Nissan LEAF Rapidgate hotfix for Europe only

Only European owners of LEAF complained about fast loading speed?

It seemed like the 2018 Nissan LEAF Rapidgate had ended with a software update for cars made between December 8, 2017 and May 9, 2018 (We badume that all new LEAFs after May 9, 2018 already have the new software).

However, according to the latest news provided by Gary Lieber and provided by CleanFleetReport.com, additional research in the US market has revealed that the hotfix would only be available in Europe. Attempts to determine how LEAF owners can solve the problem have failed. Jeff Wandell, of Nissan PR in Franklin, said there were none, because no customer had encountered the problem (at least for complaints to service centers).

Here is the answer that Gary Lieber received from Nissan:

"Hi Gary, to follow up on our call, the vast majority of our US customers do not use multiple fast charging procedures in a single day. They are therefore not concerned with the load-saving function of the new LEAF. With regard to the software update in Europe, Nissan does not currently plan to update in the United States. For LEAF customers who want to routinely use fast charging procedures more than twice a day for long driving distances, we suggest that they contact their local Nissan dealer for advice on how to get the most out of their cars. LEAF system in these exceptional driving scenarios. "

According to the last part, the multiple use of fast charging (more than once a day) was considered "Exceptional Driving Scenario". From a statistical point of view, it may be rare to charge more than once, but without load capacity at full power, the load will be longer for occasional trips over long distances.

"I also asked how Nissan USA had made the decision not to propose this change to US customers. Here is the answer:

"The decision not to extend the date of the European software to the US was based on the actual load session data generated by the 2018 LEAF fleet and the repair claims made by the owners with the problem to the dealers" .

Essentially, Nissan has data that shows that a very small number of the 2018 LEAF universe are actually facing this situation, and Nissan does not have any service reports from dealers whose clients present the symptoms of this type of load slowing. "

Well, if LEAF owners accept the fast charging speed, Nissan does not feel obliged to provide updates.

The 40 kWh battery version of LEAF was launched in the United States a little later than in Europe and on a smaller scale (a few thousand in the first half and less than 15,000 in total in 2018). Sales in Europe were more than twice as high in early 2018, which probably also generated more returns.

Rapidgate of the Nissan LEAF 2018

Let's explain again Rapidgate. The issue was discovered shortly after the launch of the second generation of LEAF in Europe. It has been found that the charging power of the LEAF (on CHAdeMO DC fast chargers) decreases when such sessions are repeated or when the battery is hot (lack of active cooling of the battery).

Nissan issued a statement:

"The 2018 Nissan LEAF has load protections to protect the battery during fast charging sessions repeated over a short period of time. Although protections can increase charging times after multiple fast charge sessions, they are important for maintaining battery life over an extended period of time. "

Nissan solved the problem through a software update in Europe (for cars built between December 8, 2017 and May 9, 2018) and implemented it in new LEAFs produced from of May 9, 2018.

We do not know if the protections have been removed or simply modified, or how multiple fast charge sessions will affect battery capacity / degradation over time.

Load rate of the Nissan LEAF compared to Fastned:

The charging speed can reach 50 kW on all our chargers. In the charging curve below, you can see the charging speed of the Nissan Leaf and e-NV200. On average, both cars charge 100 km of range in 20 to 25 minutes. The charging behavior depends largely on the size of the battery:

• Edition of 24 kWh: fast charge up to 25%, charge then progressively slower
• Edition 30 kWh: fast charge up to 80%, the charge will be slower after that.
• Edition of 40 kWh: fast charging up to 60%, the load will then be slowed down

Hat Tip to Gary Lieber, Editor-in-Chief CleanFleetReport.com