[jaminben]

Hello,

Sorry for what no doubt is a question that gets asked multiple times but...

I just picked up a 2016 Renault Zoe Dynamique Nav and was fully prepared for the 70 mile (ish) range due to the current cold weather in the UK, however what my journey home from the dealership yesterday didn't prepare me for was the actual range of 56 miles (I only just made it home with a couple of miles to spare). To make things slightly worse was that I didn't have the heater on as I thought this would give me a little extra range.

Should the car have more range than 56 miles on a full charge? Is this a typical experience? Will the range get better when the weather turns warmer?

I have 14 days to return it under their long distance selling rules (it was click & collect).

Many Thanks
Ben

 

[cah197]

If you started off with a cold car and drove on the motorway, then probably this is about right. The capacity of the battery is reduced if it is cold.

The range will only be about 90 miles in warmer weather.

 

[jaminben]

If you started off with a cold car and drove on the motorway, then probably this is about right. The capacity of the battery is reduced if it is cold.

The range will only be about 90 miles in warmer weather.

Thanks for the quick response... It wasn't motorway but 80% of the journey was 60mph with Eco on.

Having real buyers remorse at the moment after wanting and saving for an EV for many years.

 

[cah197]

Thanks for the quick response... It wasn't motorway but 80% of the journey was 60mph with Eco on.

Having real buyers remorse at the moment after wanting and saving for an EV for many years.

What's your normal use case for this car? Do you need to regularly drive for 60 miles in one go?

I think this car has the BMS issue which can cause the battery to under-report the available capacity. You can ask the dealer if it's had an update but you are likely to get a blank look from them.

Motorway driving at 60 mph will really eat the range, especially in the cold. Driving at 50 mph can make a huge difference to the range. If it was wet then is also has a big impact. Maybe you were driving in true worst conditions?

It looks like a good car with low mileage. Did you get it with the Renault warranty?

You can of course return this car, but I don't think it's underperforming compared to other Zoes.

 

[jaminben]

What's your normal use case for this car? Do you need to regularly drive for 60 miles in one go?

I think this car has the BMS issue which can cause the battery to under-report the available capacity. You can ask the dealer if it's had an update but you are likely to get a blank look from them.

Motorway driving at 60 mph will really eat the range, especially in the cold. Driving at 50 mph can make a huge difference to the range. If it was wet then is also has a big impact. Maybe you were driving in true worst conditions?

It looks like a good car with low mileage. Did you get it with the Renault warranty?

You can of course return this car, but I don't think it's underperforming compared to other Zoes.

Another quick response

No... normal usage would be back roads to work with a maximum of 20 miles a day at a top speed of 45-50mph... the occasional trip to Norwich which is about a 45 mile round trip.

I have the premium Renault warranty for 6 months with the option to extend it for another 6 months at a cost of £199... is it worth doing? It's a very nice car and I do really like it but I do wonder if I paid slightly over the odds for it.

I asked the dealer if it had the BMS update and he said he thought it had but the strange thing is when I got home the range left was around 6 miles but when I plugged it in with the granny charger it reported that the battery was at 31% (IIRC).

 

[cah197]

Another quick response

No... normal usage would be back roads to work with a maximum of 20 miles a day at a top speed of 45-50mph... the occasional trip to Norwich which is about a 45 mile round trip.

I have the premium Renault warranty for 6 months with the option to extend it for another 6 months at a cost of £199... is it worth doing? It's a very nice car and I do really like it but I do wonder if I paid slightly over the odds for it.

I asked the dealer if it had the BMS update and he said he thought it had but the strange thing is when I got home the range left was around 6 miles but when I plugged it in with the granny charger it reported that the battery was at 31% (IIRC).

Yeah, sounds like there's something a bit screwy on the GOM side. But it can be pessimistic.

Charge it up fully and let it sit at 100% on the charger to try and re-calibrate.

If the dealer says 'he thinks the BMS update was done' I'd say it likely hasn't been done. But getting them to do it without paying for it might be a problem.

It sounds like this car should be fine for your normal use and it's good to have some peace of mind with a dealer bought car. The Zoes seem be keeping their value well.

Worth checking the warranty includes things like the charging system (which isn't covered by the battery lease). If it has a continuous service history then it may be worth keeping the official Renault warranty going each year.

I assume the battery lease part was handled OK?

 

[jaminben]

Yeah, sounds like there's something a bit screwy on the GOM side. But it can be pessimistic.

Charge it up fully and let it sit at 100% on the charger to try and re-calibrate.

If the dealer says 'he thinks the BMS update was done' I'd say it likely hasn't been done. But getting them to do it without paying for it might be a problem.

It sounds like this car should be fine for your normal use and it's good to have some peace of mind with a dealer bought car. The Zoes seem be keeping their value well.

Worth checking the warranty includes things like the charging system (which isn't covered by the battery lease). If it has a continuous service history then it may be worth keeping the official Renault warranty going each year.

I assume the battery lease part was handled OK?

What's the GOM?

I've bought a Konnwei and have the CanZE App installed on my phone but not tried it yet... hopefully this will help diagnosing an issue not that I have a clue how to use it yet.

