dsurber
Member
Nissan has said that there are many things that I as a driver can do to maximize battery life:
All the suggested warranty options are one size fits all. As a result A hot-rod driver in Phoenix with a Level 3 charger at home gets the same warranty as I do and I'm a smooth driver in a mild climate with a Level 2 charger. Which means either I get less warranty than I should or I pay for the warranty for the hot rodder. Given the level of computer power in the Leaf there is an alternative.
I suggest that the battery warranty be a simple, public function of readily verified data. The Leaf can monitor and record the environmental heat load, the charger use, the load statistics and based on those values compute a warranty curve. If battery capacity drops below the curve, the warranty kicks in.
The function must be public and users must be able to access the data the Leaf records. Further it would be best if the inputs to the formula were easily understood and could be estimated with reasonable accuracy independent of the Leaf. Each of the inputs to the formula should be discrete, eg 5 for Phoenix-like climate down to 1 for SF-like climate, 5 for daily use of Level 3 charger down to 1 for zero use of Level 3 charger, etc. A purchaser could estimate their values for the warranty formula and see what curve they would likely get. Over the life of the vehicle they could compare their estimates to what the Leaf itself was recording and possibly adapt their behavior.
This would have to be very transparent and very easily understood to work. But it would provide careful drivers with a warranty that truly covered battery failures without excessive cost due to drivers that stress their batteries.
Don't live in Phoenix
Don't use a Level 3 charger
Don't drive with a heavy foot
and more
All the suggested warranty options are one size fits all. As a result A hot-rod driver in Phoenix with a Level 3 charger at home gets the same warranty as I do and I'm a smooth driver in a mild climate with a Level 2 charger. Which means either I get less warranty than I should or I pay for the warranty for the hot rodder. Given the level of computer power in the Leaf there is an alternative.
I suggest that the battery warranty be a simple, public function of readily verified data. The Leaf can monitor and record the environmental heat load, the charger use, the load statistics and based on those values compute a warranty curve. If battery capacity drops below the curve, the warranty kicks in.
The function must be public and users must be able to access the data the Leaf records. Further it would be best if the inputs to the formula were easily understood and could be estimated with reasonable accuracy independent of the Leaf. Each of the inputs to the formula should be discrete, eg 5 for Phoenix-like climate down to 1 for SF-like climate, 5 for daily use of Level 3 charger down to 1 for zero use of Level 3 charger, etc. A purchaser could estimate their values for the warranty formula and see what curve they would likely get. Over the life of the vehicle they could compare their estimates to what the Leaf itself was recording and possibly adapt their behavior.
This would have to be very transparent and very easily understood to work. But it would provide careful drivers with a warranty that truly covered battery failures without excessive cost due to drivers that stress their batteries.