Hacking the Nissan Leaf EV 199
An anonymous reader writes "The New York Times is running a story on people hacking the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle. 'Using Mr. Giddings’s home-brewed E.V. fuel-level display, Leaf drivers get the confidence to extend their driving range by 10 percent or more. His gauge, which displays the actual state of charge, reveals that the Leaf dashboard’s "zero bars" display comes on when the battery pack has several miles remaining.' Here's an interesting quote from one of the hackers, Phil Sadow, who was interviewed for the story: 'I don't like the term hacking because it's been portrayed by the media as something evil. To me, hacking is actually very American. Go out to the garage. Take it apart. Make it better.'"
Better you say? (Score:5, Insightful)
Perhaps Nissan knows something about their batteries and BMS that he doesn't, and the false zero reading is there to ensure the batteries last as long as they're intended to? Last I heard, you weren't supposed to completely discharge lithium batteries if you wanted to ensure a usefully long service life.
Re:Better you say? (Score:4, Insightful)
Taking cells all the way to 'zero' in a battery is generally a bad plan, it both stresses the cells more - discharging them at high currents at the very end of the discharge is harsh on them, causes extra wear due to deeper cycle life, and risks overdischarging weaker cells in the battery.
Re:Better you say? (Score:5, Informative)
No, you shouldn't with any kind of modern battery.
Li-Ion doesn't like full discharges, and in fact the internal circuitry should make it impossible. Lead-acid will very quickly become unusable if left fully discharged. And for battery packs, full discharge risks cell reversal, which causes damage.
The only case where you should still do that is when there is some sort of internal statistics being kept of how long the battery is estimated to last, which is out of sync with the actual battery.
That's not for any sort of cleaning though. It's just for fixing incorrect estimations of remaining battery time, which causes devices to turn off too soon, or have them fail to shut down nicely before the battery runs out.
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The only case where you should still do that is when there is some sort of internal statistics being kept of how long the battery is estimated to last, which is out of sync with the actual battery.
It's worth noting that even in this case, the cells don't actually go to zero - in LiIon batteries, the circuitry cuts out at about 3V per cell. Lower than that, and damage WILL occur.
Re:Better you say? (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm looking at a Canon LP-E4 battery (from a 1 series EOS camera) and it definitely says "Li-ion" on it, and I also have the manual for the camera with me. These are quite intelligent batteries, with very accurate charge remaining indictors, etc. Every now and then they indicate the need for a "calibration charge" to ensure accurate battery life indication, and to quote the manual on the process "After the calibration is completed and the battery is totally drained, it will take a further two hours to recharge the battery fully." At a guess, I get this maybe warning once per year, per battery - and perhaps even less frequently than that.
I've come across this kind of thing on other "high-end" Li-Ion batteries too, including on laptops, a high-end GPS unit and a satellite comms system. I've never seen this kind of thing on cheaper clones, in lower-end devices like phones, or in any other gadgets where the battery might be regarded as disposable once it deteriorates. Unless the battery in question has a means of asking for a calibration charge, or some such, and a charger that has a dedicated mode for doing so, then you should always try and recharge the battery before it fully drains.
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I've come across this kind of thing on other "high-end" Li-Ion batteries too, including on laptops, a high-end GPS unit and a satellite comms system. I've never seen this kind of thing on cheaper clones, in lower-end devices like phones, or in any other gadgets where the battery might be regarded as disposable once it deteriorates. Unless the battery in question has a means of asking for a calibration charge, or some such, and a charger that has a dedicated mode for doing so, then you should always try and recharge the battery before it fully drains.
Your perception is its "high end" because it gets you involved in the recalibration process. The cheap ones recalibrate, they just don't let you know, therefore you perceive them as cheaper.
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It's simple economics; when you are building an expensive device with a reasonable profit margin, then including recalibration circuitry isn't a big deal.
Re:Better you say? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's simple economics;
No, it isn't so simple. There are many examples of expensive devices requiring many more manual steps because it gives the perception of value. "Mine requires more work because it is such a precision device" seems to be a very common thing.
Sometimes, this is a good thing, because it allows for better control by the end user *IF* they know what they're doing. SLR vs point & shoot, for example.
