The Aftermarket Traction Battery Thread

[JeremyW]

This thread is dedicated to the crazy idea that given enough money, engineering time, luck, blood, sweat, and tears, one could develop an aftermarket traction pack for the leaf that has more capacity than a new Nissan pack. I want to persue this because I am very underwhelmed by Nissan's "battery pricing" concept.

Nine bars of capacity is not doable for me, and I know I am not alone. I intend to use the original pack (or just the modules) as grid storage for my home, softening the financial hit.

Oh, I should probably just get a tesla. But that's no fun.

[Nubo]

Maybe not so crazy.

[TaylorSFGuy]

Maybe not so crazy.

Which point? The aftermarket battery or buying a Tesla? I'm not terribly impressed at all by the replacement plan.

I expected outsiders to be providing a replacement at or above the original equipment.

But staying true to the thread - I wouldn't mind being a guinea pig for such a battery. I don't have the knowledge to do it myself but I can sure put it through its paces.

[adric22]

It could probably be made with off-the-shelf panasonic cells like Tesla uses. But the hard part would be creating a battery ECU that will talk to the rest of the car. Plus you'd have to make an enclosure. TMS is pretty much out of the question except for maybe warming the battery pack, since the car does not provide cooling.

[davewill]

TMS is pretty much out of the question except for maybe warming the battery pack, since the car does not provide cooling.

In general, I agree, but it should be possible to tap into the AC system to cool a pack. Just a little plumbing.

[dm33]

Maybe not so crazy.

Which point? The aftermarket battery or buying a Tesla? I'm not terribly impressed at all by the replacement plan.

I expected outsiders to be providing a replacement at or above the original equipment.

But staying true to the thread - I wouldn't mind being a guinea pig for such a battery. I don't have the knowledge to do it myself but I can sure put it through its paces.

How much are you willing to pay? That's the key to a successful battery replacement business.

With the government subsidy and Nissan apparently subsidizing leases, it's hard to know the true cost of the vehicle and battery. Is it really worth replacing vs. getting a new car?

[thankyouOB]

i bought some not-apple APPLE batteries.
they were worthless after 6 months.

this will be tricky, at best.

[Nubo]

Maybe not so crazy.

Which point? The aftermarket battery or buying a Tesla?

Aftermarket battery. There are already cells with better heat tolerance and cycle life. Not sure about energy density but there is additional room in the vehicle so I'm not sure exact form-factor replacement is a must. The real nut to crack would be tweaking and interfacing with the control systems.

[adric22]

i bought some not-apple APPLE batteries. they were worthless after 6 months.
.

I've had the same experience. Not only with aftermarket Apple batteries but with camcorder and cell phone batteries too. The cheap ones from China last about 6 months and die. I suspect the manufacturers know this, but figure nobody will bother trying to return a $10 battery after 6 months.

But if you went with Panasonic cells, I don't see how you could go wrong.

[mwalsh]

i bought some not-apple APPLE batteries. they were worthless after 6 months.
.

I've had the same experience. Not only with aftermarket Apple batteries but with camcorder and cell phone batteries too. The cheap ones from China last about 6 months and die. I suspect the manufacturers know this, but figure nobody will bother trying to return a $10 battery after 6 months.

But if you went with Panasonic cells, I don't see how you could go wrong.

+1. Will not touch anything other than brand-label batteries. Not worth the hassle.