Anyone heard of this third party Nissan Leaf battery expansion?

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2048Megabytes

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Apr 29, 2014
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I have been reading about this third party expansion pack for the Nissan Leaf (for 2011 to 2014). It is $6,500 in cost. They claim to be able to double the range of your Nissan Leaf. I personally think adding 660 pounds of batteries to a Nissan Leaf that only has a 950 pound weight limit is pushing it, but if you were to only add 400 pounds lithium ion batteries it would expand the range to around 112 miles on a 100% charge with all new batteries.

Take a look and give me your opinions.

http://hybridindustries.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=188862608

http://hybridindustries.webs.com/

Edit: I calculate Nissan Leaf possible range differently than Nissan does. Nissan would probably put the range with the third party expanded battery at up to 134 miles. I do 84% of what Nissan says is the range and that is generally around what you get in real life (unless you are driving about 40 miles per hour on a level surface without heating or air conditioning).
 
I'd like to wait until they figure out batteries that are lighter and have more range. I knew what I was getting into when I got my leaf. if it can do 45miles round trip it, still, works for me.

But it wouldbe great if they can get the car to have a decent range so that it's more than just a work commute car.
 
This looks like a pack dropped in the back of the car and posted onto a blog. Regardless I would caution anyone that would consider something like this to do serious research first on the safely and track record of any company. Personally I think the entire concept here is too late and too little and has no profit for a company that does it properly. There are so many safety variables here it would take to long to list. Just buy an EV with the proper range.
 
What safety variables are you concerned with? Rear end collisions and possible projectiles from the expanded battery?
 
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=21873
Similar recent thread you may want to check out.
 
2048Megabytes said:
What safety variables are you concerned with? Rear end collisions and possible projectiles from the expanded battery?

That's a good start plus:
Car weight load- suspension, braking, etc etc.
Weight distribution/handling
Mounting safety
Changing crash worthiness
Exposed to passenger cabin (long list)
HV protection
Failsafes
Charging safety and isolation
The list goes on and on...
 
smkettner said:
Great to see the aftermarket getting started.


There have been companies doing these mods for a LEAF for a long time. Many are bankrupt and there are plenty of LEAF drivers that have non operable cars now. Buyer beware and best of luck to anyone that can do this safely and turn any profit to stay in business. The demand is so low and the market is changing so fast it seems like more of a hobby pursuit than a product with any real lifespan.
 
Makes me wonder also even if one were not to get this big third party battery expansion pack. Lithium ion batteries are now improving in capacity. With the same 2016 Nissan Leaf SL using the same battery weight in five years it might get you 15% further just by replacing the lithium ion batteries with new ones. Instead of 89 to 107 miles in range you would be getting about 102 miles to 123 miles on a 100% charge.

I think I want at least 110 miles in range due to battery degradation and my 65 mile current commute. I am presently driving a 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage that is getting me about 41 miles per gallon.
 
EVDRIVER said:
smkettner said:
Great to see the aftermarket getting started.


There have been companies doing these mods for a LEAF for a long time. Many are bankrupt and there are plenty of LEAF drivers that have non operable cars now. Buyer beware and best of luck to anyone that can do this safely and turn any profit to stay in business. The demand is so low and the market is changing so fast it seems like more of a hobby pursuit than a product with any real lifespan.

OK, I have not read a single post of a full aftermarket battery install that failed.

Still glad to see aftermarket getting started. My LEAF never really performed (range) as Nissan implied it would. In that sense I became stranded with a car that did not operate for my needs and that is with a Nissan battery.
 
smkettner said:
EVDRIVER said:
smkettner said:
Great to see the aftermarket getting started.


There have been companies doing these mods for a LEAF for a long time. Many are bankrupt and there are plenty of LEAF drivers that have non operable cars now. Buyer beware and best of luck to anyone that can do this safely and turn any profit to stay in business. The demand is so low and the market is changing so fast it seems like more of a hobby pursuit than a product with any real lifespan.

OK, I have not read a single post of a full aftermarket battery install that failed.

Still glad to see aftermarket getting started. My LEAF never really performed (range) as Nissan implied it would. In that sense I became stranded with a car that did not operate for my needs and that is with a Nissan battery.


Would you post that you spent a bunch of money and then it messed up your car? Can be embarrassing. I warned one person not to buy one from one particular company and after that person did it never worked properly. Another person here solicited help to remove theirs and get their LEAF working again, I know because it caused a bunch of issues on their car and I know them personally. They got rid of the LEAF and bought another longer range EV, probably would have been a better first decision. I don't see this as a viable business model nor very safe to say the least. I think logic goes out the door when it comes to range extension.
 
