Nissan Leaf and some general EV Qs

NIMAN

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes this is really good, parked at the airport for a few weeks at 100% or above 80% is a big no no.

Best to store at 50%

Realistically what sort of damage would this actually do to the battery?

NIMAN

NIMAN wrote: »

Firstly, it's mentioned that you 'charge up to 80%'. When you plug in the leaf at say 10% battery, can you tell it to stop at 80 or 75 or any chosen max level?

Yes there is a "long life mode" in the menu somewhere but if you press that you will not be able to charge beyond 80% unless you disable, it seems obvious but it's caught people out.

In the timer setting there is also a 80% and 100% option.

NIMAN wrote: »

Secondly, Mad Lad you say that the slow charger takes 4hrs to go from 25 to 90%. I always heard that a full overnight charge would take 10hrs? By those calculations surely it would take more than 4hrs to go from 25 to 90? 6 to 7 hrs

Using the slow charger or standard street charger and the 6.6 Kw charger it takes 2 hrs to get from 25-90%. 4 hrs with the standard 3.3 Kw charger in the Leaf, the 6.6Kw is a 900 Euro option but I highly advise getting it I wouldn't have the leaf without it so that must say something ? means getting back to the car and driving off in most cases after you finish your business in town rather than having to drive off and find a fast charger and possibly have to wait for someone else to finish.

If I'm finished my shift week and I know I only need to potter about and I have for instance 20% in the battery , I will charge it for 3 hours and this will get me to about 60 odd % at 3.3 Kw. So I set the start and end timer. If I'm going to work I don't set an end timer because I'll be gone before the peak electricity rate kicks in at 8 Am in Summer or 7am in winter.

NIMAN

NIMAN wrote: »

Realistically what sort of damage would this actually do to the battery?

It won't damage the battery, and the effects will vary per different Lithium battery chemistry.

What happens is a high state of charge increases stresses on the battery and this will effect it's ability to hold a full charge if it happens indefinitely over time , storing the battery at a high soc and high temp accelerates this effect.

Cycling the battery too low all the way to the very low battery warning daily is also going to have an effect, this all happens over time.

See the battery won't die but it looses it's ability to hold a full charge gradually year by year and you can accelerate this degradation ,how long before this becomes a problem depends on how long you want to keep it and how far and how often you take it to the maximum range.

If you drive 70 miles a day on one charge then you'd notice this degradation faster than if you drive 20-30 miles a day and at 20-30 miles a day you won't have a problem unless you want to do a really long drive.

If you do little mileage I probably wouldn't worry about it all this matters if you want to keep as much range as possible for as long as possible.

Large batteries naturally last much longer because they will be cycled a lot less and for instance the model S 85 kwh battery is so large that a 30% loss of capacity still gives 2.5 times the range of a leaf with a new battery so a model S owner wouldn't really need to worry about the battery unless they want to drive to the max range often.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

the 131+ leafs seem to be lasting a lot longer than the 2011-131 leafs so I'd be more cautious with the original leaf than the 131+.

Sorry folks, for some reason I get confused with 131 and 132 etc for the new reg numbers.

The Updated Leaf and leaf battery came in 132 after July !!!!

Sorry. Don;t know why I keep thinking 131 is after July maybe it's the 1! anyway sorry .

Soarer

That's mental that you just posted that, 'cause I was just coming on to ask how you can tell if the car has the newer battery or not? Like what if it was born in March '13, but didn't sell until Sept. '13? Does it have a different "engine" number?

I'd be kicking myself if I got a 132 and it was 2011 tech.

Soarer

Soarer wrote: »

That's mental that you just posted that, 'cause I was just coming on to ask how you can tell if the car has the newer battery or not? Like what if it was born in March '13, but didn't sell until Sept. '13? Does it have a different "engine" number?

I'd be kicking myself if I got a 132 and it was 2011 tech.

Nobody knows exactly when the change in the battery came, only Nissan might from the VIN Number but Nissan Ireland probably couldn't even check because to nissan it's just a Leaf battery and no one would need to know if you know what I mean ?

