold, rainy and windy days.

begood said:

Hi! Yesterday we got our first ever EV - a 2016 Leaf S. Base model suits us fine, since the car will primarily be used by my husband for his short commute and everyday driving. It's a third car for the family, which is me, husband, and almost 18-year-old daughter.

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The 2016 S has the 24 kWh battery pack, so it has the same range as 2013-2015. This also means it has the most reliable battery ever made by Nissan (2015+). I don't expect you to have any problems with the battery or the car, as the Leaf is one of the most reliable cars on the market (see: Consumer Reports). However, failures are possible and can happen.

Sounds like you made a great purchase!

begood said:

Battery lifespan worries me a little but we only plan to have this particular car for 3 years, max, and since it only has 26K and will probably be driven <4K miles a year, I think it will suit the need!

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I know you only plan to drive < 4K miles a year, but I'd encourage you to drive the car as much as you can. The way to save the most money on the Leaf is to drive the pants off it. So anytime you're going to the grocery store, events for your daughter, date in town, etc... take the Leaf and save that $$ on gas. Plus, it's way more fun and nicer to drive than gas cars!

The battery should last WAY more than 3 years. Philly is a rather cool climate, and if you park your Leaf in the garage, the battery should stay nice and cool. I would expect that you'll have roughly 85% of the original range when the car is 6 years old. In 3 years, you might decide that you want to keep the car far longer... if your husband still has that short work commute, especially with chargers at work, you could drive that car for a LONG time.

begood said:

We can trickle charge in our garage, and my husband's employer has several charging stations available, including one right outside his building - not free, but Level 2, so faster, and charging at home isn't free either, so...

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Standard 110V charging should work just fine with the amount of driving you're doing. We still have yet to install a L2 charger in our garage. Keep in mind that usually paid charging stations charge roughly 2x-3x as much as your home electric rate, so you're likely better off just charging at home unless you need to charge. Also, it's slightly better on the battery to L1 charge inside a cool garage at night instead of over hot pavement during the day.

begood said:

I'd love to hear your best tips or favorite things about the Leaf! So far, my favorite thing is the keyless entry and ignition.

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Super cold AC, quiet driving, instant acceleration and no shifting, and always having gas when you want to go somewhere (no gas stations). Finally, saving lots of money.

Hope you enjoy your car! Please update your signature with your model year, trim, and location if you plan to keep posting here. It helps us if you ask for help, etc.

Also, check the 12V battery voltage--almost all Leaf failures are related to low 12V batteries. If the 12V battery does fail, replace it with an AGM 12V battery, not a standard one. While they cost quite a bit more, they'll last far longer.

Thanks, @Lothsahn! I have updated my signature. Re the 12V battery - how do you check the voltage? My husband always swaps out our gas car batteries - is that something he could do? Or is it a more complex process better handled by a pro?

The Leaf's 12V battery installation is identical to an ICE car so nothing special there.

The difference is that an ICE car has an alternator running anytime the engine is running which keeps the battery constantly charged while the Leaf uses a DC/DC charger which operates when Nissan's software tells it to.

As for the best way to monitor the 12V battery voltage, I'd vote for LeafSpy Pro. It's a $10 app that runs on your phone and requires a $10-20 OBDII dongle to connect to the car. It's money well spent for any Leaf owner IMO.

begood said:

Thanks, @Lothsahn! I have updated my signature. Re the 12V battery - how do you check the voltage? My husband always swaps out our gas car batteries - is that something he could do? Or is it a more complex process better handled by a pro?

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Nope, it's exactly the same process as a gas car, and he can totally do it himself. You can check the battery voltage by fully charging the 12V battery and checking the voltage. You should use an external charger as the Leaf doesn't always fully charge the 12V battery.

For charging the battery, any regular car charger works. Then (with the car off) using a multimeter, check the battery voltage. At rest, it should be 12.7 volts or close. If it's 12.4 or less, you need a new battery. I strongly recommend an AGM style battery, like this: https://www.pepboys.com/bosch-platinum-series-agm-battery-group-size-51r/product/844473?quantity=1 (any 51R AGM battery will work, and Optima Yellows are very popular).

The 12V battery is located under the hood. When charging the 12V battery on a Leaf, NEVER connect the charger to the Leaf's negative 12v battery terminal. Connect the positive (red) cable for the battery charger to the positive (red) terminal on the 12V battery, and the negative (black) cable from the charger/maintainer to somewhere grounded in the car's engine compartment. Never charge or check the car's 12V battery while the car is on, as it's getting power from the main battery.

The reason you never want to connect the charger to the negative terminal on the battery is that the Leaf has circuitry attached to the negative terminal, and you don't want to risk damaging or frying that.

goldbrick said:

As for the best way to monitor the 12V battery voltage, I'd vote for LeafSpy Pro. It's a $10 app that runs on your phone and requires a $10-20 OBDII dongle to connect to the car. It's money well spent for any Leaf owner IMO.

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I agree that every Leaf driver should have LeafSpy pro, to monitor the main driving battery health, check tire pressure, and find and reset diagnostic codes. I strongly recommend your husband get this for his phone and I also recommend the BAFX products ODBII dongle (which I use).

