SHENZHEN FACTORY TECHNOLOGY battery packs- is it real?

[GentleGiant]

My understanding is that the Leaf manages the charging rate, regardless of the available power at the charging point. My Leaf charges at a maximum of about 45kWh up to around 60%, beyond which the charging rate gradually reduces. By the time you reach 90% the charge rate is less than 10kWh. So there's little point in charging beyond 80-90% at public rapid chargers. The shortage of Chademo chargers means you're likely to keep others waiting!
I generally only charge to 100% at home on 7kW chargers. The charging rate still drops a bit as you approach 100%. It's a 2018 car so 6 years old, and the battery is still reading excellent.

I pulled in next to the only working charger at Stafford South motorway station to find an older Leaf charging, "No worries", I thought, "It's already at 74%, the driver will be going soon".

At 80%, the driver got out of the car and walked off!!

By 90%, the car was drawing about 2KW; at this point I had been waiting 35 minutes, there was no sign of the driver, so I gave up and limped to the next charger, 18 miles away (GOM range 24 miles).

 

[MikeinPA]

There is a 40kWH version from Vivne. But the cost difference is ~$1000 for potentially 30% more range

I would not ever recommend buying something like this from anyone other than a real aftermarket parts company. Period. Lives depend on it.

 

[JMTUT]

I would not ever recommend buying something like this from anyone other than a real aftermarket parts company. Period. Lives depend on it.

I do appreciate your position. There is some risk in any automotive part purchased from an unknown supplier. However, any aftermarket part is an unknown quantity until someone buys the parts and tests them. I will certainly perform due diligence as much as possible and not keep the car in an area that will endanger the public or my family. However, I refuse to submit to the idea these cars are junk after the equivalent of the engine from an ICE vehicle no longer works.

 

[MikeinPA]

However, any aftermarket part is an unknown quantity until someone buys the parts and tests them.

No.

 

[lley]

yastetech.com

View attachment 5315

 

[JMTUT]

After careful consideration and lot of phone calls, I have decided to go with a 40kWh battery from Greentec installed locally. 36 month warranty and local service/install are just too hard to overcome. Also will be completed within 3 weeks. Overall price about $1000.00 more than ordering the Chinese battery. I'm hoping these prices continue to drop in the US as the newer factories come on line.

 

[noelho]

After careful consideration and lot of phone calls, I have decided to go with a 40kWh battery from Greentec installed locally. 36 month warranty and local service/install are just too hard to overcome. Also will be completed within 3 weeks. Overall price about $1000.00 more than ordering the Chinese battery. I'm hoping these prices continue to drop in the US as the newer factories come on line.

Nice. Its good that you have a local option with warranty.

 

[Ryan]

After careful consideration and lot of phone calls, I have decided to go with a 40kWh battery from Greentec installed locally. 36 month warranty and local service/install are just too hard to overcome. Also will be completed within 3 weeks. Overall price about $1000.00 more than ordering the Chinese battery. I'm hoping these prices continue to drop in the US as the newer factories come on line.

Good for you. I myself just prefer the new

 

[forkcastflotlag]

BMS is most commonly used across EVs. = Battery Management System
LBC is, as fas as I know, only used in reference to Nissan Leaf parts = Lithium Battery Controller.

They are the same thing. If you looked up the thing that controls the modules on a Nissan parts list it would say LBC. If you were talking across the wider industry you would say BMS as that’s a common term that everyone understands,

CAN is a message protocol used across all kinds of cars, not just EVs. So CANbus is the network that carries those messages.

Many Leaf battery modifications use a CANbridge. It’s a small device that can translate CAN messages to make them compatible with different generation hardware. Work long beach port drayage company pioneered by DalaEVRepair on YouTube.

Great and informative

 

[MikeinPA]

Good for you. I myself just prefer the new

How do you know the asian builds are using new batteries?

 

[JMTUT]

How do you know the asian builds are using new batteries?

It does seem to be buyer beware/wild west on all of these. I do know when my business sources from China, we have to test everything. (Titania, Zirconia, etc.) We have had to reject more than one for purity.

 

[AdventureMuffin]

I purchased from Yaste Tech, much acceptable, high quality with catl modules and all fees included

How was your experience? Have you installed? Expectations met?

 

[JMTUT]

How was your experience? Have you installed? Expectations met?

Installation is scheduled for next week. I'll update after.

 

[EVPowers]

How do you know the asian builds are using new batteries?

Often you don't know. Even if they are New, they may be "B" grade cells, or worse.

Remember that none of these companies sent evaluation packs to USA installers for testing.

Instead each and every one of you folks here get to pay for the privilege.

If anyone else wants to roll the dice and have one of these installed, you buy the pack and I will give you a deal on my labor.

 

[MikeinPA]

I do wonder where the cells are coming from. The pack makers are not large enough to get contracts with big cell manufactures, and besides the prices is way too low. I wonder if they are just harvesting cells from finished packs, like these CATL packs. There is a lot of new old stock of these units out there, and in fact one of the close ups of "new" cells in one of the videos you can see the saw marks on top of the cells showing they had been salvaged. Buyers beware! And I also wonder if this forum should be doing anything to help the purchasers of these packs--are we just enabling an inherently dangerous modifiation to the Leaf?

 

[EVPowers]

My predication is after plenty of people get shafted, eventually there may be a few decent suppliers. Until they run out of good stock, and then it'll be a race to the bottom. Some of these companies will come and go, leaving buyers holding the bag.
The packs will be fine, until they aren't.
But it'll be cheaper than the dealership. And people will have saved money in the short term.
You can't protect people from themselves.

 

[MikeinPA]

My prediction is that due to poor engineering, busbars or cells inside the case will heat up more than they should. Each cycle of heating will cause some deterioration, possibly as oxidation at the connection, possible as increasing resistance inside the cell, eventually leading to failure. Since heat is involved, and unspecified battery chemistry as well, fire is always a potential conclusion to this experiment. Or vibration will loosen up the half-assed construction in some of these. Or water will get past the 1" tall rubber spacer they are using in some of these builds.

The packs will be fine, until they aren't.

Then the car safety and car insurance folks are going to get involved, and woe is they who have modified Leafs.

 

[ElectricToolbox]

I purchased from Yaste Tech, much acceptable, high quality with catl modules and all fees included

2024 now. I have purchased similar from YASTE, hoping to pickup my battery this week.
Can you update on your experience?
I will be self installing, purchasing insulating gloves etc. don't mind admitting a little scared as my industrial experience has both prepared me for this and provided sufficient knowledge of the risk to not be complacent.

 

[EVPowers]

Did they provide torque specs for all of the connectors? Especially bussbars.
If they did, can you please post those numbers?

 

[JMTUT]

My prediction is that due to poor engineering, busbars or cells inside the case will heat up more than they should. Each cycle of heating will cause some deterioration, possibly as oxidation at the connection, possible as increasing resistance inside the cell, eventually leading to failure. Since heat is involved, and unspecified battery chemistry as well, fire is always a potential conclusion to this experiment. Or vibration will loosen up the half-assed construction in some of these. Or water will get past the 1" tall rubber spacer they are using in some of these builds.

Then the car safety and car insurance folks are going to get involved, and woe is they who have modified Leafs.

I don't think car insurance will become a huge issue. At least in my case the car is well out of warranty and I do not have full coverage. Liability only. It falls under the same thing I have done with older cars that are modified with a different engine. That market is fully aware of insurance and "buyer beware" risks. I would hope people realize this would affect any comprehensive insurance coverage on the car and may require specialty insurance. (full disclosure: my choice at the end was to go with a local company that uses Nissan batteries and has a warranty because of the lower risk)