Other times, it is simply a status thing. For example, I have a solar powered watch that is synced to the atomic clock in Colorado every morning. My watch will always be within 0.5 seconds of actual time. However, a Rolex that costs thousands more doesn't include the solar charging or atomic clock sync will never be as accurate as my watch, and requires more effort. Still, a Rolex has the perception of higher value.
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You're missing my point a bit, I think.
This whole thread has got off point.
The fact that it says "totally discharged" in the manual does not mean that the cell has been discharged to zero, merely that it has been discharged as far as the calibration process will take it (or until the safety circuitry kicks in, whichever comes soonest).
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There are women in the world that will possibly fuck you because you have a Rolex.
If there is a woman who will possibly fuck you because you have a solar powered, atomic clock synching wristwatch I'm sure another /.er has already wrecked her (knocked her up).
You don't understand status symbols do you? Perhaps you picked a bad example.
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There are women in the world that will possibly fuck you because you have a Rolex.
If a woman is fucking you because of your Rolex, you're probably getting fucked in more ways than one.
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You don't understand status symbols do you?
No, I just don't want anything to do with anyone who is so enamored with them.
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I didn't say my Rolex was real. Just a very good copy.
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Well played, Mr. Wumpus... Well played. ;o)
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Not necessarily. Look at Donald Trump, for instance, and his latest wife. She's beautiful enough to be a model, but he's butt-ugly and a lot older than her to boot. There's no way a guy like that would attract a woman like that if it weren't for his money, and the money he spends on her is probably worth it in his mind to have someone that attractive on his arm and in his bed, even if it basically does mean she's a high-priced full-time prostitute. If he had only looked for women that loved him for his
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http://www.apple.com/batteries/ [apple.com] right sidebar, bottom of the page.
HOWEVER - It does NOT say to do a full battery drain. It says to complete a full charge cycle at least once a month. It's just as valid to use 1/4 of the battery and recharge once a week. The only section that mentions a full discharge says that you shouldn't store devices fully discharged for extended periods of time - but on the flip side, it also says that you shouldn't leave it fully charged all the time either.
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"Use iPhone Regularly
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down )."
"Use Your iPad Regularly
For proper reporting of the battery’s state of charge, be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely
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http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html [apple.com] "Use iPhone Regularly For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down )." "Use Your iPad Regularly For proper reporting of the battery’s state of charge, be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down)."
"keep the electrons moving." That is so typical of Apple: dumb things down so even a moron will think he understands it.
In any event, as another poster pointed out, that has nothing to do with maximizing the longevity of the battery: in fact, it's going to lessen the total number of charge/discharge cycles that you get. I don't know of any chemical system whereby periodic deep cycling is considered good for the cells (even Ni-Cads: the memory effect is real, but you still don't need to deep cycle the th
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You cannot full-drain one of these devices without physically disassembling it. There is circuitry to prevent further drain once a certain limit has been reached entirely to protect the battery (and device) from damage.
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No, you shouldn't with any kind of modern battery.
Except that's a recomended procedure with Ni-Cad based batteries to help clear the Memory Effect. I suspect that Nissan will deny any warranty replacement of the Leafs battery pack if they detect this software hack because it could have been the cause of the failure and don't forget, Nissan has deeper pockets then us and will fight.
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A few things:
1. Nobody uses Ni-Cad anymore. It's poisonous and low capacity, the only point in still using it is very high current applications, and even there people mostly use Li-Ion/LiPo these days. Modern usage is very limited.
2. The memory effect was something observed in satellites, which have extremely regular charge and discharge patterns for years on end. You're not going to do the same thing to your mp3 player. It's also specific to one kind of Ni-Cad and not all of them.
3. What you can cure with
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A few things:
1. Nobody uses Ni-Cad anymore. It's poisonous and low capacity, the only point in still using it is very high current applications, and even there people mostly use Li-Ion/LiPo these days. Modern usage is very limited.
2. The memory effect was something observed in satellites, which have extremely regular charge and discharge patterns for years on end. You're not going to do the same thing to your mp3 player. It's also specific to one kind of Ni-Cad and not all of them.
3. What you can cure with a deep discharge is voltage depression, which is caused by overcharging. It's not a form of maintenance, as it damages the battery. It's a fix for something that shouldn't have happened in the first place. Get a good charger instead.
The memory effect is an artifact of only using the top few percent of a cell's charge range. The people that use their cordless phones for an hour and then put it back on the charger are the folks that end up complaining about memory. Let the battery run down for a while before you recharge it and you won't see a memory effect.
