Discouraged by 2013 resale value

[Cmahrle]

It’s not, per se, the resale value of my 2013 S that discourages me; it’s that it seems like the battery should be worth about that much as a home backup. After all, with 11 bars left (~78k miles), it’s almost the equivalent of two Powerwalls of power (just add inverter and a couple other gadgets and doohickies). Yes, I know it’s been done. My technical comfort level just isn’t there. It just seems like this would be more of a thing, that there would be more of a plug-and-play solution, or that there would be a retail service that does this. By leaving it in the car, it’s like, “buy my battery, get a free car!” (So if there’s anyone in the Hagerstown, MD area who’s done this and has some time to kill….)

<<rambling over>>

 

[Malcky]

There definitely needs to be a way to make use of the batteries that NO longer serve the needs for a car.....and re-purpose them for other needs....like for home power storage use....at an affordable price to do so as well.
For someone that has the skill set for such a service.....they could start up a company and become very wealthy.

 

[Dooglas]

A 2013 LEAF with 11 bars on the main traction battery has a lot of life left for use as transportation. You are a long ways away from the vehicle "no longer serving needs for a car". If you do not wish to use the car any longer and feel like the resale value isn't enough incentive to sell it, you might consider passing it on to another family member who needs and would use it.

 

[Drew21]

Are you trying to sell? If you are, the market is the market. If not, why does it matter what the car is worth?

As Dooglas said, if you still have 11 SOH bars without major mechanical issues you have a car that hasn't degraded any further from it's new condition than a typical 10-year-old ICE vehicle with the same mileage. If you don't need to sell, just keep driving and enjoy.

 

[GentleGiant]

With LiPo battery solutions costing upwards of £1,000 per KWh, we are all sitting on a fortune.

 

[Bombastinator2]

The issue is resale price doesn’t follow electric use yet. If it was an ICE car of that year and mileage, what would its resale be? To turn that battery into a home backup a lot of things would need to be done to it. Like removing it from the vehicle and doing all the setup. Simply plugging it in as a home backup still requires stuff, and then you have a power wall that consumes an entire garage stall, which a lot of people cannot afford to do. Some people don’t have any garage stall at all. Anyone in an apartment building has to rent one. In my case it would cost an extra $160/mo.. IF I could even get a second stall.

 

[MikeinPA]

With LiPo battery solutions costing upwards of £1,000 per KWh, we are all sitting on a fortune.

Closer to 250$/kwh for all weather, UL1973, UL9540A compliant units.

 

[atikovi]

What resale value are you getting that seems discouraging? Only asking because my 13 SV has more miles and less range but would make a great commuter car instead of a backup power source you may only use a few a times a year for a few hours.

 

[Bombastinator2]

I understand the used market in general isn’t great and that rental company dumping all those teslas didn’t help matters

 

[atikovi]

I understand the used market in general isn’t great and that rental company dumping all those teslas didn’t help matters

That's pretty irrelevant on a 12 year old $5,000-ish EV.

 

[Sparkland]

The residual value of our 2024 Nissan LEAF SV Plus is $27K. There is no way that vehicle will sell for anything close to that on the open market when my lease is up in 2024. The residual value of my 2024 Kia EV6 (MSRP $54K) is $30K. Now that is much more reasonable and might be worth a buyout at the end of the lease.

OTOH, We love driving the LEAF. It is so easy to park and maneuver. We don't use it for trips. I have to say it is one of my wife's favorite vehicles we have ever owned. At $58/month for the lease it is a steal.

 

[Bombastinator2]

That's pretty irrelevant on a 12 year old $5,000-ish EV.

Depends.

 

[atikovi]

Depends.

Not many people looking at 2 year old $20,000-$30,000 Teslas are cross-shopping for 12 year old Leafs.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Not many people looking at 2 year old $20,000-$30,000 Teslas are cross-shopping for 12 year old Leafs.

Not many people rip the batteries out of two year old teslas to make powerwalls either.

 

[atikovi]

Not many people rip the batteries out of two year old teslas to make powerwalls either.

I don't see a lot of people doing the same on Leafs either, with all the $2,000 examples on Facebook that have been listed for 5 10 or 15 weeks without selling.

 

[Bombastinator2]

I don't see a lot of people doing the same on Leafs either, with all the $2,000 examples on Facebook that have been listed for 5 10 or 15 weeks without selling.

So you agree.

 

[atikovi]

What was the question? OP seems to have been making a statement.

 

[LeafNissan1]

The residual value of our 2024 Nissan LEAF SV Plus is $27K. There is no way that vehicle will sell for anything close to that on the open market when my lease is up in 2024. The residual value of my 2024 Kia EV6 (MSRP $54K) is $30K. Now that is much more reasonable and might be worth a buyout at the end of the lease.

OTOH, We love driving the LEAF. It is so easy to park and maneuver. We don't use it for trips. I have to say it is one of my wife's favorite vehicles we have ever owned. At $58/month for the lease it is a steal.

Interesting, you mention that you have a 2024 Leaf and the lease will be up in 2024, what was the length of the lease and how much up-front did you put in at drive-off to get the monthly down to $58? Was the lease through a Nissan dealer?

 

[cdherman]

Used EV market is in flux and maturing. For now, I think its a buyers market (meaning, sellers are at a disadvantage). Those of us with some experience see a used EV as a great vehicle for any number of drivers. But there are tons of buyers out there who categorically don't even think about an old EV. That limits your pool of buyers. And then, realize that the food chain of used vehicles ends with people who likely have no garage, no charging infrastructure, and sadly no knowledge how to overcome the latter problems.

This will change. But early adopters that choose to sell their EV at the wrong time will experience some loss. I say this from personal knowledge.......

 

[Bombastinator2]

Used EV market is in flux and maturing. For now, I think its a buyers market (meaning, sellers are at a disadvantage). Those of us with some experience see a used EV as a great vehicle for any number of drivers. But there are tons of buyers out there who categorically don't even think about an old EV. That limits your pool of buyers. And then, realize that the food chain of used vehicles ends with people who likely have no garage, no charging infrastructure, and sadly no knowledge how to overcome the latter problems.

This will change. But early adopters that choose to sell their EV at the wrong time will experience some loss. I say this from personal knowledge.......

I concur. Non-urban and lower income people are mostly locked out of the market. Currently you need to be able to hook up to your meter.
TLDNR: why
There are a few free chargers around, but I do not expect them to stay free. And “vending machine” chargers are sometimes orders of magnitude more expensive. Meanwhile some people either have to drive so far that an ev becomes impractical or they cannot economically charge it in the first place. While a plug-in hybrid still makes sense for these drivers, generally, a pure EV does not. You can commute with a smaller vehicle using nothing but a 110 outlet, but a lot of apartment dwellers can’t arrange even that. I suspect we will start to see “luggable” battery banks one drags up to one’s unit to chargeh, then down to the car again to power it. Sneakernet electricity. Gasoline was like that at the turn of the 20th century. Cleaning fluid you got in the mail by the quart.
TLDNR: future speculation
If I was going to make an electric car for such people I would do it with removable battery packs on wheels you could take on an elevator, then charge at level 1 in one’s apartment overnight on a 110v outlet. The “robotaxi” is Tesla’s “fleet”low end car, but it does not have this.