WetEV
Well-known member
drees said:
And if this was offered in 2011 with the battery capacity warranty, I'd bet sales of battery packs would be in the low single digits by now... But would have been very valuable in terms of better press.
Update on Nissan LEAF Battery Replacement
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And if this was offered in 2011 with the battery capacity warranty, I'd bet sales of battery packs would be in the low single digits by now... But would have been very valuable in terms of better press.
Valdemar
Well-known member
Even after the capacity warranty is no more and the reduced range is causing some pains, considering one has the desire to keep the car long enough it is probably wise to wait until the 100k mile/8 year manufacturing defect warranty is out before committing to an out of pocket pack replacement. $6500 is a lot of green to get back those 20-30 miles, and nobody yet knows how long they will last.
You nailed the logic that led us to trade in our 2011 this weekend for a 2015. The more generous (and endangered) GA tax credit, plus that $1000 loyalty coupon made it an even easier choice. But before the battery price was announced, we would not have considered buying from Nissan again and we wouldn't want to buy another pre-lizard battery. I guess the lizard is still unproven, but second-generation unproven sounds better than the first.drees said:
Valdemar
Well-known member
nogajim said:
Only if that makes you more comfortable
evnow
Well-known member
Isn't lease the way out of such unknowns ?nogajim said:
Yes, but we bought the first time and we would still have something useful at the end by buying again. The hope is that it will last a year or so longer than the first one before we need a battery and it has the faster charger, etc, so replacing the battery will make more sense the next time.evnow said:
I never said we used the best logic
evnow
Well-known member
Well, you pay one way or the other. Just a question to how you pay.KJD said:
BTW, that reply sounds like some kind of boiler plate argument I've seen a number of times - I guess mostly from people who don't understand leasing.
abasile
Well-known member
There's no doubt in my mind that buying vehicles and holding onto them for as long as possible, until they become expensive to maintain, is cheaper than purchasing or leasing a new car every three years.evnow said:
Also, human psychology always needs to be considered in financial decisions. The best decision might not always appear to be the most optimal in a spreadsheet.
Having a known battery replacement price is a case in point. Few will actually buy it, but it gives us comfort to know it. Reducing the number of unknowns in one's personal finances generally has psychological benefits.
Definitely agree there, but I bought my Leaf without any care for such. I know batteries degrade, it just happened to work out that my long commute (57.7mi) round trip should never be an issue. Even with 2/3 original capacity, I should be able to make that trip. If not, I can shave about 10mi from the trip requirements.abasile said:
TaylorSFGuy
Well-known member
mctom987 said:
Never is the wrong word here, it is just a case of when you won't be able to go 57.7 miles without charging.
You are lucky 57.7 miles is round trip and you may have an opportunity to trickle charge mid-way. I am no longer able to go 57.7 miles given the state my battery is in. My commute is between 63 and 65 miles each way and I am not looking forward to being restricted to less than 52 miles of range come Winter when I'm driving without heat trying to reach the QCs I am using in each direction of my commute.
Now that we have the benefit of knowledge and not just marketing, I think everyone should be realistic about capacity loss and more importantly the impact driving at freeway speeds and bad weather along with use of a heater have on range. You can review my carwings usage (SteveM). I'm pretty sure it is close to what you are doing and I work darn hard to get that. There are so many variables that impact our range and if you are pushing the envelope which is only a matter of time, you have to be paying attention and try to squeeze everything out of the battery you possibly can. Simply, when new, 80-85% of advertised range because you are driving on the freeway, 80% of that if you use heat and then you have the issue of capacity loss as it starts to happen.
You are fortunate that you can drop 5 miles each way. Many of us are already restricted to the shortest, and often not the fastest route available.
I am thrilled we now know what the cost of a new battery should be. When the hassle of charging along the way gets to be too much, I may replace my 2011 battery or I might start using the 2014 that is already sitting in my driveway.
All of that being said, I am a firm believer that the LEAF is a perfect car for someone driving less than 50 miles a day and I highly recommend it to anyone in that situation.
TaylorSFGuy said:
I'm consistently hitting 100mi range per charge I usually drive about 80mi before I recharge, and I have 20-25% SOC.
I don't save 5 miles each way, it's more of a triangle, instead of a line. If I charged only at one place (my house, for example), the entire circuit is 57.7mi. I can charge at work, and that saves 10 miles, meaning it's 47 to get home if I go that route, which I do twice a week, and the other 3 days it's just 20mi round trip.
