Gen 2 battery in Gen 1 Leaf (I'm a total NEWB)

[2006Corolla]

Admin, please delete this thread if it has been discussed ( I couldn't find it)

According to GreenCarReports in regards to the shape/size of the 40kwh battery pack, it's the same as Gen 1! So being clueless as I am, I think to myself, I put a larger battery in my phone of the same form factor, same voltage, with more amp hours and it works....

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1112505_nine-things-you-should-know-about-the-2018-nissan-leaf-electric-car/page-2

"(9) Its 40-kwh battery pack has the same form factor as the older 24- and 30-kwh packs in 2011 through 2017 Leafs.

For owners of older Leafs from the 2011 through 2017 model years, the idea of a pack swap just got more interesting.

Nissan engineers said the 40-kwh pack in the 2018 car uses the same form factor and connections as the earlier car's battery.

2011 Nissan Leaf
The new car draws more power from its motor, and there are likely unspecified changes to its power electronics as well.

Still, does that mean that older Leafs with 24-kwh packs that are now losing capacity could have a newer 2018 pack fitted? And what would such a pack cost?

Inquiring minds want to know ... but we fear that story will have to wait for another day."


I have searched the interwebz up and down and this is the only place I've seen make this claim. Without the vehicle being on the streets here (not in consumers hands at least), I know it's impossible to physically check things out, but does any member have any ideas or contacts to check the validity of this? I know Nissan would much rather sell you a new car than a battery pack (unless they mark it WAY UP), but I also know that in order to keep costs low, they want to redesign as few things possible, and believe that in 7 years time, it is not unreasonable to assume that battery technology has improved enough to fit 1/3 more capacity in the same footprint.

Thoughts?

 

[Bigboler]

I have had the same thought, as I am sure many others have. I am thinking of wrecked 2018 Leafs whose battery packs will start being available in a year or so. I understand there is a code shared between the BMS in the battery pack and the car that must be the same, and I am sure other can bus codes that would be different from the new to old pack.

I was thinking that a translator electronic system between the pack and the car that would fake out the car and make it happy with a foreign body part. I don't have a understanding of electronics that would enable this to be done but there should be folks on the forum that would understand the requirements

We could call it the "Babble Fish Project", after the universal language translator in Hitchhikers guide to the universe

 

[Nubo]

...
I was thinking that a translator electronic system between the pack and the car that would fake out the car and make it happy with a foreign body part. I don't have a understanding of electronics that would enable this to be done but there should be folks on the forum that would understand the requirements

We could call it the "Babble Fish Project", after the universal language translator in Hitchhikers guide to the universe

It's called a GEVCU.

 

[dsh]

It will only make sense for Nissan to keep the battery size standard for all leafs built from 2011 going forward. Remember these electric cars are built to last for 100,000 200,000 miles. When the 24kwh battery goes bad in an older 2011 Leaf, eventually Nissan will just upgrade the car with the newest model year pack available. This is the language that was in the Class Action Lawsuit. This provides Nissan with better economies of scale so they don't have waste money building smaller packs. They will keep the shell casing all the same size for any future batteries. For example a D size battery is a D size battery is a D size battery, regardless if it's an Energizer battery or one of the newer more powerful D size batteries it's still a D size battery.

 

[Bigboler]

I think babel fish sounds better then Generalized Electric Vehicle Control Unit . Well we all ready have the device, just need smart people with inordinate amounts of free time on their hands.

Renault is providing an upgrade from 24 to 40 Kwh in the Zoe so there is some hope, although it's not cheap

 

[dsh]

Yes and the Zoe uses the same battery as the LEAF, so I think there is definitely a way that they can put the newer packs in the 2011 1st Gen vehicles.