And, actually, nickel-cadmium batteries are used all over the place to this very day. Most of the remote-controlled toy vehicles you see are Ni-Cad, because they are capable of acc
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"Standard Maintenance
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her notebook on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its b
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I find the "keep the electrons moving" language suspicious. Not like they'll get rusty.
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Read the replay to the first poster stating this.
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http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html [apple.com]
Damn, they want to ruin those batteries that are replaced for free if they go under 80% during the warranty period.
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That was the case with NiCAD. NOT Lithium.
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As I said before,
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html [apple.com]
This is just an example. You SHOULD let the battery reach the end every once in a while. There are more devices that recommend this, and I doubt any company would be trying to ruin a battery that they actually replace for free if it goes under 80%
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You realize that those are smart batteries. What you are talking about is a relatively deep cycle, managed by the on board battery management system in your pack and likely used by the same for battery life monitoring/recalibration. The same system they are talking about fucking with in the Leaf (troubleshooting chart Q1: 'Is it fucked up?' Q2: 'Did you fuck with it').
That said I'm sure there is a safety margin in the firmware in all battery packs. What is safety margin but wasted capacity? Good fun. I'd
Re:Better you say? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's also probably intended to keep people from running out of juice on the freeway or some other place where it would be dangerous to be unable to move the vehicle. Honestly, if you're down to the last few miles, it's time to recharge.
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Bingo, it's not like the idiot light on a normal car fires *after* it's empty. That sort of defeats the purpose...
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Depending on the accuracy if the gauge. I've had cars with optimistic and cars with pessimistic gauges. you learn fast.
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Figuring it out would be easier if the gauges were linear. I get around 300 miles to a tank and can regularly hit 180-200 miles before the needle hits the 1/2 mark.
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When the Explorer is driven right, I get to 3/4 at 100 miles, 1/2 at 200 miles, and 1/4 at 300 miles. At 0%, I have 2 gallons left.
The Saab had a new fuel pump assy put in,and since then it's dead on. A maximum fillup put the gauge at exactly full, and at empty the computer claims I have 30 miles left, a little more than a gallon on the highway. At the bottom of reserve, I can get .5 gallons more than the listed capacity.
Yes, better, not different (Score:4, Informative)
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There's other possibilities too... Maybe there's an oddity in the discharge curve right near the bottom, or in the capacity reading right near the bottom, or the metering system isn't quite 100% reliable near the bottom...
I don't care what kind of engineer you are, if you don't have the fulls specs and know all of the considera
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Perhaps Nissan knows something about their batteries and BMS that he doesn't, and the false zero reading is there to ensure the batteries last as long as they're intended to? Last I heard, you weren't supposed to completely discharge lithium batteries if you wanted to ensure a usefully long service life.
Yes, it's called "deep cycling" and it's something that you don't want to do to pretty much any type of secondary cell.
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Most likely, it's either a liability thing, or a "don't piss off the customer" thing.
For instance, I read a story once that many years ago, Cadillac tried to fix its fuel gauges. They did; they made the fuel gauge linear, so the gauge correctly showed the amount of fuel that was left: the 3/4 mark meant 3/4 full, the 1/2 mark meant 1/2 full, and the empty mark really did mean empty. But then customers got really angry: they complained their cars were guzzling gas (!), and that they were running out of gas
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Otherwise, people will run out of battery power because they think they only have 10 miles left to go, when in reality they have another 15.
It would be interesting to link the battery management firmware with the car's GPS. If it knows where you're going, it could tell you that you can't make it, or give you the option of risking your battery pack to get there.
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This hack doesn't let you use more capacity from the battery. The car WILL NOT LET YOU drive the battery dead - it will shut itself off before you can do any serious damage.
Instead, this hack gives you useful information about how much charge you actually have left. Okay, you got a "Low Battery" warning and you're 5 miles from home. The range indicator and battery level gauge are both gone. Do you try to make it home and risk getting stuck in the middle of the street, or pull over and call a tow truck now?
Very american? (Score:2)
To me, hacking is actually very American. Go out to the garage. Take it apart. Make it better.
Sad then that so many american companies are actively trying to restrict or remove people's abilities to do just that, especially on computers where unlike a car anyone can get into it without the need for specialist tools and there is no potential safety risk etc.
