Battery Replacement Program Details

[vrwl]

"....... you can check in any time you like, but you can never leave."

 

[aatheus]

I must echo others' concerns about this announcement. I leased my 2012 SL because I knew that interesting changes in batteries were Coming Soon, but I wanted an EV now. I have owned my last 3 cars. Not financed, not leased, but owned. I really want to own my next Leaf, but if my only options are to be a perpetual battery lease payment, no thanks.

Unless Nissan or a third party offers traction batteries for direct purchase, my next Leaf will be another lease. I will not buy a new car that I cannot currently buy spare parts for. I'm not willing to purchase based on a gamble that a third party will provide traction batteries for direct sale "someday".

--------------------
2012 Red SL w/QC port; Leased 10/2012; just hit 11,098 miles
Redwood City, CA

 

[evnow]

It's not the difficulty of the math and I don't have a problem with amortizing the cost. But it IS perpetuity as far as has been described till now.

Perpetuity is a long time - even EVs don't last for ever.

Most likely scenario is that, when the first rental hits 70% you trade in and buy a new car. That might be in 10 years. Hopefully you can get a 250 mile car for $20k by then. In fact the first rental might be a 35kWh battery.

 

[Valdemar]

I hope that the $100/no figure is not based on the 7500 annual miles in Seattle usage model, and driving twice that in Phoenix will cost $200 or more. All in all the phrase "Just drive the Prius" makes much more sense in the light of this announcement.

 

[evnow]

I hope that the $100/no figure is not based on the 7500 annual miles in Seattle usage model, and driving twice that in Phoenix will cost $200 or more. All in all the phrase "Just drive the Prius" makes much more sense in the light of this announcement.

Most likely Seattle renters will be subsidizing phoenix ones.

 

[Valdemar]

I hope that the $100/no figure is not based on the 7500 annual miles in Seattle usage model, and driving twice that in Phoenix will cost $200 or more. All in all the phrase "Just drive the Prius" makes much more sense in the light of this announcement.

Most likely Seattle renters will be subsidizing phoenix ones.

There won't be too many of them.

 

[evnow]

There won't be too many of them.

If battery rental becomes part of new car buying, there can be many.

 

[walterbays]

I'm sure Nissan thought of an end point. Dealer: you're paying $100/mo now. For just another $150 I can put you into this brand new 2018 model with better range and more features. Oh, you want to sell it on Craig's list or trade it in on a Honda? Why ever would you? They never thought of that. They'll have to ponder that some more, and get back to you by the end of summer.

 

[TomT]

It won't ever happen. Period.

Something nobody has talked about is the "latest technology" angle... if they want to put in a 40kwh pack is the hundred a month deal more attractive?

 

[TomT]

One has to wonder how different this might be if Musk was running the Nissan EV division...

you are thinking about a Q&A now? hard to believe that this is the way a major international corporation rolls out a major program for a key, new brand.
but maybe we are just a free focus group, and the real work of communicating with the public comes later.

 

[SuperBlack]

One has to wonder how different this might be if Musk was running the Nissan EV division...

I think you'd be looking at a $75,000 Nissan EV that was totally awesome.

 

[kmp647]

here is my battery replacement program: option 1: trade in car and get new battery with new car (what nissan wants)

option 2: purchase salvage leaf or leaf battery and swap packs

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

People keep referring to this notion the the used pack/modules has value and Nissan should be giving some trade in value for it. I'm not seeing that, nobody is going to want a used battery to make a car that was only going 15 miles go 20, people in that economic strata will be buying used kias. As for the solar storage angle Nissan isn't in that business, and I doubt they want to get into it just to unload used car parts as a free service, not to mention the whole product liability can of worms that opens.

 

[charlestonleafer]

I can't understand why they won't release a price for pack replacement? What are the ramifications of releasing a price? It's clear that people want it.

 

[Newporttom]

As an owner (not a leaser) I have mixed emotions about this. I was ultra-concerned that after 60,000 miles (which will come at about 4.5 years at present rate) when the battery became too depleted I would be forced to purchase a $10,00 (or higher) battery, or have to dump the car and take a big financial hit.

I at least have assurance now that at 60,000 miles I can get a "new start" and be kept at minimum 9 bars for a reasonable cost of $100 a month. On the other hand, If I'm driving 1110 miles per month in a car that gets 28 MPG with gas at $4 a gallon that's only $143 a month in gas, with none of the limitations the Leaf has range-wise.

This doesn't even address my personal situation in that once I hit 10 bars I probably can't use it for one my normal trips, to downtown Jax and back 53 miles of which 20 or so is highway.

I lost my first bar yesterday.

It might be acceptable if my local Nissan Dealer had a Level 3 charger. There's not a single one in the entire city of Jacksonville.

I guess I'll wait and see how this plays out. If hitting 8 bars means you are taken to 9 that is not very useful. If you hit 9 and they take you to 12 the warranty looks pretty decent.

 

[WetEV]

I understand the 70% part. Or maybe Nissan should explain it by providing a lease with 80% replacement, at about twice the price.

I don't understand, and am very disappointed at, the "lease" only option. While I personally am unlikely to need to a new battery this decade, I may eventually. Even if the price is fairly high now, I can hope it will decline with time.

This might meet the needs of some that own a Leaf in hot places like AZ and TX and wished that they had leased, but frankly, anyone else would be far better off just leasing a car. No exit date on the battery lease? Pathetic.

I am disappointed.

 

[JPWhite]

No exit date on the battery lease?

The lack of an exit date / exit terms is probably the biggest issue I can see with this program. IF Nissan can provide a clear rental exit strategy for folks signing up then we can evaluate the program on its merits. Without an exit date / terms who would sign-up 'for life' and beyond?

 

[braineo]

How to fix this mess?

1. offer a Groupon for a 1 time battery replacement.

2. Next time, buy a TESLA.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

I can't understand why they won't release a price for pack replacement? What are the ramifications of releasing a price? It's clear that people want it.

It finally dawned on me why this is so hard for them. It's because the price/cost really is what it was rumored to be originally, in the neighborhood of $15k, not $5 or 6k as suggested recently. Nissan gets big regulatory credits for selling EVs, so they will sell these cars for at a loss if need be and almost certainly are, but there are no such credits for replacement parts. Announcing/confirming to the world that a replacement battery costs $15k will totally kill the resale of these cars, which is problematic for Nissan since they have a boatload of them coming off lease. Of even greater concern, as if that's not enough, is it will unleash a media/PR nightmare for Nissan. So they came up with this scheme to kick the can down the road.

As long as conditions (mostly government mandated) rig the game so it's in Nissan's best financial interest to allow us to ride the cheap lease pony I say rock on. I really don't think you want to touch owning one of these cars unless you don't mind taking a bath on it.

 

[Stoaty]

Most likely Seattle renters will be subsidizing phoenix ones.

The exact reason I don't like the "rental" plan. It means that those who treat their battery well will be subsidizing those who abuse it, and renters in cool climates will be picking up part of the tab for Nissan's mistake in selling the Leaf in Arizona.