Dashboard SOH at 11/12, LeafSpy says 72%

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lasseg

New member
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
3
Hi,
New member here, I couldn't find a thread describing the problem I have with my Leaf so I'm giving it a shot here.

Bought a used Leaf 2017 30 kWh in January this year. Battery health indicator was at 12/12 (has since then fallen to 11/12). However, my range was horrible. 12 miles/20 km would drain 25% of my battery. So I got myself LeafSpy and it reports my SOH at 72% and that the battery hold 20 kWh att 100% SOC. So basically, my battery is crap. I sent the car to an accredited mechanic and they performed diagnostics on the car, but according to them the car is in top condition. 5 star ratings across the board. I have spent the last four weeks trying to convince the mechanic that their diagnostics are wrong and that mine are right. They did take the car for a test drive and used 8,8 kWh on a 32 mile/52km drive. Battery went from 100 to 44%. In my book that calculates to a full battery holding 20 kWh (ie 8,8kWh / 44%) - which is exactly what LeafSpy also reported. However, the mechanic as well as Nissan Customer Services still claim that the battery is fine. I'm slowly losing my mind here..

So, I know that there was a software bug a couple of years ago where the car exaggerated the SOH-loss, but I'm experiencing the exact opposite of that problem. Has anyone had similar experience?

Cheers,
Lars in Sweden
 
OP: you should look at the cell histogram screen that LeafSpy provides when the battery is charged, and when it is discharged below ~ 20% SoC. In addition to degradation, I suspect you also have weak cell(s).

Diagnosis aside, a shitty battery in a 30 kWh LEAF can be something of a blessing if it ends up being replaced by a new 40 kWh battery. You were either prescient or lucky if you have an 8 year degradation warranty. That should be more than enough time for even the Nissan dealership to agree that the battery fails warranty.

Lefty,
If this was a simple case of battery reset, I think the bars would drop along with the SOH. Perhaps a reset happened, but there is more going on here.
 
LeftieBiker said:
The Battery Management System (BMS) was probably reset when the car received a software update. I'll post a link to my used Leaf buying guide, and I suggest you read the section on 30KWH Leafs. I don't know that all of it applies to Leafs sold in Europe, but I'd guess that most of it does.

https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=26662&p=538030

Thanks for the reply Leftie, I found your excellent guide on buying used Leafs. From what I understand, the old software bug caused cars to under-report the SOH, in my case we're talking about the opposite. My car says everything's a peachy 11/12 health but both actual driving range and LeafSpy reports are saying the absolute opposite.

The car, the mechanic and Nissan Customer Service are all adamant about the 11/12 SOH as indicated by the dashboard and they refuse to even acknowledge my LeafSpy report.

Just now today I got word from the mechanic that they'll be opening up a tech-line case with Nissan to see if they can get to the bottom of this. Obviously, I'd be in for a treat if the battery is replaced, but as it stands right now Nissan won't even acknowledge that I have a problem with my car. I've tried running the math with them, ie.. a 8,8 kWh trip used up 44% of my battery capacity, this puts my 100 % capacity at 20,2 kWh. This is also consistent with my battery being at ~66 % SOH as reported by LeafSpy. However, Nissan/mechanic keep repeating "11/12 SOH, 5/5 stars, nothing is wrong with your car..."
 
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OP: now grab a cell histogram at ~ 20% SoC

By the way, if the software update is outstanding you should have it performed. You will need it for warranty eligibility, and perhaps over time the discrepancy between capacity bars and SOH will resolve.
 
lasseg said:
For bad cells, repeat that view when the battery is more discharged. Say at SOC of 20% or 30% or similar.

A leaky cell will show as bad at high SOC as well as at low SOC.

A low capacity cell might look OK at high SOC.
 
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