[jbd1974]

I’ve had a search and couldn’t see this exact question, so…. Is there a way to preheat the car whilst unplugged on a recurring schedule? I appreciate that if plugged in this is easy, but we’re not currently doing the miles to necessitate a charge every night.

The Nissan or (excellent) My LEAF app can set a 1 off timer, but I can’t find a way to make it repeat.

The reason for asking is that the BCM was entirely too wet and I’m trying to minimise condensation.

Edit - I'll be easily persuaded that the correct word to use reoccurring rather than recurring...

 

[JDleaf]

I’ve had a search and couldn’t see this exact question, so…. Is there a way to preheat the car whilst unplugged on a recurring schedule? I appreciate that if plugged in this is easy, but we’re not currently doing the miles to necessitate a charge every night.

The Nissan or (excellent) My LEAF app can set a 1 off timer, but I can’t find a way to make it repeat.

The reason for asking is that the BCM was entirely too wet and I’m trying to minimise condensation.

Edit - I'll be easily persuaded that the correct word to use reoccurring rather than recurring...

I'm afraid the in car timers only work when plugged in, there isn't a way to do recurring (or reoccurring) preheat without being plugged in.

 

[DBMandrake]

There's nothing built in to do what you want - the built in charge timers only work when plugged in, and the app's as you've noticed only let you schedule on turn on time.

A couple of ideas though:

1) The timer in the app is server side on the Nissan servers, however if you can find some other app or service that will connect to your You+Nissan account that service might be able to periodically send a remote climate control request. I think there is an Android app that can actually do this although I don't recall its name.

Keep in mind that each 15 minute heating session uses a few percent of the battery, so you'd still want to keep an eye on the battery level as it will gradually go down with each warm up session.

2) If the issue is that you just don't want the battery being fully charged while plugged in, use the charge timer to prevent charging. If the charge timer is enabled overall but not set for a given day, the car will not automatically charge at all that day. I have my charge timer set to Monday-Friday, if I leave the car plugged in on Friday night it won't charge until Monday morning unless I press the override button or use the app.

I haven't tried enabling the timer but not setting a time range on any day - if that doesn't work set it to maybe charge for 10 minutes on one day of the week to fool it, and when you do actually want to charge the car just press the override button or use the app to start a charge.

With this approach the climate control will run for 30 minutes each time then go off, however keep in mind that the battery charge level will actually creep up about 2-3% on every plugged in pre-heat session, so after enough sessions you would end up with a high charge level.

 

[jbd1974]

Cheers, I’d not thought of having only 1 charge timer per week – cunning.

I was hoping that there might be an app / alexa skill etc that could regularly generate the timer on the Nissan server for me. I’ll keep on looking.

 

[Edd Beesley]

Not sure if it’s been fixed but preheat seemed to not run the A/C in the past so the car would be hot but humid. Personally I’d just leave the car running for a few hours with the heater set on the 30 and the window cracked slightly. Take the keys inside with you, and do it during the day so your neighbours don’t keep coming round to tell you you’ve left your lights on (ask me how I know!!)

 

[DBMandrake]

Not sure if it’s been fixed but preheat seemed to not run the A/C in the past so the car would be hot but humid. Personally I’d just leave the car running for a few hours with the heater set on the 30 and the window cracked slightly. Take the keys inside with you, and do it during the day so your neighbours don’t keep coming round to tell you you’ve left your lights on (ask me how I know!!)

Nice idea, except for the fact that you can't lock the car from the outside while it's turned on ?! (Mine just beeps in complaint if I try)

If the car is on and unlocked anyone can drive it away even if the keys aren't still in the car.

Pre-heat only runs the A/C if the car needs to be cooled, not if it needs to be heated. It works similarly to Auto mode although it does cycle through multiple vent settings during the 30 minute pre condition period.

 

[dk6780]

If the car is on and unlocked anyone can drive it away even if the keys aren't still in the car.

Mine will not go into gear without the keys being present.

 

[Edd Beesley]

Nice idea, except for the fact that you can't lock the car from the outside while it's turned on ?! (Mine just beeps in complaint if I try)

If the car is on and unlocked anyone can drive it away even if the keys aren't still in the car.

Pre-heat only runs the A/C if the car needs to be cooled, not if it needs to be heated. It works similarly to Auto mode although it does cycle through multiple vent settings during the 30 minute pre condition period.

Yes they could, but wouldn't get far! Once the car needs recharging you're stuck. And I believe you can lock the door with the physical key from outside.

 

[DBMandrake]

Mine will not go into gear without the keys being present.

Are you absolutely sure? Because mine will...

To test, I sat in the car, turned it on, left it in park, got out of the car with the keys, took the keys inside the house, returned to the car without the keys, closed the door - the dashboard complains "key not present", but happily let me put the car in drive or reverse and drive the car multiple times...

This is pretty standard with keyless systems by the way - the key is only needed to "start" the car, once started the car will drive for any length of time with the key missing.

If you turn the car off then you're stuffed of course, hence the constant warning on the dashboard that the key is missing.

Yes they could, but wouldn't get far! Once the car needs recharging you're stuck.