IF you are getting a 132 it's probably safe bet but 2014 should definitely have the change.

I don't think any leaf built before July 13 had the change to the battery.

It could be the same as what the Americans call the "lizard battery" but you just never know what changes will be made at any time.

So when I say leaving charged at 100% is bad, which it is, even though it's not fully 100% it's still a high state of charge but it could mean that Nissan may have increased the cycle life of the battery so that alone could very well mitigate the effects of charging to 100%, and maybe to a lesser extent heat related effects, because time, cycling, heat and time spent at a high SOC and Low SOC effect the battery by mitigating any one instance that effects the battery could greatly extend it's life and increasing cycle life would be a great place to start.

I would assume Gen II leaf if it does have about 60 Kwh battery then it will be cycled a hell of a lot less so it could tolerate abuse elsewhere. I don't think anyone would need to be worried about such a large battery because you'd probably not even notice a 10-20% loss in capacity.

NIMAN

Quick question re: electricity rates, maybe I might need to contact ESB re: this?

I notice on my bill that my rate is called 'RURAL 24 HOUR'.

Am I even able to get a nightsaver rate where I live?
Are all rural dwellers exempt from getting cheap leccy at night?

DrPhilG

NIMAN wrote: »

Quick question re: electricity rates, maybe I might need to contact ESB re: this?

I notice on my bill that my rate is called 'RURAL 24 HOUR'.

Am I even able to get a nightsaver rate where I live?
Are all rural dwellers exempt from getting cheap leccy at night?

I'm rural and just got my night meter in last week.

The only difference is that rural dwellers pay a higher standing charge I believe.

NIMAN

Was there a charge to get it in?

No charge to change to night meter but there is a charge to go back.

I'm with Bord Gais, I pay monthly based on the average, the difference is my electricity (rate) is cheaper.

NIMAN

With BG myself, and pay that way too, they take a standard amount each month based on previous usage.

Is the meter physically changed, or is it done at their end?

How much does your standing charge change by?
What's their current charge per unit during the night, Inc VAT?

NIMAN

NIMAN wrote: »

With BG myself, and pay that way too, they take a standard amount each month based on previous usage.

Is the meter physically changed, or is it done at their end?

How much does your standing charge change by?
What's their current charge per unit during the night, Inc VAT?

Yeah it's a brand new meter, digital.

Standing charge goes up by about 50 Euro's a year which paid itself back in the first month for me.

Depends on your daily mileage whether it saves or not but my guess is compared to petrol and diesel, absolutely. + you can run the washing machine, dishwasher / dryer on the cheaper rate, but probably not all together including charging the car. So you save more.

NIMAN

Why not all together?

Is there a limit you are allowed to use at night?

What hours are at the night time rate?

NIMAN

NIMAN wrote: »

Why not all together?

Is there a limit you are allowed to use at night?

What hours are at the night time rate?

Using everything together might end up at the limit of your house supply, Sadly the case in Ireland is we're mostly on single phase unlike most of the continent so this greatly limits our power availability, you can upgrade the single phase supply though before going 3 phase which costs more in good O'l Ireland.

Washing machine will use about 2 kw while heating water, dryer another 2 kw , immersion 3.5 Kw , EV 3.5 Kw that's 11 kw so you could actually get away with it now that I see those numbers in front of me. And I don't use the immersion in winter while the heating heats the water.

Summer off peak hours are 11 pm to 8am and winter Midnight to 7 am.

cros13

Deleted User wrote: »

Summer off peak hours are 11 pm to 8am and winter Midnight to 7 am.

I'm afraid you are off on those Mad_Lad.

Summertime is midnight to 09:00
Winter is 23:00 to 08:00

In both cases the nightsaver period is nine hours. It just shifts by an hour when the clocks change. DST and time zones are fking stupid, I don't know why we all can't use UTC everywhere.

