Price to retrofit a used 2011-2015 Leaf with a new 30 kWh (or higher) battery?

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jlsoaz

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Jul 8, 2012
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Hi all:

We know the battery replacement price (about $6k, unless I am reading things incorrectly) for a 24 kWh battery. I guess what I'm wondering is if/when prices and terms (further modifications to the vehicle?) will be posted for a 30 kWh pack, now that a 30 kWh is finally to be announced (I'm thinking the pack itself is not yet official, but appears to be something that Nissan is moving toward.... however, if it is released, I don't know if it will be something we could buy as a stand-alone and put into a used Leaf).

There's sort of precedent for this (in a way?) in that Tesla offered Roadster owners the opportunity to buy a battery retrofit after the years passed and battery technology had improved sufficiently that it was worth it to replace the batteries.

I'm still not sure a 30 kWh pack will quite be enough for me (it doesn't quite get me fully down highways that are lacking in DCQC to my destination points), but still, I'm hoping that Nissan is open-minded and willing to consider ideas like retrofitting old vehicles with improved packs.


fwiw, here was the info for the 24 kWh pack
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17168
Update on Nissan LEAF Battery Replacement
Report this postQuote
Fri Jun 27, 2014 11:07 am

"...Battery replacements are now available for purchase at your certified Nissan LEAF dealers in the United States. The suggested retail price of the Nissan LEAF battery pack is $5,499. This price includes and requires a return of your original battery pack (valued at $1,000) to the dealer in exchange for the new battery. This price does not include tax, installation fees or an installation kit required for 2011 and 2012 vehicles. The MSRP for the installation kit (which includes brackets and other minor parts required to retrofit the newer pack to original vehicles) is approximately $225. Nissan expects the installation to take about three hours. However, dealers set the final pricing, so we recommend confirming with your local retailer.

"We are also continuing to finalize details for a Nissan financing program for those who prefer an affordable monthly payment option, and we expect to keep that monthly payment in the $100 per month range. But to be clear, at the end of the finance terms, you own the battery. It is not a lease or rental. I will post more details here later this year when they are finalized, but we didn’t want to delay announcing the battery price itself any longer. ...."
 
It won't happen. Nissan has no interest in selling larger packs for older cars... The business model is simply not there. Even if they have to eventually use 30Kwh packs for warranty or other replacement in older cars, they'll software limit it to 24 KWh like Tesla did...

jlsoaz said:
We know the battery replacement price (about $6k, unless I am reading things incorrectly) for a 24 kWh battery. I guess what I'm wondering is if/when prices and terms (further modifications to the vehicle?) will be posted for a 30 kWh pack, now that a 30 kWh is finally to be announced (I'm thinking the pack itself is not yet official, but appears to be something that Nissan is moving toward.... however, if it is released, I don't know if it will be something we could buy as a stand-alone and put into a used Leaf).
 
TomT said:
It won't happen. Nissan has no interest in selling larger packs for older cars... The business model is simply not there. Even if they have to eventually use 30Kwh packs for warranty or other replacement in older cars, they'll software limit it to 24 KWh like Tesla did...

This may not be too bad of a deal if you will not be paying premium on that dead capacity, and 30kWh pack limited to 24 will last a long while.

One aspect which is bothering me is that by the time a Leaf needs a non-warrantied battery its market price will be pretty low. So you drop 6 large on a new pack, which is likely 2-3 times what your car's KBB value is, and next week your car is totaled. What will your insurance company say?
 
TomT said:
"Too bad, so sad!"

Valdemar said:
So you drop 6 large on a new pack, which is likely 2-3 times what your car's KBB value is, and next week your car is totaled. What will your insurance company say?

Exactly. To make matters worse a fairly minor accident may trigger a total loss from the insurer's point of view. Maybe I won't be buying a replacement pack after all.
 
According to my inside sources at Nissan, a 30Kwh pack upgrade will cost approximately $34K minus the core trade-in on your existing pack.
 
TomT said:
It won't happen. Nissan has no interest in selling larger packs for older cars... The business model is simply not there. Even if they have to eventually use 30Kwh packs for warranty or other replacement in older cars, they'll software limit it to 24 KWh like Tesla did...
There is no business model for that too ...

You are just letting your prejudice get the better of you here.
 
OrientExpress said:
According to my inside sources at Nissan, a 30Kwh pack upgrade will cost approximately $34K minus the core trade-in on your existing pack.

You mean to buy a new pack? Ouch. I hope this is a typo...
 
Valdemar said:
OrientExpress said:
According to my inside sources at Nissan, a 30Kwh pack upgrade will cost approximately $34K minus the core trade-in on your existing pack.

You mean to buy a new pack? Ouch. I hope this is a typo...

I have a feeling OE is implying that the way to get the 30Kwh pack is to buy a new Leaf....
 
In another thread Tony Williams expressed the conviction that the 30 kwh packs would be available to retrofit in older Leafs. I don't know what his reasoning was.
 
jhm614 said:
Valdemar said:
OrientExpress said:
According to my inside sources at Nissan, a 30Kwh pack upgrade will cost approximately $34K minus the core trade-in on your existing pack.

You mean to buy a new pack? Ouch. I hope this is a typo...

I have a feeling OE is implying that the way to get the 30Kwh pack is to buy a new Leaf....

Oh-oh, does it mean we can't even keep the "core" ? :shock:
 
Eventually someone (maybe even Tesla) will sell you a 30kW (or higher) replacement pack. What that will cost and when that will be available is an open question.
 
forummm said:
Eventually someone (maybe even Tesla) will sell you a 30kW (or higher) replacement pack. What that will cost and when that will be available is an open question.

I'll need to convince my yet to be born grandchildren to keep the Leaf to find out if this statement is true.
 
mwalsh said:
OrientExpress said:
According to my inside sources at Nissan, a 30Kwh pack upgrade will cost approximately $34K minus the core trade-in on your existing pack.

Did they hire Mark Perry back? That's his kind of humor.

This sort of humor is always fun with a divide by zero audience. :D
 
As to the rest of this:

Sure, Nissan will have thought this through and might in theory have taken a decision not to allow paid 30 kWh retrofits. If they did make that decision, would that be the last word on the matter? It wasn't on the 24 kWh paid battery replacements (which were not allowed at first, but then were).

I will also be curious to see if Nissan or the dealers choose to retrofit the cars with 30 kWh (or more) themselves and then sell them.
 
The one thing people seem to have forgotten is that most of the money dealerships and manufacturers make anymore is on maintenance servicing, and parts. I would think Nissan would allow the 30kwh packs to be retrofit if you pay for it. Either way you look at it they are taking a loss. Whether it is on the sale of the car, or the sale of the current 24kwh battery pack at $5400. We will have to wait and see for an official determination though. Personally I hope so. If not then I will be happy with a 24kwh lizard pack. However that 9-11 hour recharge time would be about the only drawback I could think of for me going to a 30kwh pack. So there will be reasons to lure people to get a new Leaf if they so choose.
 
Roadburner440 said:
However that 9-11 hour recharge time would be about the only drawback I could think of for me going to a 30kwh pack. So there will be reasons to lure people to get a new Leaf if they so choose.

I think you're overestimating that charge time. If I can charge my 24 kWh pack in < 5 hours (L2), then a 30 kWh pack shouldn't be more than 7-8. I will be happy to get my 24 kWh "lizard" replacement pack, but the reality is eventually Nissan will stop making (2) versions of the battery pack and only 30 kWh will be sold. However, that should take at least another year since they are selling a 24 kWh 2016 "S" version.
 
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