It's certainly not a normal commute pattern, but it works really well for me. The fact I can do it without any gas is just awesome. My point was just that 60% original capacity should be enough for my current commute routes.
walterbays
Well-known member
Yes. It means you can keep your car indefinitely. You can wait for a bigger better battery, or you can renew your car today if you need the original range. Or you can trade in. The car's resale value won't go to zero. You can buy or you can lease. It's not a disposable car, and is not inherently inferior to a gasoline car.abasile said:
Nissan should have done this long ago. Even at a subsidized price the low number of replacements means their cost will be very small, while the benefits to the brand are very large.
johnrhansen
Well-known member
Is it possible a battery can be damaged in an accident? (Or gets fried in a heated paintbooth afterward) If so, there's another good reason to have replacement batteries available. If this happens in a nearly new car, it might be worth fixing now.
TaylorSFGuy
Well-known member
From mctom987: I'm consistently hitting 100mi range per charge I usually drive about 80mi before I recharge, and I have 20-25% SOC.
Yup - same here when it was new - easily doable. You are just 2 months in. It won't be this way for long - maybe just a year or two at your usage level but it will start to drop off. More importantly, Throw in colder weather, sitting in heat, rain and wind, wide open freeways, quick charging or just time and things will change. I didn't have anyone to tell me this and Nissan's 2011 scenarios at time of purchase weren't indicative of common commute or drive patterns. It probably wouldn't have changed my mind to purchase but I sure would have appreciated the heads up of what to expect. Nissan has since changed how they tell you your range may be less than advertised.
Thankfully this forum is here for people to do their research if they choose. I am surprised by how many people are thrown off by the guessometer. I probably meet one owner a week that complains about their range changing around so much.
Sounds like you can do this drive even at 60% capacity for some time to come. Enjoy your LEAF, they really are a fun car to own.
Yup - same here when it was new - easily doable. You are just 2 months in. It won't be this way for long - maybe just a year or two at your usage level but it will start to drop off. More importantly, Throw in colder weather, sitting in heat, rain and wind, wide open freeways, quick charging or just time and things will change. I didn't have anyone to tell me this and Nissan's 2011 scenarios at time of purchase weren't indicative of common commute or drive patterns. It probably wouldn't have changed my mind to purchase but I sure would have appreciated the heads up of what to expect. Nissan has since changed how they tell you your range may be less than advertised.
Thankfully this forum is here for people to do their research if they choose. I am surprised by how many people are thrown off by the guessometer. I probably meet one owner a week that complains about their range changing around so much.
Sounds like you can do this drive even at 60% capacity for some time to come. Enjoy your LEAF, they really are a fun car to own.
thankyouOB
Well-known member
evnow said:
i am with KJD; "understand" has a very large emotional component to it as well as a cash component.
not everything is just about the money.
and, as others point out, owning a car for a long period of serviceable use is cheaper than repeatedly leasing or buying new. that said, the >6k cost factor for the battery for a 2011-12 may alter that some.
evnow
Well-known member
Ofcourse it has an emotional component - that is why I suggest leasing to take that anxiety out of one's mind. With leasing you are essentially paying a little more for the peace of mind.thankyouOB said:
And, ofcourse "owning a car for a long period of serviceable use is cheaper than repeatedly leasing or buying new". It is cheaper to patch and wear the same pair of Jeans for 10 years than buy a new pair every year.
hill
Well-known member
too bad that, "wait for a bigger battery doesn't mean replacing your early model leaf battery with a bigger batterywalterbays said:
If the resale on your Leaf after say 9 years goes to $5k - and your battery has been sucked down to virtually unusable . . . . imo that's pretty close to a zero resale.
.
Valdemar
Well-known member
Heck, I'd be pretty happy if I could get 5k for my 9yo Leaf!
dhanson865
Well-known member
hill said:too bad that, "wait for a bigger battery doesn't mean replacing your early model leaf battery with a bigger batterywalterbays said:
If the resale on your Leaf after say 9 years goes to $5k - and your battery has been sucked down to virtually unusable . . . . imo that's pretty close to a zero resale.
.
you have to admit when it gets to that point a 2011 leaf will be a more reliable beater than any other sub $5000 car on the road. Pop a junkyard battery, or some aftermarket battery pack in it and go...