That is disheartening to hear that no third party company can presently expand electric car range. No one knows of one that does quality work other than a manufacturer?

Guess I will just have to wait for the 2nd generation of electric vehicles. I likely won't even look at the General Motors Chevrolet Bolt. I am bitter at being treated poorly by General Motors and not impressed by a vehicle I bought in the past that was practically new. (It was a Chevrolet Aveo).
 
2048Megabytes said:
That is disheartening to hear that no third party company can presently expand electric car range. No one knows of one that does quality work other than a manufacturer?

Guess I will just have to wait for the 2nd generation of electric vehicles. I likely won't even look at the General Motors Chevrolet Bolt. I am bitter at being treated poorly by General Motors and not impressed by a vehicle I bought in the past that was practically new. (It was a Chevrolet Aveo).

They can but it makes no economic sense to do it properly.
 
I would definitely say that it is not all a forgone conclusion yet. Many people find value in converting older cars in particular, even if it seems to not to hold value in someone else's mind.
 
Evoforce said:
I would definitely say that it is not all a forgone conclusion yet. Many people find value in converting older cars in particular, even if it seems to not to hold value in someone else's mind.


Converting older cars to what? Gas:) How many people that thought Prius plug in extension packs were the greatest idea? How many of those companies are thriving today....? I'm confident that this is a non-starter just like the push trailer business posted here that were a "great business idea". That horse is dog food now. Any pizza bets on this one? How about generators that slide into trailer hitches? The drop in range extender gensets? Remember those? Poof.
 
Again... You may see no value in it, but as electric vehicles get older and older there will be more people interested in keeping those cars on the road, and in doing so will want to make them as up to date in capacity (range) as they can. Our current cars are quickly getting behind the curve and I believe many will look for a way to keep them viable. When you can buy the car cheap, you have a lot more room to play with engineering... You personally may just move on to the next new toy, while someone else for other reasons may want to repurpose or add to, what in many respects, could be made to be like new.
 
Evoforce said:
Again... You may see no value in it, but as electric vehicles get older and older there will be more people interested in keeping those cars on the road, and in doing so will want to make them as up to date in capacity (range) as they can. Our current cars are quickly getting behind the curve and I believe many will look for a way to keep them viable. When you can buy the car cheap, you have a lot more room to play with engineering... You personally may just move on to the next new toy, while someone else for other reasons may want to repurpose or add to, what in many respects, could be made to be like new.


I never said someone would not want to keep an old EV, I have done this before the LEAF was even a known vehicle. Nor am I saying someone would value extended range on an existing or old EV. If you have an old EV you could likely get better range with an improved replacement pack. My point is that making a business out of dropping pack extenders into the passenger cabin is simply not going to be a sustainable business because the cost to do so properly and safely does not leave room for profit, not at a price point that makes sense to the general consumer. Anyone that has experience building an EV knows the costs for materials, NRE and insurance would make this prohibitive. The weight, packaging and engineering issues alone are simply laughable based on cabin based models. This model has been proven to fail over and over in the past and as existing packs get more range it makes the model even less viable.
 
EVDRIVER said:
Would you post that you spent a bunch of money and then it messed up your car?
People do this all day long.
Not just an EV thing.

Have you not read about the Nissan battery complaints? The original LEAF battery was about the worst screw up ever.
 
smkettner said:
EVDRIVER said:
Would you post that you spent a bunch of money and then it messed up your car?
People do this all day long.
Not just an EV thing.

Have you not read about the Nissan battery complaints? The original LEAF battery was about the worst screw up ever.


What do factory battery complaints have to do with making a decision to buy an aftermarket part from a questionable company and then realizing it was a bad decision? You lost me on that comparison. Since few people even took this leap in the past on other closed companies certainly there are few posted complaints here. I know of two people that actually got burned on this forum but never posted, mostly because they ignored many common sense warnings. Not sure how many other people wasted $4-6k on these type of things. Of course there are also many people here that were warned over and over about the Vegas EVSE scammer and still sent the guy money even after there were repeated people posting here about his scam many times. People will believe what they want because it's what they want to hear and no amount of reason can stop them. Let's see who actually buys a reliable, safe, crash worthy supplemental pack that works from a company that will be here in a year or two. If batteries were dirt cheap and high density then this would make sense and once they are it's all moot.
 
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