A standard household supply in Ireland is 12kW, an "enhanced" supply (if you ordered it) costs nothing extra (in installation or monthly) and gives you 16kW Max.
The max for a single phase supply is 29kW but you would need changes to your consumer board as most household main fuses are not specced for that, you also pay a little bit more per month for that supply.
The real deal is three phase, which costs a good bit in ireland to retrofit but when EVs start taking off a bit more you'll see a lot more three-phase supplies (in germany for example the standard domestic supply is three phase)

Single phase isn't a big problem for EVs these days but as batteries get bigger....

I have three chargers at my place in Tipp (two 32A 7.4kW and one 3.6kW). Often use them all at once on a 20kW supply without an issue.

cros13

I'm moving that house on to an existing three-phase supply I have to my shed/workshop in the new year.

Partly it's to support 22kW charging because I want to get a Tesla sometime in the next few years and partly it's so that I can sell 11kW to the grid from my Solar PV, Hydro and Wind turbines if they introduce a feed in tariff in the next few years.

Start getting an electricity cheque instead of a bill.

I could have sworn those were the times I got off the ESB site ?

I would say 3 phase will be handy for 2 EV's but even a model S 90 Kwh could be filled on night rate over a few days for that odd trip over 260-300 miles.

cros13

Deleted User wrote: »

I could have sworn those were the times I got off the ESB site ?

https://www.electricireland.ie/news-media/article/news/2014/05/21/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-nightsaver-meter

Deleted User wrote: »

I would say 3 phase will be handy for 2 EV's but even a model S 90 Kwh could be filled on night rate over a few days for that odd trip over 260-300 miles.

I already have two EVs and I'm looking at going to three or four.... plus I have racks of servers in the house that draw up to 48A peak... so I'm pushing my luck with the single phase.

EGP

Hello. This is my first post to Boards, so if I should be posting this question to another thread or forum (not really sure of the difference), please point me elsewhere.

I've just bought a new Leaf and expect to get it very soon. Thanks to you all for your posts re EV's. Without your information I would not have been confident enough to buy one.
I have a couple of questions that maybe someone out there can help me with:

1. Re the footbrake (handbrake) - If I read it correctly, the pdf manual states that this footbrake should be engaged after pressing the P-switched parking brake. However, it also states that, on a hill the footbrake should be pressed before the P-switched parking brake (presumably to take the weight off the pawl thingy). Does it matter what order these brakes are engaged? Can I always engage the footbrake before the P-switch? I think this habit would mean I don't forget the correct order on a hill.

2. Will 'hill assist' hold the car if the car facing downwards? If not, how do I reverse backwards up a hill without the car initially slipping forward?

Thanks again for your posts to date.

EGP

EGP wrote: »

Hello. This is my first post to Boards, so if I should be posting this question to another thread or forum (not really sure of the difference), please point me elsewhere.

I've just bought a new Leaf and expect to get it very soon. Thanks to you all for your posts re EV's. Without your information I would not have been confident enough to buy one.
I have a couple of questions that maybe someone out there can help me with:

1. Re the footbrake (handbrake) - If I read it correctly, the pdf manual states that this footbrake should be engaged after pressing the P-switched parking brake. However, it also states that, on a hill the footbrake should be pressed before the P-switched parking brake (presumably to take the weight off the pawl thingy). Does it matter what order these brakes are engaged? Can I always engage the footbrake before the P-switch? I think this habit would mean I don't forget the correct order on a hill.

2. Will 'hill assist' hold the car if the car facing downwards? If not, how do I reverse backwards up a hill without the car initially slipping forward?

Thanks again for your posts to date.

Hi EGP and Welcome to Boards.ie !

When you come to a complete stop via the normal brake it's a good idea to press P and then activate the foot operated "handbrake"

When you want to drive you put your foot on the brake pedal , release the handbrake, select drive release the brake pedal and off you go.

You got to be careful in traffic, the Leaf will take off pretty quickly when you press the accelerator.

When you are stopped in traffic press P because not being used to the silence it's easy to forget the car is on and will creep when you lift off the brake.

The Leaf holds pretty well on hills, if you are on a steep hill you can always left foot brake and when you want to take off give it some throttle and lift off the normal brake pedal. This works up or down a hill.