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Jules Verne does just that in From the Earth to the Moon: The Yankees, the first mechanicians in the world, are engineers-- just as the Italians are musicians and the Germans metaphysicians-- by right of birth..
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I also failed to understand why "American" is the opposite of "evil". There are many things that are both, and many things that are neither. I understand why the DIY culture is associated with Americans, but then again, so is the consumerist sheeple culture.
Re:Why is it "american"? (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm a bit tired of people claiming that an activity is very american just because the person is from USA and likes it.
You must be the life of the party when an american brings up the topic of "american football" (as opposed to real football = soccer). I'm from the US, our style of football is somewhat popular here (only around 5% really care, but at least 50% go along to get along with them). So our style of football is very american, oh well.
The reason for "american DIY culture" is our profoundly anti-business anti-entrepreneur climate. If you own a set of wrenches in Ecuador even if you mostly work on your own vehicles you'll be considered a "pro car mechanic" by an American if you ever help your neighbor change their windshield wiper blades, so an Equadorian (?) in that situation can't be DIY if they're a businessman, so there is no DIY culture in Equador, even if the same percentage of guys are turning wrenches under a shade tree in their backyard... In the US we have a huge quantity of laws and regulations to prevent individual entrepreneurs from competing with the bigger businesses, because those bigger businesses have purchase the govt and "suggested" those laws to the purchased politicians to improve their profits. I can't even begin to imagine the paperwork and financial resources required to let me change my neighbor's oil for a couple bucks... but I can change my own (so far) without too much govt interference, although they're working on it...
An american DIYer is pretty much just a frustrated entrepreneur. In a better country they're be a very small part time businessman, a dude with a "side job".
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You must be the life of the party when an american brings up the topic of "american football" (as opposed to real football = soccer). I'm from the US, our style of football is somewhat popular here (only around 5% really care, but at least 50% go along to get along with them). So our style of football is very american, oh well.
I'm not sure where you're getting your numbers from, but Gridiron Football is far and away the most popular sport in the United States. Gridiron football has been the most popular sport on American television since 1965, and at the moment, it's the only sport that can support two leagues (NFL and NCAA) that are major enough to have regular television contracts.
As far as real football being "soccer," most games called "football" are derived from rugby. "Foot" in their name refers to the fact that the ball
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most/all jurisdictions allow "personal sales" between neighbors, which allow things like changing your neighbor's oil or having your kid mow their lawn or babysitting or whatever. Have you actually looked into this?
If you're not a lawyer, stay away from DIY law. There's no way an individual (non-lawyer) in the US can possibly know enough local, state and federal law to safely do this. They've stopped little girls from having lemonade stands for $DEITY's sake.
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That said, most/all jurisdictions allow "personal sales" between neighbors, which allow things like changing your neighbor's oil or having your kid mow their lawn or babysitting or whatever. Have you actually looked into this?
The relevant language in this state is "occasional sales" and it requires a business license/registration, less than 20 days/yr of operation, no other licensing requirements (for example, all car air conditioning work requires a license, therefore all car AC work is sales taxable regardless of other conditions), well under poverty line annual income for the exempted work, can not be promoted as a regular ongoing business but solely as an individual transaction, and can not be the primary occupation / source
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Well, they didn't say "exclusively American". We have a very strong DIY car culture in this country, if only because we have so many cars per capita and so many people. "Hacking" cars is a very American trait IMHO.
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Tits on men are not good but very American and a tradition among geeks.
Empty Never Means Empty (Score:2)
Gas powered cars still go many miles after the gas gauge hits empty. A fuel gauge reading empty is suppose to tell you "Fill up as soon as possible" not tell you need to get out and push.
Re:Empty Never Means Empty (Score:4, Informative)
Gas powered cars still go many miles after the gas gauge hits empty. A fuel gauge reading empty is suppose to tell you "Fill up as soon as possible" not tell you need to get out and push.
Empty means buy a new fuel pump because the old one just sucked up all the water, rust, sand, whatever from the bottom of the tank. Also the in-tank pumps are notorious for overheating and burning out in air/vapor and only running cool when immersed in fuel, so even a perfectly clean tank can burn out the pump if the pump is in an empty tank. Maybe more so in summer than winter... Also if the pump fails after pumping rusty water for awhile rather than instantly, you'll probably end up replacing the fuel filter, maybe the injectors, who knows.