I wouldn't be happy in paying for a BMS update... is it something that has to go to the dealership to be done?

I assume the battery lease went through OK and my first payment is due next month... 4500 miles a year @ £48 a month so the cheap option but I do plan on buying the battery before the end of the year depending on job situation.

 

[cah197]

GOM stands for 'Guess-o-Meter', which is the what the car displays as estimated range. Go figure.

If you can get the dongle working this might help your case. Normally the dealer will do the update if the SOH is below 70%, as per the battery warranty - as it's cheaper than supplying a new battery.

Only a dealer with the right CLIP tool can do the BMS update, as I understand it.

 

[jaminben]

GOM stands for 'Guess-o-Meter', which is the what the car displays as estimated range. Go figure.

If you can get the dongle working this might help your case. Normally the dealer will do the update if the SOH is below 70%, as per the battery warranty - as it's cheaper than supplying a new battery.

Only a dealer with the right CLIP tool can do the BMS update, as I understand it.

Ah, that doesn't sound too good. I would expect to be purchasing a car from a dealer with it already updated otherwise I'll never know what the true range will be.

 

[cah197]

I seem to remember the old Zoe doesn't display % SOC, so yes it can be a little annoying to work out what range you have.

 

[AndrewC]

Ah, that doesn't sound too good. I would expect to be purchasing a car from a dealer with it already updated otherwise I'll never know what the true range will be.

The phrase' GOM' is a jokey term but the car's range estimate can be very accurate. It's based on the last 100 - 150 or so miles driven. So if the the journey you're about to go on is similar to the last bit of driving (and the weather and temperature are similar) then it will be very accurate.

 

[80698]

I seem to remember the old Zoe doesn't display % SOC, so yes it can be a little annoying to work out what range you have.

Other than when you first open the door after unlocking, or when plugging in to charge. There's no way of seeing it while on the move annoyingly.

The best thing to do here to get a quick idea of the battery health would be to do a full 100% Charge and balance followed by a 2-pedal GOM Reset. (Switch car off, change to show Trip B Data, then press both pedals down while resetting the trip data) Off the top of my head, a 22kWh would show 126 miles with 100% health. You can then work out what percentage of 126 is currently showing to get an idea of SOH. Obviously the OBD dongle and app will be easier and more detailed if you can get this working however.

On a 22kWh model with a healthy battery I have seen at little as 48 miles on the GOM with a full battery if it's been on the motorway in wet, windy and cold weather with the heater running. But conversely you might see a number in the high 80's if you're careful and the weather is warm and dry, and you're driving at lower speeds. It definitely doesn't sound like there is anything wrong with the car, but rather that another person has fallen for crazy NEDC Claims and ended up disappointed.

 

[jaminben]

I've just used got some data from the CanZE App... attached some images and SOH is 76%.

Is this something to be concerned about? Am I looking in the wrong place? I was told it was 100% which I thought was a bit off when the salesman said it.

I just took it for a quick drive and battery was at 75% charge according to the car dashboard.... 5 or so miles later when I returned home it was 64%... outside temp is around 1 degree.

 

[Mo1]

How long does ot take to do the last 1% from 99%? this can also be an indicator of the BMS update being required. If it takes more than 30 - 40 mins for that final % it likely needs the update.
I'd say 76% indicates it has not had the update. What the current mileage?

 

[jaminben]

I've not actually had it long enough to do a full charge yet so don't know about the last 1%.

Its done just under 10,000 miles.

I'm not sure if I want to keep the car now if it's 76% SOH. Even if it does have a BMS update it'll still be a poor battery (I intend to purchase it later this year).

 

[Mo1]

The low SOH shown does not mean the battery is in a bad way, the BMS (battery management system) fix is to sort a software issue that early Zoe's had. My first Zoe dropped to 83% after 3 years, I had the BMS update and it was back at 100% (most usually go back to high 90s%)

 

[cah197]

I've not actually had it long enough to do a full charge yet so don't know about the last 1%.

Its done just under 10,000 miles.

I'm not sure if I want to keep the car now if it's 76% SOH. Even if it does have a BMS update it'll still be a poor battery (I intend to purchase it later this year).

The best way to test the battery capacity is to charge to 100% and then run it down to as close to zero SOC as you can with the HVAC off.

Then you should see what the total energy consumed was.

However if the BMS estimate is off this may skew things.

 

[RiverRock]

I've just used got some data from the CanZE App... attached some images and SOH is 76%.

Battery lease guarantees the batteries are 75% healthy so contact the garage who sold it to you to sort. Otherwise you'll need to get it done via the lease guarantee.

 

[jaminben]

Thanks everyone... I'll contact them tomorrow and ask if they can sort it and the other few issues I have. If they can't do it before the 14 day cooling off period expires I'll ask them to extend it and if that's a no go I'll ask for my money back and continue my search elsewhere.

 

[Electric Jamie]

I don´t know this specific car. I´d be tempted to drive it around for a couple more 50 mile runs (while well within the 14 day limit) and see how it does rather than judging too much based on one day.