EGP

Thank for that MadLad. Glad to hear hill starts are easy. Looking forward to it.

NIMAN

@EGP

As a brand new user, maybe you could keep us (potential future EV owners) all updated on your progress once it arrives?

I'm sure we'd all find it interesting.

EGP

Yes. I'll post when it arrives. Waiting to hear from electrician to install home charger.

EGP

I promised I’d post some thoughts on new Leaf once it arrived. Well, it has. SV model.
While researching the car online, one of my worries was that so many reviews were so good. I was even reduced to googling ‘Nissan Leaf problems’ and ‘What’s wrong with the Nissan Leaf?’ in an attempt to get some balance. Well I have the car now for a few days and here’s my review: the glowing reviews are right. You’ve probably read them. It’s silent, it’s smooth, it’s got great pick up, it’s cheap to run, it’s full of technology. Those reviews are right. The electric engine is a pleasure to drive and the car is great.
Time will tell if it is as reliable as previous reviews suggest it will be. I bought it to keep for a good number of years, so I hope so. Over the few days I’ve had it, the car is reporting an energy use of 14.8kWh/100km and it looks like I’ll get more than the 130 or so km of range that I had expected. My daily driving is far less than that. All in all, I’m very impressed and very pleased with it.

EGP

EGP wrote: »

I promised I’d post some thoughts on new Leaf once it arrived. Well, it has. SV model.
While researching the car online, one of my worries was that so many reviews were so good. I was even reduced to googling ‘Nissan Leaf problems’ and ‘What’s wrong with the Nissan Leaf?’ in an attempt to get some balance. Well I have the car now for a few days and here’s my review: the glowing reviews are right. You’ve probably read them. It’s silent, it’s smooth, it’s got great pick up, it’s cheap to run, it’s full of technology. Those reviews are right. The electric engine is a pleasure to drive and the car is great.
Time will tell if it is as reliable as previous reviews suggest it will be. I bought it to keep for a good number of years, so I hope so. Over the few days I’ve had it, the car is reporting an energy use of 14.8kWh/100km and it looks like I’ll get more than the 130 or so km of range that I had expected. My daily driving is far less than that. All in all, I’m very impressed and very pleased with it.

Excellent stuff, cograts.

Time for your own thread and lots of Pics !

130 Kms is good but expected at that efficiency, my efficiency is about 17.2 Kwh/100 Kms !

Cold weather will see your range go down and the usual continuous high winter winds and wet roads but 110-112 Kms are possible at 100-110 Kph max in the height of Winter on a new battery , at that stage be plugged in.

6.6 Kw charger ?

Benny_Cake

EGP wrote: »

I promised I’d post some thoughts on new Leaf once it arrived. Well, it has. SV model.
While researching the car online, one of my worries was that so many reviews were so good. I was even reduced to googling ‘Nissan Leaf problems’ and ‘What’s wrong with the Nissan Leaf?’ in an attempt to get some balance. Well I have the car now for a few days and here’s my review: the glowing reviews are right. You’ve probably read them. It’s silent, it’s smooth, it’s got great pick up, it’s cheap to run, it’s full of technology. Those reviews are right. The electric engine is a pleasure to drive and the car is great.
Time will tell if it is as reliable as previous reviews suggest it will be. I bought it to keep for a good number of years, so I hope so. Over the few days I’ve had it, the car is reporting an energy use of 14.8kWh/100km and it looks like I’ll get more than the 130 or so km of range that I had expected. My daily driving is far less than that. All in all, I’m very impressed and very pleased with it.

Nice one, congratulations!

I'm currently doing an average of 13.9kwh/100km but that is probably due to the fact that I use some back roads for my commute where it definitely isn't safe to put the boot down!

It's a terrific driving experience overall and I hope I never have to go back to petrol. Best of luck with it.

DrPhilG

Excuse my stupidity, but where do I get the kwh per mile?

jprboy

DrPhilG wrote: »

Excuse my stupidity, but where do I get the kwh per mile?

Just cycle through the menu on the dash and it should pop up