by Nubo (Posted Fri, 22 Nov 2013 11:22:42 GMT)
I'd speculate that the 12V charging tries to err on the low side as to not cause gassing of the battery, so as to avoid the associated acid mist/corrosion issues which would probably be undesirable in the underhood environment of this car. And also it reduces maintenance of rewatering the battery.
But I think the larger 12V issue for LEAF is the way it perversely uses more power AND refuses to keep the battery topped off when the car is plugged-in to a power source! Depending on customer habits, this can introduce deep cycling of the 12V. Conventional automotive 12V batteries don't tolerate this well.
To me, a deep-cycle AGM seems most appropriate for this car (and most modern cars, actually). I replaced the OEM 12v with such once the OEM voltage started indicating weak. Whether or not this is worthwhile probably depends on how you use the car. The longer it sits plugged-in, the deeper the discharge cycles will be. I usually plug-in as soon as I get home and don't uplug until leaving the next morning. Some weekends ours sits plugged-in for a day or two. I'd rather install a better battery than have to be a stickler about plug time.
RegGuheert wrote:
voganni wrote:
The Leaf's DC-DC appears to have plenty of power, but they don't let it stay up in the 14.4 volt range long enough to get the battery charged and keep it that way.
Your analysis is dead-on. Nissan has known about this issue for at least a year, if not longer, yet they did nothing to resolve it in the 2013s.I'd speculate that the 12V charging tries to err on the low side as to not cause gassing of the battery, so as to avoid the associated acid mist/corrosion issues which would probably be undesirable in the underhood environment of this car. And also it reduces maintenance of rewatering the battery.
But I think the larger 12V issue for LEAF is the way it perversely uses more power AND refuses to keep the battery topped off when the car is plugged-in to a power source! Depending on customer habits, this can introduce deep cycling of the 12V. Conventional automotive 12V batteries don't tolerate this well.
To me, a deep-cycle AGM seems most appropriate for this car (and most modern cars, actually). I replaced the OEM 12v with such once the OEM voltage started indicating weak. Whether or not this is worthwhile probably depends on how you use the car. The longer it sits plugged-in, the deeper the discharge cycles will be. I usually plug-in as soon as I get home and don't uplug until leaving the next morning. Some weekends ours sits plugged-in for a day or two. I'd rather install a better battery than have to be a stickler about plug time.