Plug In America has added some more information to the capacity controversy (or battery brouhaha, if you prefer) surrounding the Nissan LEAF. Briefly stated, the issue is that a number of LEAF owners in hot climates have found that their battery capacity is declining faster than expected. You can read the details in the latest issue of Charged, or listen in on a rather more heated discussion on the MyNissanLEAF forum.

Plug In America’s new user survey includes data on 240 vehicles in 25 states, two Canadian provinces, and the UK, representing over three million miles driven. It takes into account not only the battery capacity bars on the LEAF’s instrument panel, but also higher-resolution measurements taken by an aftermarket meter that reports the current state of charge in energy units called “Gids,” as well as owners’ subjective judgments.

A summary of the survey’s findings:

• Over 90% of survey participants have not lost a capacity bar.
• Over 75% believe they have lost no more than a few miles of range.
• Those who have lost capacity bars are almost all in hot climates.
• Not all cars in hot climates have lost capacity bars.
• Factors other than miles and climate don’t have a big effect on capacity.
• In cool climates, a LEAF can go 60,000 miles before losing a capacity bar.

The full report is availablehere.

Source: Tom Saxton, Vice President, Plug In America