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I have heard of the overheating issue and have seen places where it could theoretically physically be an issue. The sucking up water & rust I'm in complete agreement with you. The only possible issue there would be from crap floating on top of the gas.
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Can you explain this bit about pumping water when the tank is empty? I understand condensation can cause there to be a small amount of water in the gas tank, but last I checked water is heavier than gasoline (it should generally be the first thing pumped). In fact, pilots of some small aircraft - I have seen this done - draw a small amount of fuel from the bottom of the tank into a syringe to check for water bubbles before takeoff.
Also, "sludge" (rust, other particulates) can be a specific problem of empty
Extended range (Score:3)
If he wants to extend the range, he could try installing one of these [wikipedia.org]...
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Or figure out a way to stuff one of these in the car....
http://gigaom.com/cleantech/hyperions-nuclear-in-a-box-ready-by-2013/ [gigaom.com]
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In researching/discussing the different Hybrids, we've determined that both the Prius and Volt are Parallel hybrids; meaning they can run on battery or ICE. The Honda hybrid though is a Series design; meaning that the ICE must run to get anywheres. If you're looking for mileage, buy the normal Civic and get the same mileage with lower emmisions instead of the added complexity.
If I were in the market I'd stick with the Volt model for now. It just makes more sense to have that ICE tether
This is the direction we're figuring on going depending on whether we can get the Volt. I like the styling a bit better then the Pri
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How is it a "leap of faith" to drive within the range of the vehicle? Range anxiety seems to plague people who don't own an electric car... actual owners not so much. Every morning they get in a car they've cheaply "refueled" overnight, do their usual boring commute and shopping run, and return home. If you sometimes find yourself in the middle of nowhere on an unplanned road trip to Vegas, use a different vehicle. There's probably one nearby, since most households in the USA have multiple cars.
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Maybe the AAA could furnish people with towable generators?
He is going to regret this shit. (Score:3)
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Deep cycle batteries are a type of lead-acid battery. The Leaf uses lithium-ion batteries, which behave very differently. Still, lithium-ion batteries should never be fully discharged, which may be a risk with his modifications.
Any program that measures charge is making a educated guess based on the past behavior of the battery. One of the people interviewed for the article states: “Until you can find out how much is really left in the batteries toward the end of its range, it’s just a guess-o-m
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Bottoming out batteries is absolutely retarded. Even "deep cycle" batteries are only supposed to be discharged to 20% AT THE VERY LOWEST. And doing so reduces the number of cycles by orders of magnitude. Another thing to point out is that batteries become EXTREMELY non-linear in discharge rate at the bottom of their SoC. I like his comment about hacking but everything else is retarded.
If 20% is the "very lowest", then the scale should be recalibrated so that 20% is the new 0%.... :)
Home Battery (Score:2)
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"If the Leaf has a single package that can easily connect to the home to charge and discharge, it would be a great help"
It's a good notion, but you would be paying a premium for a highly compact and portable power supply that you don't actually need to be highly compact or portable.
And don't use car batteries either, they don't like deep discharge. Use deep cycle batteries like from electric forklifts or golf carts. At the moment, lead-acid batteries are still the cheapest option.
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Now, I don't do solar or anything like
Lithium batteries, depth of (dis)charge (Score:3)
This suggests that there's a lot to be said for not driving your battery charge down to "zero" (as defined by the battery controllers and the 3V limit). You'll get many more cycles if you avoid the extremes (full charge, full discharge).
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries [batteryuniversity.com]
Extra capacity is on purpose (Score:2)
Originally, the Leaf's battery meter was more accurate. Zero really meant zero.
One of the first problems reported by new Leaf owners was that they would run out of power while on the road, because they were expecting the meter to work like a typical gas meter, where zero means "fumes", with a few miles to spare.
There was a firmware upgrade, I believe in May 2011, that changed the meter so that zero means about 10 miles. Also Nissan recommends that you only charge to 80% capacity, for increased battery life.
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Right. Auto fuel gauges have had some margin in them for decades.
Aviation fuel gauges, incidentally, do not. Zero is zero.
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Do you also set your clock five minutes ahead to get to appointments on time?
I really don't understand why some people need to be lied to to operate properly. And it's absolutely infuriating when I stumble over the results of it too.
