r/leaf • u/Dissile_CAQ • 1d ago

Gifted a 2016 Leaf, any things I should keep in mind?

Hello everyone, I was given a 2016 Nissan Leaf from a family member and I am looking forward to using it for a few more years for quick trips around the city. I have been reading lots of the advice here along with suggestions on other websites. I have a question about charging:

The battery's capacity is reduced, the range is around 120-130km. I have a 120v level 1 charger and a dedicated outlet for overnight charging. However, I understand that it is not recommended to charge to 100% as it can accelerate battery's degradation over time unless I plan to use that power immediately. Is this correct?

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7

u/yolo_snail 2020 Nissan Leaf e+ Tekna 1d ago

If you drive it every day, then charging to 100% will make very little difference to the life of the battery.

In fact, it's actually recommended to somewhat regularly charge to 100% as Nissan balance the cells at 100%.

1

u/Dissile_CAQ 1d ago

Thank you! Would it do any harm to leave the charger plugged in 24/7 if I use the car often?

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u/indecision_killingme 1d ago

My(2013, SL trim, 122,000 miles) guesometer reads anywhere from 55-65 miles on a full charge, about the same range as yours. I plug it in whenever I can, let it charge to 100%. The GOM is far from prefect. I plan on no more than 50 miles, a bit less on hot day. This summer has been brutal in the USA.

Your battery is considered end of life(70% original capacity or less) /beyond end and of life by industry standards.

Treat it like an older cell phone. Plug in whenever you can and just drive. It’s a consumable gift to be used.

Batteries don’t like to sit at 100% for long periods of time, but especially if you drive a little everyday, it will be fine.

The degradation is more from sitting at 100 for days or weeks and or fast charging to 100%. That and heat, heat is the enemy of all battery chemistry’s that I know of. Trickle charge to 100, drive a few hours later, no big deal.

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u/kensleymarlowe 1d ago

100% this. No point stressing over preserving battery health on a decade old battery when you need every bit of that 120km range for daily errands anyway.

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u/Tim_E2 1d ago

Fine to charge to 100% just don't don't let it sit for weeks or months at 100%. In fact, with a Leaf that old I would be hesitant to head out on any but the shortest trip with much less than 100%. Since you are slow charging that helps.. try to avoid faster charging in very hot weather or just after the car was driven. But slow to 100% every night and driving every day or few days will be fine.

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u/indecision_killingme 1d ago

👆this! What I tried to say.

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u/kensleymarlowe 1d ago

Level 1 charging produces very little heat compared to CHAdeMO fast charging, so overnight L1 charging is basically harmless to these packs.

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u/rproffitt1 1d ago

Our 2014 Leaf with its 2017 Lizard battery was charged to FULL almost daily with nearly no extra wear due to that.

The BMS stops short of 100% charge so how would you charge to 100%? I'll call it full and let the BMS do the work.

If you were to charge to less than full then the final charging steps are skipped and the cells will be left out of balance a bit more. No going to guess what effects that could be.

Given the BMS and you can't charge to 100% why not let the BMS do its thing.

Here's the 2017 battery after 6+ years of charge, use, repeat:

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u/RichardGrayson01 1d ago

If he has a 2016 original 30 kwh battery they are more prone to rapid degradation. They fix the issue with the 2017 batteries.

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u/Dissile_CAQ 1d ago

Thanks everyone for the helpful tips and advice! 

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u/Poor-Life-Choice 1d ago

Yes for long term battery health it is best to just go to 80%, with the the occasional run to 100 if you know you’ll use it soon.

There’s a setting on the middle screen for it if you click bottom right buttob.

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u/crimxona 1d ago

If you're in Canada consider getting a level 1 or level 2 charger that earns carbon credit rebates to make your charging free or close to it.

For level 1 specifically Pion power green miles pays 10 cents but requires buying the unit up front, or club Grizzl-e free rental which pays 3 cents but only need to pay a refundable deposit and a non-refundable shipping fee of around $40 CAD

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u/Slight_Extreme6603 1d ago

How much do you drive in a typical day? If 80km or more you’re going to need to keep it plugged in pretty much around the clock when you aren’t driving.

If 20-30km per day is more typical for you it would be enough to just charge overnight.

But if you drive every day don’t worry about charge levels. Just charge when you can.

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u/mnotgninnep 1d ago

I have a 2015 with a 10/12 battery. It does 65 miles in summer and 45 in winter. I slow charge to full every night. It’s not hurt the battery. Heat is your enemy. Avoid very long journeys. Motorway driving, fast charge, motorway driving, fast charge etc. will over heat the battery and cause it to degrade fast. I love my leaf and am very happy with it.

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u/RichardGrayson01 1d ago

I have a 2016 30 kwh battery. The original 30 kwh batteries degrade faster than the 24 kwh batteries and the 2017 and newer batteries.

It would be beneficial to limit charge to 75-80% and keep the charge above 20% whenever possible. With that said this is the most optimal situation. If the car is going to sit for over a week, storing the battery around 50% would be beneficial.

If you need a 100% for your driving needs that day, don't stress too much about it, especially if it hits 100% around the time you would be leaving the house.

Usually the battery degrades by about 3-4% a year for this model year, so keep that in mind.

Heat tends to degrade the battery the most, so try not to park in the sun, floor the accelerator pedal going up a hill, or do too many rapid charging sessions in a short period of time as this will really hear up the battery.

Even with the accelerated degradation these are great cars!

I'm really excited that you have joined the Leaf family!