Battery Upgrades are very possible

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Now that looks normal. What I would do is start looking at ways to limit the charge to only what you need. Better to charge every day and live in the middle if you can swing that. With greater range, it is simply much easier to do.
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
Now that looks normal. What I would do is start looking at ways to limit the charge to only what you need. Better to charge every day and live in the middle if you can swing that. With greater range, it is simply much easier to do.
I've already set the CAN-bridge to charge to 83%...and I don't even have to charge anywhere near everyday. In fact, I doubt I'll have to charge the rest of this week... ;)
 
jbsocdelica said:
Errors I made:
3) Evan though, as notes, my conversions was with a 2011 leaf, only do this with 2013 for time being until Dala's canbus doesn't throw the occasional error for the 2011 / 2012 (for 62 kwh battery)
Hi, do you mind elaborating on this point? I've looked on battery installer sites and they also say that 62kwh isn't recommended for 2011-2012 LEAFs. What kind of issues have you run into on 2011-2012 vehicles with the 62kwh upgrade and is it a deal-breaker for you?

Thanks in advance. :)
 
Will try to post some Leaf Spy errors. I think my installer didn't properly ground the canbus, sometimes I have to wait a min to start the car after attempting first time; but it also may be that I have to update to canbus with Dala's upcoming updates (my installer is MIA unfortunately).

I will say that getting over 200 miles per charge is fantastic, and when I drive fast (75 - 80- mph) with surf racks on and bike rack, I still get 150 miles per charge. Pretty nifty.
 
alozzy said:
Stanton said:
Here's a link to the blog post about my battery pack upgrade story: https://www.electricauto.org/blog/keeping-your-nissan-leaf

We'll written article! What did you do with the salvage title 2020 LEAF SV, after the 40 kWh pack was removed? Are you parting it out, or did you sell it to a local wrecker?
I gave the salvaged car to the installer as payment (he's a nice guy). Plus, we are going to split the cost of my old battery pack (when he parts that out).
 
Stanton said:
I gave the salvaged car to the installer as payment (he's a nice guy). Plus, we are going to split the cost of my old battery pack (when he parts that out).
12k$ that seems pretty reasonable for basically a new car. I guess how much money he can get out of the carcass depends on how much effort he puts into parting out the individual pieces.

It amazes me that used cells like your old ones are selling for more than $100 on ebay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/232064782260?hash=item3608238fb4:g:VnIAAOSwvzRXxQrD

So if I'm thinking right, y'all will gross more than $4800 just from selling the old cells.
 
Stanton said:
alozzy said:
Stanton said:
Here's a link to the blog post about my battery pack upgrade story: https://www.electricauto.org/blog/keeping-your-nissan-leaf

We'll written article! What did you do with the salvage title 2020 LEAF SV, after the 40 kWh pack was removed? Are you parting it out, or did you sell it to a local wrecker?
I gave the salvaged car to the installer as payment (he's a nice guy). Plus, we are going to split the cost of my old battery pack (when he parts that out).

Interesting, thanks!
 
We just recently did a 62kwh swap into a 2012 LEAF at the shop where I work. It went pretty well, although there area few hiccups to doing it in a 2011-2012. The main thing is that the SOC and "Guess-O-Meter" will not show the right info most of the time, and we also had a couple issues with DCFC (which should be fixable with a couple tweaks if the customer decides to bring the car back, they didn't seem too concerned with the ability to fast charge).

On a 2013 or newer LEAF this swap should go over pretty much without a hitch. Smaller batteries can also be swapped into 2011-12 without any issues. The cost to do a battery swap is approx. $2,500, plus the cost of the battery itself. This cost includes the communication module, adapter parts, and all labor required for the swap. We can assist in finding a battery, or you can bring your own. Battery pricing can vary depending on the source, but to give ballpark figures, a 62kwh pack costs around $8-10k, 40kwh about $6-8k, 30kwh $4-6k, etc.

Here's a quick YouTube video we put together of the swap:
https://youtu.be/3jyZKoifTRo
 
a 62kwh pack costs around $8-10k, 40kwh about $6-8k, 30kwh $4-6k

The problem is, a 2013 SV LEAF like mine, with 11 capacity bars, is still worth $8-9k USD in Washington State. A 2018 LEAF, with a 40 kWh pack, sells for about $16-18k. So, for $8-10k net I can sell my Leaf and buy a 2018 Leaf - about the same cost as a 40 kWh battery pack upgrade. It just doesn't make sense at that price to do an upgrade...
 
alozzy said:
a 62kwh pack costs around $8-10k, 40kwh about $6-8k, 30kwh $4-6k

The problem is, a 2013 SV LEAF like mine, with 11 capacity bars, is still worth $8-9k USD in Washington State. A 2018 LEAF, with a 40 kWh pack, sells for about $16-18k. So, for $8-10k net I can sell my Leaf and buy a 2018 Leaf - about the same cost as a 40 kWh battery pack upgrade. It just doesn't make sense at that price to do an upgrade...

