Nissan LEAF Update from Andy Palmer

[DarkStar]

I'm extremely happy to hear that they'll finally announce some battery replacement pricing. Hopefully they allow non-owners to purchase these batteries as well so we can start using them in other applications and vehicles (like conversions).

[Weatherman]

20% loss in five years was always considered the "normal" or "average" or "median" loss, depending on what word you prefer to use. Nissan isn't going to provide a warranty that you won't fall below the average. That would be too costly. They chose a number enough standard deviations below average that the probability they will have to cover the replacement cost will be low.

[DaveinOlyWA]

ok so its a start. its the first sign that Nissan is amenable to customer needs but, oh! did I mention that they hinted at something very nice for 2013?...anyway it is somewhat how I expected it to go. the announcement comes right about the time that a supply of extra batteries will be available and because they are built in the U.S. available for a LOT less money.

what I really want (and fully expect) to see is a paid exchange program for ones who choose to maintain their SOC at a higher rate for a price.

What about the people (like about 80% of us!) that cannot handle a LEAF with a 30% loss? We have a willing LEAFer now who cant live a 15% loss who is open to a purchase/exchange and Nissan wont even talk to him.

hoping this announcement is the first step towards some real action regarding real options

[surfingslovak]

20% loss in five years was always considered the "normal" or "average" or "median" loss, depending on what word you prefer to use. Nissan isn't going to provide a warranty that you won't fall below the average. That would be too costly. They chose a number enough standard deviations below average that the probability they will have to cover the replacement cost will be low.

Yes, that's the most likely explanation. I welcome this announcement, and it's a right step in the right direction. I believe that I have full appreciation of what this means, and why it took so long, but I believe that I'm not alone to note that this was long overdue. The LEAF should have launched with this type of warranty in December 2010. Although the Volt is not considered to be a full EV, it always had a similar warranty, and I believe at the same percentage level too. That said, it's better late than never, and it's good to see some action.

[RegGuheert]

Will the Nissan-issued extended warranty that I purchased for my 2011 extend this battery warranty?

No:

8 WHAT IS NOT COVERED BY MY SERVICE AGREEMENT
8.1 Nissan Electric Vehicle lithium-ion battery (your 8-year/100,000-mile Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) factory battery warranty still applies. See the Warranty Information Booklet for complete details, terms and conditions).

[thankyouOB]

i wonder what the settlement is?
where can we learn about that.

also, does the warranty ensure that the restoration of 9 bars is not done by changing software or resetting the coding; rather that the software on the car will be left intact so that it is true restoration.

Folks don't settle lawsuits and then expose any gory details. Nissan will just say it had no merit (if they comment at all) and the results will be sealed. I expect they just made a cash offer that the plaintiff(s) and lawyers all agreed to, and like all these lawsuits, nothing changes substantially except cash.

Nissan gains, because just like buying up Arizona cars just before a judgement against them, there is no record of EVER having a faulty car. Just wild accusations and disappearing cars.

They wisely based their warranty on "9 bars", which they can (and do) make to mean anything they want. Again, bravo to Nissan.

For Nissan, I give this TWO THUMBS UP !!!!

Tony,
as always, i enjoy your certitude.
however, i can suppose as well as you can, and did that before i asked my question.

the question still stands:
is there is any news or disclosure about the settlement.

[surfingslovak]

is there is any news or disclosure about the settlement.

None I could find, but perhaps others have better search tools at their disposal or some of this information will be shared from another source.

[LEAFfan]

[quote="jspearman" ]I've seen one car below nine bars, and it had 45 miles on the GOM at 100% charge; [/quote]

J, the GOM number, as you know, doesn't tell the capacity or how many actual miles you can drive. If I had driven that car the last 5 miles, I could make the GOM show in the 60s. How many miles did it go with the Phoenix Test? It was at least 60 something.

[thankyouOB]

ok so its a start. its the first sign that Nissan is amenable to customer needs but, oh! did I mention that they hinted at something very nice for 2013?...anyway it is somewhat how I expected it to go. the announcement comes right about the time that a supply of extra batteries will be available and because they are built in the U.S. available for a LOT less money.

what I really want (and fully expect) to see is a paid exchange program for ones who choose to maintain their SOC at a higher rate for a price.

What about the people (like about 80% of us!) that cannot handle a LEAF with a 30% loss? We have a willing LEAFer now who cant live a 15% loss who is open to a purchase/exchange and Nissan wont even talk to him.

hoping this announcement is the first step towards some real action regarding real options

dave is absolutely spot on here:

what I really want (and fully expect) to see is a paid exchange program for ones who choose to maintain their SOC at a higher rate for a price.

What about the people (like about 80% of us!) that cannot handle a LEAF with a 30% loss?

i want to keep my LEAF for 8-10 years. I want to be able to maintain a basic range for that period.
ideally, it would be a roundtrip in the 65-mile range at 55-60 miles an hour for about 80 percent of that trip.
you get the picture. I would be willing to pay to improve or upgrade my pack otherwise the car loses utility for me.
I want to know the pricing for that.

at the very least, this program seems to put a floor to resale value in terms of capacity of battery. that is good news, as stated above.

[ebill3]

This thread is such a fun read. It almost reminds of last summer. Please keep it coming, while I get popcorn

Might be fun to keep a tally of yea and nay sayers, but I don't feel like going back through all the posts.