2011 Nissan Leaf modifications (efficiency and utility)

[oil pan 4]

I ordered 2 Yokohama avid ascend tires for the leaf.

Also did the first aero mod, removed the front license plate and holder.

My 125 amp outdoor rated QO panel will be in any day now. Right now the EVSE plugs into my dryer that I added a receptacle to back in 2010 so I could plug in my plasma cutter or welder with out pulling out the dryer, the laundry room was tiny in that house.
I will be able to put in my garage side j1722 and add multiple j1722 chargers later on.

Found the limit to charging and driving. I was on tract to put 100 mIles plus on the leaf in one day then when I was charging it for that last little drive I went to check the charge noticed that the battery temperature was at 7 bars and was only half charged. It had only been nearly 100°F all day. By that time it was about 5pm so I unplugged it and left it. Came back about 5 hours later and was still at 7 bars. I didn't even bother to try charging it so I drive my firebird to work.

[Piotrsko]

So you need A/C to cool enough to charge?.

Wow 100 degrees doesn't seem to matter to my volt pack except that I get more current and less sag

[oil pan 4]

I'm looking for very small electronic enclosure air conditioners that are small enough to go on the battery, that would cool it down. Having trouble finding one small enough that isn't $1,500+.

[Piotrsko]

How about peltier modules? From what ive seen they aren't all that pricey

Or in your local a swamp cooler for the garage that operates after sunset.

[ksa8907]

Could the battery enclosure be filled with mineral oil? Then maybe pumped through an added radiator and fan?

[oil pan 4]

I wouldn't try to fill the battery with oil.

I did find some solid state refrigerator kits, pretty cheap. Might have to buy one and investigate their cooling power.
I'm think the 12v 72w units move less than 200 BTUs per hour.

I have a swamp cooler but it's going to go on the central A/C condenser as an evaporate cooler.

[IamIan]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

I'm looking for very small electronic enclosure air conditioners that are small enough to go on the battery, that would cool it down. Having trouble finding one small enough that isn't $1,500+.

If small / light is the target.

One option is to modify the powered food coolers .. most are peltier based , but some of the more expensive ones are more efficient tiny compressor heat pumps.

The smallest of those compressor heat pump based food coolers I've seen is the Dometic CDF-11 .. about ~$450 .. well under that $1500.
The testing I did on one showed its output varied with dT and such.

12VDC based HeatPump Peak (less than 50F dT from ambient)
~267BTU/HR .. ~48W of electrical power .. ~5.6SEER.

By ~70F dT from ambient it was down to about a ~2SEER.

The compressor and such is all in the front portion .. about ~ 8" x 8" x 9" .. the cold heat absorbing refrigerant path is the metal walls around the food storage space which can carefully be reshaped/straightened.

Or one could do ice (water bottles) in the food storage space as thermal storage .. the effective cooling ability of ice is about ~130wh/kg.

-----
Eventually a heat pump and a li battery actually allow for more wh/joules of cooling per pound/kg than ice can do .. at about a SEER9 and ~120wh/kg battery the ice is heavier above about a total of ~23 lbs .. ice losses at even lower weight with either higher SEER or higher wh/kg battery.

-----

Another option is Zero Breeze .. at ~$419 also well under that $1500 .. which is a ~1,100 BTU/HR camping 12VDC ~14Lb air conditioner about 8" x 11" x 19" .. ambient in right/left sides .. cold out front .. hot out back .. their claims put the peak up around 9.1EER .. just got mine and still testing it .. but so far so good.

[oil pan 4]

I started doing the reverse mud flap mod. Got the fronts on and ran out of hardware. I will grab some more trim screws from O'Reillys today after work and try to finish the back wheels.

[Prophecy99]

nice work man ! very impressed ! would love to see pics of some of this !

[oil pan 4]

Had a bad thunderstorms late last night so I disconnected the j1722 from the leaf and unplugged the EVSE.
I came home, charged the car for an hour or 2 then thunder woke me, I disconnected the leaf and charger and fell back asleep. Woke up at 4am and plugged the car back in for about an hour, decided to take the firebird as the leaf was only about half charged.

I think I need to put the leaf under cover, a car port or something then put the EVSE on a easy to use charge timer or time delay. That way next time a storm rolls through I can keep the j1772 dry and disconnect power for an hour or so while the storm passes, then reconnect power after the storm passes.
No I don't want to use the built in timer, the defeats the whole purpose.