TaylorSFGuy said:
So far so good, but I do have a nagging concern that it won't work out like I hoped.
I think it's reasonable to assume that the lithium batteries Nissan is using will perform at least as well as the NiMH pack the first generation of EVs used a decade ago. Nissan is the only major manufacturer that has used li-ion for a very long time, and has a wealth R&D and data to support their design decisions. They are obviously being cautious and fairly quiet, but it's a competitive industry and they have lot to lose. That being said, there was a lot of discussion on the forum and there are some very knowledgeable and opinionated posters here. There is no consensus, but I would put the average capacity fade at 1% per 10,000 miles driven and in addition to that about 1% calender life fade per year. These are obviously speculative estimates at best, and they would apply to temperate climates. Hot climates are expected to fare worse and cooler climates are expected to do somewhat better.
According to the research I have done, internal resistance will rise as well, but not as much as was the case with NiMH and the Leaf should be usable even if the pack degraded quite a bit. Note that we have not tested this, but it should be reasonable to assume that it will indeed be the case. Nissan should repair the pack under warranty if it failed to deliver adequate power for eight years, and given your high usage pattern, I would use that for end of life estimates.
If you could relay the exact results and wording of the battery check to the forum, that would be greatly appreciated. There is some indication that Nissan will not reveal the amount or degree of pack deterioration. Reportedly, they will only give you a thumbs up or thumbs down along with some recommendations on how to prolong the life of your battery.
I don't know if this helps, but please have a look at the RAV4 EV owner gallery Darrell Dickey has assembled. I believe that Leaf's battery should perform comparably, if not better than the NiMH pack the RAV4 had.
http://www.evnut.com/rav_owner_gallery.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.evnut.com/rav_owner_100k.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.evnut.com/rav_owner_200k.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
