Battery capacity issues in hot climates??

[anthony]

Hi All,

Very happy to come across this forum.

My Wife and I are very close to purchasing a new Leaf (very excited).

One issue that concerns me is the battery capacity loss issues reported in the US from hotter climates.

We are Perth based and Perth does have pretty hot summers. Has anybody expired any issues with this in Aus? Particuly those in hotter areas.

I am a little surprised that Nissan in Aus is not offering a longer warranty on the batteries like they are in the US.

Thanks,
Anthony

[Phoebe]

Hi Anthony. Welcome to the forum. I am in Maitland in the Hunter Valley of NSW. We had a couple of days over 40 and many days over 30 last summer and so far it hasn't affected my battery capacity. Brian on this forum is also in Perth. You could ask him.

[leafboi]

I think you have to keep in mind the cars affected in the US are all from desert areas. The cars are charged in high heat, driven in high heat and parked in high heat for most of the year.

I think Perth weather will not affect it like those in Phoenix USA.

Buy it!!! )

[Brian]

Welcome to the Forum, Anthony.

We have had our LEAF in Perth for over a year, and have not experienced any battery / heat problems. Whilst I shared your concerns initially, during our hot summer days I watched the battery temperature indicator guage carefully, but there were no signs of problems.

I do not believe Perth's climate is anywhere near as severe as that of Phoenix / Arizona . . . . yet.

[Jim Hare]

Yes, welcome Anthony! I agree, don't be dissuaded in the slightest. The Perth/Sydney climate is much closer to that of California, where there have been zero issues. The Arizona climate is extreme, as in REALLY extreme, and even then it hasn't been detrimental, just disappointing.

The LEAF battery is rock solid and you won't have any issues. Buy with confidence!

And take Brian up on his offer to chat. He's a wealth of knowledge and a really nice guy!

Jim

[Feng]

Does anyone know what the optimal temperature for the LEAF is for that matter? I read somewhere that about 30 degrees is best for range but what about preserving battery life? I'm not concerned about it but just wanted a figure to shoot for.

[anthony]

Thanks for the responses, hopefully we will head out this week to make the purchase ;D

[anthony]

The only problem that remains is whether we should wait for the new model to be released or go with the current. I spoke to the Nissan dealer about the likely release date on the new model, he said he didn’t know, and that they would not release it in Aus until all the current models are sold (how many that is he would not say). He also did not know what is going to happen with the price after the end of Oct, a lot of uncertainty.

I like some of the features on the new model, but not sure they are worth paying more money for should the price go back up.

Does anyone have any info on the new model availability and pricing after end of Oct?

Thanks.

[Phoebe]

You could ask Dean Despotovski, the LEAF Customer Service Officer at Nissan Head Office in Melbourne, 1800 532 338 or you can email him at [e-mail]. Sometimes he knows things and sometimes he doesn't but it's worth a try.

[anthony]

Thanks Phoebe, I tried to call, but was on hold for a fair while so gave up. I have now emailed him, hopefully will receive a response.

[anthony]

Just spoke with Nissan, they currently have no plans to start importing the new model, and it will be sometime before we see any upgraded model within Australia. At least this makes my decision much easier.

[Feng]

Colour me cynical but you think they would say that so they can finish selling their old stock first? I bought mine in June this year and it was an April 2012 build. Not really an issue, still as happy with it and it still has the new car smell after four months!

I hope the slow sales doesn't discourage Nissan from selling more EVs in Australia. The car itself is brilliant, it's just the price that's the barrier for some!

What's stopping Nissan from building a roadster of their own? Something MX-5 sized that's small and light and has the mechanicals of the LEAF would sell heaps! It'll be like the poor man's Tesla Roadster!

[anthony]

Yes hard to know how honest he\they are being, but he was pretty adamant about it.

[duncan]

No way will they import more until that old carpark out the back is empty of the 11/12 models.....

BTW I am waiting for the 000z to be released, we'd be at the front of the queue

[Brian]

Anthony, unless you envisaged a great need for the faster charge that you would get with the 6.6 kW charger, or the larger boot space because the charger has been re-located to under the bonnet, I would not see the other minor ' tweeks ' being a good enough reason to hang out for whenever the next model is released in Oz.
In other words, don't beat yourself up . . . get on and enjoy the Electric Revolution - the furture is here today.

[Deleted]

This article is interesting
www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=261882&dfpPParams=ind_184,industry_auto,aid_261882&dfpLayout=article

My main issue is the lightness of the steering, just a personal preference.

[anthony]

Interesting article, based on it....

Is it possible with the standard supplied charger to set the charging so it will not charge the batteries over 80%?

[duncan]

Yes, the default in the charging timer is 80%. It only charges to 100% if you press the charge override button or specifically set the timer to 100%

[Brian]

As discussed elsewhere on this Forum, most members make a practice of using 80% charge as their default charge, only using 100% if, and when, they anticipate a longer trip following the charge.
Having said that, some members use 100% as default, and have not noticed any drop in range - yet.

[anthony]

Thanks, for some reason I had it in my head that it was only the more advanced level 2 and 3 chargers that would do this. Now I know better.


Hopefully we will be getting the Leaf soon. Currently trying to get a better deal out of the Nissan dealer.

[Jim Hare]

Anthony, all charging is handled by the LEAF itself so it determines when to stop accepting power.

Brian is right, we generally charge to 80% for best practise. With that we get about 100-120KMs depending on driving conditions. For our family we only charge about twice a week. Some owners charge twice a day and still haven't noticed a loss.

Seriously, there are no concerns with any of us about capacity loss, and some new articles are suggesting the batteries will last much longer than anticipated as it is.

[anthony]

Good news... We have put in our order for the Leaf .... expected delivery 11/11.

[Jim Hare]

Fantastic news Anthony, you won't regret it!

[Brian]

Not only will you not regret it, Anthony, you will LOVE it.

[Deleted]

Ooh delivery 11/11/13
That was about the same date as the tesla roadster and imiev deliveries in 2011

I remember getting my imiev around 11/11/11

[ravolt]

Haha - My original delivery was for the 13/11/13, I took out insurance from the 12th but couldn't pick-up until the 15th. I noticed my battery temperature at 6 bars driving around in 38C with aircon running. It is normally at 5 bars this summer. Yet to see a winter. 5/6 bars is central on the display. I've not recharged during our days while the temp has been 35C-44C in Perth.

[leafboi]

Last week during our 'heat wave' here in Melbourne my LEAF sat at 7 bars for 5 days. It's never stayed that high for so long. But for such a short amount of time I'm sure periods like that don't add excessively to any capacity loss.

[Phoebe]

I don't normally drive in the middle of the day so even our recent 40+ heat wasn't a problem.  I knew the heat was coming so I charged up before it arrived and so far I haven't seen the temperature bars move from the middle.