If you're going to leave the dongle plugged in all the time, I recommend modifying it so that it only is powered when the car is on (resolder pin 16 to pin 8). There's an advisory out that leaving the ODBII devices plugged in can (VERY rarely) cause braking problems in the Leaf.

begood said:

Hi! Yesterday we got our first ever EV - a 2016 Leaf S. Base model suits us fine, since the car will primarily be used by my husband for his short commute and everyday driving. It's a third car for the family, which is me, husband, and almost 18-year-old daughter.

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I just bought a 2016 LEAF S also. It is actually my 3rd EV. It will be used by my daughter to commute, 20 miles each way, to college. I bought it from Carvana mainly because of a lack of locally available used LEAFs. One downside is that it came from California (SF area) and doesn't have the heated steering wheel. Luckily it does have heated front seats. Here are some details of my assessment of my car: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=28413&start=20#p564087

I would be interested to hear if your car has the axle spine sound also. This is most noticeable when starting/stopping at low speed with the widow open. It's a little knock when power is applied or removed from the wheels. If you have the CarFax it probably say's weather the TSB was performed on the car. My car is at the dealer now to get the TSB performed or let me know if the noise is something else.

Carvana is offering me $75 for detailing to address the door issue.

And here's my post from before the car was delivered: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=28413#p563274

like2bike said:

begood said:

Hi! Yesterday we got our first ever EV - a 2016 Leaf S. Base model suits us fine, since the car will primarily be used by my husband for his short commute and everyday driving. It's a third car for the family, which is me, husband, and almost 18-year-old daughter.

Click to expand...

I would be interested to hear if your car has the axle spine sound also. This is most noticeable when starting/stopping at low speed with the widow open. It's a little knock when power is applied or removed from the wheels. If you have the CarFax it probably say's weather the TSB was performed on the car. My car is at the dealer now to get the TSB performed or let me know if the noise is something else.

And here's my post from before the car was delivered: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=28413#p563274

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My Dad's 2016 had that sound. I'm not sure if he ever resolved it. He did not keep the car once the lease was up.

Oh my gosh, y'all are speaking a whole new language! I have a steep learning curve but will do my best to get up to speed. I can confirm that we have 12 battery bars. Yay, right? We are going to charge it tonight for the first time; I'll report if we have any issues.

The most surprising thing to me so far, I think, is that I know it's not a big car, but it doesn't feel small at all when I'm driving it. What kind of magic is that?

As for the best way to monitor the 12V battery voltage, I'd vote for LeafSpy Pro.

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Not unless LeafSpy has a mode of which I am unaware. As it is it shows you the 12 volt system voltage with the car on, and this is always around 13 volts because the DC-DC converter is on. The way to check the rest voltage of the 12 volt battery is this:

* Release the hood.

* Make sure any OBDII reader you may have is unplugged or turned off.

* Shut the car off completely.

* Wait 30 minutes.

* Without getting in the car, open the hood.

* Slide the Positive (red) battery terminal cover aside.

* Measure the voltage with a digital multimeter or voltmeter, using the positive terminal and either the negative terminal (this won't hurt anything if you are just measuring) or a metal part of what looks like the engine block but is actually a "stack" of several components.

The resting voltage should be at least 12.4 volts. If it's below 12.5 volts, and especially below 12.4, then use an external charger on the battery, with the car off, as Lothsahn described. If it's 12.1 volts or lower you likely need a new 12 volt battery. Use AGM as suggested, size 51R, or at least a semi-deep-cycle "marine" battery.

begood said:

Oh my gosh, y'all are speaking a whole new language! I have a steep learning curve but will do my best to get up to speed. I can confirm that we have 12 battery bars. Yay, right? We are going to charge it tonight for the first time; I'll report if we have any issues.

The most surprising thing to me so far, I think, is that I know it's not a big car, but it doesn't feel small at all when I'm driving it. What kind of magic is that?

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You'll get it, and congrats on the 12 battery bars. For a 2016, I would fully expect 12, but you got a great car. The Leaf is quite spacious and amazing

My Dad's 2016 had that sound. I'm not sure if he ever resolved it. He did not keep the car once the lease was up.

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Maybe I got his car!
A burgundy from Fremont, CA :lol:

Well, this is interesting - we trickle-charged for the first time in our garage last night. The range at the start of charging was 31 miles. We charged it from 7:30 pm - 9:30 am, so fourteen hours. The blue bars were dark by the time my husband checked it at 9:30 am, so we think the charger turned itself off sometime between 7:45 am, when I went to take a pic of the second port outlet and the third blue bar was still blinking, and 9:30, when he checked it. Is it bad for the charger to turn itself off? Did we charge it too much?

But HERE'S the really interesting thing. I thought the range on our Leaf S was 86, but it's showing a range of 98 miles after the charge?!?! How can that be?

Range on the dash (GOM - Guess O Meter) moves based on efficiency of last 10-15 miles in the pre 2018 Leaf. In the 2018-2019 Leaf it appears to be based on a larger sampling period.