It may not be a decision that makes the most sense for everyone, and that's OK. I would agree that the 40kwh upgrade is not the best value by any means, but unfortunately that can be blamed on the market for used packs, but, some people like their older LEAFs, and would prefer to keep their existing car than buy a new one. I can guarantee you though that for an extra $2k to put in a 62kwh pack upgrade (net cost of approx. $12k), you could not get a newer 62kwh LEAF+ for less than that net cost (the cheapest used LEAF+ I could find anywhere in the country is just under $25k).

A few other things that may factor in to making a decision on a pack upgrade. In a mild/cooler climate like WA, the older LEAF batteries certainly do hold up pretty well over time. In warmer climates like here in Southern California, or in Arizona, you'd probably be lucky to have more than 8-9 bars remaining on a 2013. While the value on "newer" LEAFs here is about the same as up there, the older ones are not worth nearly as much down here, maybe $6k for a really nice one, but more realistically $4-5k.

Also, don't forget about sales tax and higher insurance premiums you'll be paying on the newer car. As I understand it, sales tax on a car in WA could run upwards of 10%, here in California, it's usually about 8%. While you would still be paying sales tax on the new battery, it would be less than that of purchasing a car. I can't speak to the specific registration fees in WA, but here in California, registration fees are somewhat based on the value of the vehicle, so a newer car also means you'll be paying higher annual registration fees.

In all reality, it's kind of a decision on a case-by-case basis for people to make on their own whether they think it's worth it or not.
 
In MN the tab fee for a 2011 Leaf would be $35+ various taxes plus the $50?? EV fee. For a newer Leaf it would be >$500! Besides the $50? EV fee for tabs and the various "taxes" that probably equal 20 or so odd dollars, it's based off the original retail value of the car less 10% each year, until 10 years when it's $35(plus the other taxes and EV fee if an EV) regardless of the current value of the car.
In MN one gets screwed on a somewhat older Leaf as it goes off the original MSRP and not the current value(screwed because a Leaf depreciates much more than 10%/yr) but again after 10 years you can have a $100,000 car and only pay $35+ misc. for yearly tabs.
 
alozzy said:
a 62kwh pack costs around $8-10k, 40kwh about $6-8k, 30kwh $4-6k

The problem is, a 2013 SV LEAF like mine, with 11 capacity bars, is still worth $8-9k USD in Washington State. A 2018 LEAF, with a 40 kWh pack, sells for about $16-18k. So, for $8-10k net I can sell my Leaf and buy a 2018 Leaf - about the same cost as a 40 kWh battery pack upgrade. It just doesn't make sense at that price to do an upgrade...

Market prices are a little crazy for sure so it really boils down to things like features, warranties, etc. $8 K for a 2013 won't last but the $18K for 2018 SV will...for now. I have an S Plus and Carvana offered me $23,800. That is obviously not sustainable either. But this chip shortage is expected to affect prices for at least 6 months and maybe up to a year in some circumstances. Either way, I don't see anyone but the obvious building an EV over a gasser if the shortage remains.
 
Paying $12k for a 62kWHr salvage battery swap on an 8 year old Leaf is a pretty tough pill to swallow. Compared to the unusually high used Leaf prices right now it might almost seem viable. But the elephant in the room is the ridiculously good deals on new Leafs (Leaves?). From what I'm seeing you can actually pay less for new (net after IRS credit) than for used!

Nissan is giving $7500 rebate and some dealers around me (Dallas) are discounting well below that. I got an S+ at the end of May for under $23k (after discounts and credits, but before sales taxes/fees). Makes me wonder if the Leaf is coming to an end and Nissan is dumping the last production run. Otherwise, why discount so much in a seller's market?
 
DougWantsALeaf said:
Here is a rant from a Leaf owner that hit a battery issue. $5300 for a single module feels steep.

https://youtu.be/jdY9cRclPZw

Why is someone paying for battery work that is under warranty?
 
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