[Paul]

Once again today I was misled by the LEAF. This time I didn't trust it and we called ahead to check, however it's just not good enough to provide such important data only to have it innacurate.

Today was much like an incident earlier in the month. Update charger details on the car, check for charge points, find one, see it's listed as free. It isn't, it's a Chargemaster post at (I think) £1.70 an hour. This is outside an amusement park where I assume most folks will want to be parked and stay parked for the duration of their stay. Advice from CM man was to move car after a set time to avoid big fees. So that's twice it's told me points were FOC that were not.

Secondly, it's so far out of date. Many rapid chargers, both motorway and closer to home are either not on there, or only there because I've used them. Several after a number of months of being active. This is reaching "old fashioned" levels of in-car ICE redundancy on a car that's one year old, even when you can update data over the air.

I wonder why the data is out of date and inaccurate. It takes what should be a REALLY useful, heart warming feature and makes it something I can't trust. I'd rather it said nothing than gave duff information.

I wonder if there are plans to sort this, or if there's a better way? I've no idea what the answer is, but right now it really isn't good enough.

 

[DebC]

Totally agree. If they had one person updating/collating this information they'd maintain and generate huge goodwill for negligible cost per vehicle sold, surely.

 

[Jason Wallace]

If the charger locations all played nice and had a standardised feed of locations and availability to a central service to which all cars could then receive a feed that would also generate some goodwill.

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

AFAIR the charging station data is added to the in-car map via Navtech. It is a tortuous process where Nissan send updates to Navtech and Navtech issue an update but the updates are just a few times a year so it can take months for the data to get through to the in-car system... and that is assuming that Nissan is sending Navtech the correct data.

The in-car system is hopelessly inaccurate and after 3 years of Leaf ownership I can honestly say to all Leaf owners... don't rely on anything in-car. Look at Zap-Map, OCM, Electric Highway maps on your phone or before you leave the house. Even that is not 100% so be prepared with a backup plan on every trip.

Not sure what the answer is myself but I know that the in-car system is not it right now.

 

[leave]

...Navtech issue an update but the updates are just a few times a year so it can take months for the data to get through to the in-car system...

That's not right, I've had two or three updates over the last three months...

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

That's not right, I've had two or three updates over the last three months...

I am just going on what I was told by Nissan when I questioned this a while back. If it has changed then good! Perhaps someone else who knows the latest process can chip in.

What I think is unlikely to have changed is the reliability of the data... I constantly update my charging stations when I travel to keep in touch with how up to date the in-car data is and I am constantly and consistently disappointed... enough that I can't see any real benefit in using it right now.

 

[Paul]

On the plus side, it's one of the few smooth surfaces you can place a suction mount for your phone/GPS aside from the windscreen.

 

[leave]

Ah, @Paul_Churchley I'm not saying it's correct, just that it's being updated. I completely agree with the accuracy issues. The few times I've checked it (mostly long distance travel where my wife is driving) it's been pretty dire.
Telling me chargers are fee-free when I know they aren't, failing to mention that there will be a barrier preventing me from using the charger and pointing me to Nissan HQ's rapid charger that has been out of action for the three months I've owned my Leaf... Going anywhere outside my home town, I've always got my tablet with me with all the major charging maps bookmarked on it...

The thing is I get this, I wonder how many 'normal' drivers have been stung by this and ended up on a flatbed at 2am...

 

[Jason Wallace]

Yes, it is fair to say that this could be better. Something else about the satnav which always makes me smile - we have a database of petrol stations included too. Like, who would ever want to visit a petrol station.

I go back to my point earlier. There is no reason under the sun why the charge point vendors could all play nice and agree a standard for data interchange. It would be perfectly possible for this standardised data to be consolidated and presented in a standardised form to allow car manufacturers to subscribe to the data and deliver it to their cars.

The only thing stopping this is a lack of cooperation

 

[smartie]

Like, who would ever want to visit a petrol station."

Windscreen washer fluid? Late night coffee, snacks? Tyre air pressure top up? I3/Ampera/Volt/PiP etc. drivers ?