But it is hacking (Score:2)
Hacking/hacker/hack (Score:2)
Phil Sadow, who was interviewed for the story: 'I don't like the term hacking because it's been portrayed by the media as something evil. To me, hacking is actually very American. Go out to the garage. Take it apart. Make it better.'"
I, on the other hand, love the term "hacking". News media have put a negative spin on the word, but I think we should take it back rather than let them have it. A hacker is nothing more than someone who gets into the guts of things to see how they work and to do cool things w
In other news (Score:2)
I have hacked my car so that it no longer tells me I'm out of gas until it actually is.
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Pretty much. That limit is there for the same reason your gas tank still has a small emergency reserve left once the indicator reaches zero.
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This is my issue with the leaf (apart from living in an apartment with no way to recharge it), The range is what, 40 miles? okay, is that 40 miles, at 45MPH with no accessories? or is that at 30-60 MPH slow-go rush traffic with the heat on when it is -25F out? MY work commute is 32 Miles round trip and is a mix of 55-60 MPH slow-go rush and 35 MPH side roads with minimal stopping. It also routinely gets to be -10F in the mornings and evenings here and we usually have a continuous week or two per winter wher
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Happy hacking - and it's your cars - you are allowed to destroy the batteries.
Until the iCar appears.
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Then you can just ImpoundBreak it.
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"GEET Heat Exchanger or HHO Water Electrolysis "
Third party public dyno testing per EPA standards or go shoot yourself. The only cure for mental illness is suicide, so hurry up and quit wasting oxygen.
Cranks who probably never (competently) spun a wrench in their lives babbling about tech-cult scams piss me off. Build one that works and get rich, or shut your paranoid clueless piehole. Or go post on Free Republic instead. :)
If you are seriously worried about getting EMPed/HERFed you are too stupid to be an
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"Unless you run breaker points or a magneto or a mechanical injection diesel"
Heh. I do. Not for the above reason of course, but... Unless someone manages to hit me with a powerful enough EMP that it literally fries the fuel solenoid coil, I'm pretty sure my truck will continue to operate.
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OT but handy:
One trucker trick you may already be aware of is to toggle switch the noid so you can pass visual smoke checks.
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Interesting; would you mind explaining more please?
I'm not sure how this would work - disconnecting the solonoid in my case just kills the engine in a second or so due to lack of fuel... do you mean repeatedly flipping it off and on to reduce fuel input?
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And if the nearest station is 20 miles away, it's not bad to know whether you have 19 miles of charge left, or 21. There might be a better place to leave your car stopped than 100 yards short of the exit for the charging station.
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cutting things that close will be safe when and only when Gas Stations have some sort of "one gallon gas tank" that can be used on an EV (maybe a 500watt/hour powerpack??)
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Total range is 40 miles, so you are calling a tow truck, learning to better plan your trips and thinking of buying a real car.
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If it's pretty AND efficient then it's not a hack.
If it's very very ugly then it's a hack. Efficient doesn't enter into the discussion. Hacks can barely work or work great, it's the ugliness of the solution that makes the hack. Some hacks are works of great skill, but they still make the hacker cringe, just a little.
Only the efficient hacks of great skill live for long. I left a hack of a database loader called 'The Firehose' by those assigned to replace it, that I'm still a little ashamed of (I stuffe
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I wouldn't say designed to fail, but it does seem that the Leaf is not designed for its batteries to be replaceable.
Given the cost constraints, the engineers picked their battles.
If the electric car catches on and attracts sufficient competition, the free enterprise system will give us better batteries.
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they are tied up in classified patents.
There isn't any such thing. By definition, patenting something places its description into the public domain (not the right to use, of course). Classified technology isn't published, through patents or other means.
National Security is also defined by Economic security.
And economic security would tend to drive placing better battery technology into the hands of the public so we won't have to buy oil from those nasty Arabs or Canadians. Not keeping it hidden.
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"The Commissioner then issues a Secrecy Order and withholds the publication of the application or the grant of a patent for such period as the national interest requires."
Semantics: That's not a secret patent. That's not getting a patent.
And its sort of pointless. Anyone with a worthy idea is going to apply for foreign patents as well as US. Particularly with the first to file system prevalent in the rest of the world. If the USPTO sits on a patent for any length of time, the secret is already out in the