2014 LEAF Battery Pack has Magical Capacity

When the 2013 Nissan LEAF was released, many newfound owners were surprisingly disappointed to find out that their EV's battery pack was far less healthy than earlier model year LEAFs.

In early 2013, a new phone app developed by LEAF hacker, Jim Pollock, started to become the craze with both geek and mainstream LEAF owners alike. With just their phones and a Bluetooth device that plugged into the LEAF's OBD-II port, it was now easy and economical to extract detailed battery information from the LEAF's on-board computer.

By the summer of 2013, there was growing documentation that many 2013 LEAFs came from the factory--now in Smyrna, Tennessee--with a less-than-stellar battery pack.  These new LEAF owners frequently shared data that showed battery packs with as much as 10% lower capacity numbers than expected.

Explanations were rampant.  Some blamed poor battery capacity on the new manufacturing facility in Tennessee. Others believed that the lower numbers were a new norm, and that LEAFs now had hidden capacity...somewhere.

With 2014 LEAFs now starting to show up on Nissan dealership lots, I thought it would be interesting to check out a new battery pack to verify what the newest "new norm" is for LEAF battery capacity and health.

"Magic" Nissan?  Hopefully this is a good sign for the 2014 LEAF!

The closest Nissan dealership to where I live is Magic Nissan, located in Everett, Washington.  I occasionally utilize the dealership's CHAdeMO quick charger, and several of the employees know that we drive LEAFs.  So when I walked in, asking to check out a 2014 LEAF, a sales rep simply tossed me a key fob and told me to "have at it."

Instead of taking the EV on a joyride, though, I simply sat there in the stationary car. I plugged in my Bluetooth "ELM 327" device, launched the LEAF Spy app on my phone, and started collecting data:

67.36 AHr=VERY Impressive!!!

The results showed that Nissan released the 2014 LEAF battery pack with impressive capacity!  At 67.36 AHr, the 2014 battery pack is actually more than 100% of the expected capacity for a new Nissan LEAF. Nissan's newest EV, indeed, seems to be magical.