Can I upgrade my 2012 Leaf?
- Thread starter Yesus_P
- Start date
Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:
I am getting mine upgraded to 40kWh in the next two weeks by Greentec. https://www.greentecauto.com/ They use a can bridge setup to get the car to read range correctly. There may be some glitches. ~ $9000 US installed. I will report back on any issues.
There are other options from China but take several months to get to US. This (search for Shenzen in the forum) company does provide a 62kWh pack which claims to be plug and play. I did not want to risk the US customs entry and wanted a local company to work with so I chose Greentec.
There are other options from China but take several months to get to US. This (search for Shenzen in the forum) company does provide a 62kWh pack which claims to be plug and play. I did not want to risk the US customs entry and wanted a local company to work with so I chose Greentec.
buzz
Member
I have a 2012 Leafe in Bourne. I'm down to 30 miles between charges. I'm interested.
Mine is in the 27-30 mile range also. Bought the car this year. Wife has extreme range anxiety so I need to do something. You can contact https://www.greentecauto.com/ (get a faster response if you call) They have a 24 and 40kWh version and can locate a shop in your area that will install. Prices recently dropped to $4k and $8k respectively. I'll update after I get the install and let everyone know how it worked. I just hope I'm not throwing money away. My car only has 65k miles on it and should last another 6-10 years. (I've had my Sonata 16 years because I hate car payments)
Having done this myself (40 kWh upgrade) a couple years ago for slightly more $ (via a salvage Leaf), I can say that this is a fair price. I wouldn't touch the China stuff unless it was the only option.
Thanks for responding. I think Greentec prices have dropped on the 2011-2012 because the market is smaller due to cars going to the junkyard and the sales have dropped. Have you had any issues with the upgrade? (Strange glitches, range not reading correctly, etc.) If I do have problems, I guess I could reflash the can bridge with Dala's open source solution from Github...
![[2024 Upgraded] Retractable Car Charger, SUPERONE 69W Car Phone Charger with Cables Fast Charging, Gifts for Men Women Car Accessories for iPhone 16 15 14 13 12, Samsung, Black](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31-ZCpiDr2L._SL500_.jpg)
Clearly it is feasible to replace the battery in your '12 LEAF. The real question is whether it is cost effective to do so. That discussion has recently changed substantially due to the sharp decrease in the pricing of newer LEAFs on the used market and even the pricing of new old stock LEAFs on dealers lots. Before you commit to a replacement using a used/salvage battery or a new battery of questionable origin, I urge you to look at the current market for 2nd generation LEAFs and other similar EVs. You may find a vehicle with the battery capability you want, at a comparable or lower price than the battery replacement options you are considering.
IMHO, replacing the battery in an old Leaf (2015 or earlier) doesn't make any sense, financially or otherwise.
You just have to do the math for your area cost vs benefit. It works out for me to replace as the car is a known quantity with low mileage (for a 2012) car. Moving to a used car is an unknown risk at any time. Used leaf in my area 4-5 years old are still $15-17K. The lowest cost for a new EV at this point in my area is $30,000.00 so I chose to repair the current car. That being said, there is no car out there anywhere which is not going to lose value as a daily driver. A car that suits your wants/needs at the lowest cost is the only "value".
The only problem I had was unrelated to the upgrade: I had a bad cell/module that I had to replace (my pack only had ~800 miles on it when acquired). I used Dala's CAN-Bridge (and adapter cable)--back when he actually did the programming, etc. No issues, so I will probably never update it (if it ain't broke, don't fix it)!
buzz
Member
I get my 30 miles out of a 6 hour Level 1 charge. Over the years with this 2012 it has consistently given me 5 miles on the road for 1 hour of Level 1 charging. I charge, at night, to 80% per Nissan recommendation.
Roughly, let's assume 3.5 miles/kWh; 30 miles / 3.5 miles/kWh = ~8.5 kWh. Since charging isn't lossless, let's round up to 9.5 kWh consumed to gain 30 miles.
By lossless, I mean the charging system isn't 100% efficient so I added in 10% for the conversion process of going from 240 VAC to 400 VDC. If the battery needs to be filled 15%, the charging system will only use 15% or about 6 kWh of charge plus losses.
Last edited:
PixelStorm74
New member
You can definitely look into upgrading your 2012 Nissan Leaf, especially if you’re looking to improve its range or tech features. There are aftermarket battery upgrades available that can extend the vehicle's range, or you can upgrade its software and hardware to improve its performance. If your Leaf has been a reliable part of your family business, upgrading it might be a cost-effective way to keep it running smoothly rather than investing in a new vehicle. It’s a great way to save money and stay environmentally friendly!
Last edited:
Similar threads