Indeed, but a thief only needs to drive a car to a waiting garage somewhere - they're not likely to drive it hundreds of miles and stop for a leisurely rapid charge and coffee along the way...

And I believe you can lock the door with the physical key from outside.

The drivers door, yes, but it leaves all the other doors unlocked...

Also, you can't use the lock button on the inside of the door with the door open when the car is turned on.

So it seems to be pretty much impossible to leave a Leaf turned on and locked with the key and driver removed from the car...

 

[Edd Beesley]

Are you absolutely sure? Because mine will...

To test, I sat in the car, turned it on, left it in park, got out of the car with the keys, took the keys inside the house, returned to the car without the keys, closed the door - the dashboard complains "key not present", but happily let me put the car in drive or reverse and drive the car multiple times...

This is pretty standard with keyless systems by the way - the key is only needed to "start" the car, once started the car will drive for any length of time with the key missing.

If you turn the car off then you're stuffed of course, hence the constant warning on the dashboard that the key is missing.

Indeed, but a thief only needs to drive a car to a waiting garage somewhere - they're not likely to drive it hundreds of miles and stop for a leisurely rapid charge and coffee along the way...

The drivers door, yes, but it leaves all the other doors unlocked...

Also, you can't use the lock button on the inside of the door with the door open when the car is turned on.

So it seems to be pretty much impossible to leave a Leaf turned on and locked with the key and driver removed from the car...

Easy to lock up! Roll down window. Get out of car. lean in and press lock button, then do the auto close window. Tada! Make sure you have your keys in your pocket.

 

[DBMandrake]

Easy to lock up! Roll down window. Get out of car. lean in and press lock button, then do the auto close window. Tada! Make sure you have your keys in your pocket.

I'm guessing auto roll up is an optional feature? My 30 Tekna doesn't have auto roll up for the drivers door even though the button seems to have two upwards positions...

 

[Edd Beesley]

Really?? It might just need re programming (think it's roll all the way down and hold the switch in position for ten seconds, then roll all the way up and hold in position for ten seconds). Mines a 2011 so could well be different but seems an odd feature to drop!

 

[Jedispooner]

I'm guessing auto roll up is an optional feature? My 30 Tekna doesn't have auto roll up for the drivers door even though the button seems to have two upwards positions...

My Tekna 30 2017 has auto roll up and down on the drivers side, second stage on the switch it goes all the way up and down..

 

[ahutcheon]

Really?? It might just need re programming (think it's roll all the way down and hold the switch in position for ten seconds, then roll all the way up and hold in position for ten seconds). Mines a 2011 so could well be different but seems an odd feature to drop!

My 2014 didn't have working auto up/down when I got it, but when I followed the instructions (something like you say above) the two-position switch started working as expected. So they do need re-programming sometimes, it seems.

 

[dk6780]

I'm guessing auto roll up is an optional feature? My 30 Tekna doesn't have auto roll up for the drivers door even though the button seems to have two upwards positions...

Like the others, my 2016 LEAF30 Tekna has the auto option.

Are you absolutely sure? Because mine will...

To test, I sat in the car, turned it on, left it in park, got out of the car with the keys, took the keys inside the house, returned to the car without the keys, closed the door - the dashboard complains "key not present", but happily let me put the car in drive or reverse and drive the car multiple times...

I was wrong. It behaves like yours.

 

[DBMandrake]

Really?? It might just need re programming (think it's roll all the way down and hold the switch in position for ten seconds, then roll all the way up and hold in position for ten seconds). Mines a 2011 so could well be different but seems an odd feature to drop!

Aha!

Holding the auto position in each direction for 10 seconds seems to have solved it. Auto down and up now both work.

 

[jbd1974]

I'd forgotten that the pre-heat doesn't use the AC, that's a bit of an issue.

My drivers windows now has auto close working again - ta!

I think my preferred way for leaving it running is to use LEAF spy to set it such that just the driver's door unlocks and then use the key to manually lock it, although I confess I've not tried yet.

Looking here (click) it seems possible to code my initial want, but it's beyond my IT skills.

 

[Aragorn]

there are a few python libraries you could use to do it, but as you've probably discovered it would need some programming ability.

 

[DBMandrake]

there are a few python libraries you could use to do it, but as you've probably discovered it would need some programming ability.

Any pointers on where to look for those of us who do program in Python?

The only problem with this approach may be that the Nissan connected services really don't like more than one device logging into the account at once. For example logging in via My Leaf or the You+Nissan portal actually logs out the Nissan Connect EV app on my phone... (Why Nissan, why.... more than one person might want to drive and remote control a car without having to manually reauthenticate all the time...)

 

[Aragorn]

I've been playing a little today.

got pycarwings2 (pycarwings2) to poll the car and get latest SoC and Time_to_charge

Then got the OctopusAgile library (markgdev/OctopusAgile) querying the Agile API for the cheapest continuous "time_to_charge" block between 11pm and 8am.

Then sending a web request to my Sonoff/Tasmota device to switch the charger on at the optimal time.

I've not had any nissan authentication issues, although i dont normally use the nissan app, i use MyLeaf instead.