DougWantsALeaf said:

Range on the dash (GOM - Guess O Meter) moves based on efficiency of last 10-15 miles in the pre 2018 Leaf. In the 2018-2019 Leaf it appears to be based on a larger sampling period.

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Good to know! Thanks, DougWantsaLeaf. GOM=

begood said:

Well, this is interesting - we trickle-charged for the first time in our garage last night. The range at the start of charging was 31 miles. We charged it from 7:30 pm - 9:30 am, so fourteen hours. The blue bars were dark by the time my husband checked it at 9:30 am, so we think the charger turned itself off sometime between 7:45 am, when I went to take a pic of the second port outlet and the third blue bar was still blinking, and 9:30, when he checked it. Is it bad for the charger to turn itself off? Did we charge it too much?

But HERE'S the really interesting thing. I thought the range on our Leaf S was 86, but it's showing a range of 98 miles after the charge?!?! How can that be?

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No, you didn't charge it "too much". The car will shut off charging when it's done and will never overcharge the battery.

However, Lithium batteries are best stored at ~50% charged. So, a number of people on the forums will do things to not charge to 100%, unless they need it. You'll see posts of people setting a charge timer so that the car isn't fully charged by the time they leave in the morning, etc.

What we do is if the car's got enough charge for our planned driving the next day, we'll often not charge the car. So if the car is at 80% charge, and we're only going to run some short errands, we may not charge it until the next day, or the day after. Or, if we notice it (like you did at 7:45am), we might just unplug the car. None of this is necessary... many people just charge to 100% and don't worry about it, but it will make your battery last longer if you can keep the car roughly around 50%. However, the most important thing is to avoid letting the car sit at a very low charge level for a long time and avoid getting the battery too hot (which you have little control over).

Enjoy your car!

Lothsahn said:

begood said:

Well, this is interesting - we trickle-charged for the first time in our garage last night. The range at the start of charging was 31 miles. We charged it from 7:30 pm - 9:30 am, so fourteen hours. The blue bars were dark by the time my husband checked it at 9:30 am, so we think the charger turned itself off sometime between 7:45 am, when I went to take a pic of the second port outlet and the third blue bar was still blinking, and 9:30, when he checked it. Is it bad for the charger to turn itself off? Did we charge it too much?

But HERE'S the really interesting thing. I thought the range on our Leaf S was 86, but it's showing a range of 98 miles after the charge?!?! How can that be?

Click to expand...

No, you didn't charge it "too much". The car will shut off charging when it's done and will never overcharge the battery.

However, Lithium batteries are best stored at ~50% charged. So, a number of people on the forums will do things to not charge to 100%, unless they need it. You'll see posts of people setting a charge timer so that the car isn't fully charged by the time they leave in the morning, etc.

What we do is if the car's got enough charge for our planned driving the next day, we'll often not charge the car. So if the car is at 80% charge, and we're only going to run some short errands, we may not charge it until the next day, or the day after. Or, if we notice it (like you did at 7:45am), we might just unplug the car. None of this is necessary... many people just charge to 100% and don't worry about it, but it will make your battery last longer if you can keep the car roughly around 50%. However, the most important thing is to avoid letting the car sit at a very low charge level for a long time and avoid getting the battery too hot (which you have little control over).

Enjoy your car!

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Thanks, Lothsahn! I had the epiphany this morning that the ~50% charge on the Leaf is actually below the "low fuel" threshold on my Honda CR-V; the light goes on when I have about 60 miles left in the tank. So that's going to take some mental adjustment so I don't just live in a range-anxiety place.

begood said:

Thanks, Lothsahn! I had the epiphany this morning that the ~50% charge on the Leaf is actually below the "low fuel" threshold on my Honda CR-V; the light goes on when I have about 60 miles left in the tank. So that's going to take some mental adjustment so I don't just live in a range-anxiety place.

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The range estimation in an EV, as the charge level drops, becomes far more accurate than a gas car at that time. The battery charge is well known and understood, whereas gas is a liquid that sloshes around in a tank. For this reason, you can trust the miles left FAR more than in a gas car.

That said, if it's going to cause you anxiety, charge to full and enjoy your car. It does you no good to have your car last 25% longer if you hate driving it every day.

We've gotten to trust the range estimation and don't have range anxiety anymore.

I had the epiphany this morning that the ~50% charge on the Leaf is actually below the "low fuel" threshold on my Honda CR-V; the light goes on when I have about 60 miles left in the tank. So that's going to take some mental adjustment so I don't just live in a range-anxiety place.

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Just replace the 60 mile low fuel warning with, say, the first Low Battery Warning (LBW). You still have maybe 15 miles of range at that point, and if voice notifications are enabled the car will tell you, gently, that it's time to look for a charging station. You also have the Very Low Battery Warning (VLBW) as a 'backstop' to stop you from running too low. That comes on with about 8 miles of range left.

The range estimator, aka "Guess O Meter" because of it's habitual inaccuracy, just takes the last few minutes of driving efficiency and extrapolates it to a whole trip. If you drive gently right before parking, as most people do, you thus get an inflated range estimate.