Can you put a 2016 battery pack in a 2013 leaf

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chimmer

New member
Joined
Mar 5, 2017
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Hi......I own a 2013 Nissan leaf s with 46K miles and I'm looking at what battery options I have once it degrades beyond it's usefulness. $5500 for a new battery is out of the question and tearing apart the battery pack to replace cells is not in my comfort zone. That said.... I'm a diy guy and would like to put in a 2016 24Kw battery pack down the road. Can I put a 2016 battery in my 2013 ? Is it the same battery with the same mounts and electrical connections as 2013? Is it plug and drive or does it require software or hardware mods? Thanks for your input.
 
Thanks for the link..... I see the bad news.....Hopefully someone comes up with a work around for a DIY sealed battery swap soon.
 
To add to the confusion on this:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=23531

https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=eBlMCoycWuw

Unless I've misunderstood, it seems that swapping in a 24kWh newer battery pack should work on older Leafs. Hopefully by the time we need it, mature aftermarket options will exist. I'm hopeful :)
 
chimmer said:
Hi......I own a 2013 Nissan leaf s with 46K miles and I'm looking at what battery options I have once it degrades beyond it's usefulness. $5500 for a new battery is out of the question and tearing apart the battery pack to replace cells is not in my comfort zone. That said.... I'm a diy guy and would like to put in a 2016 24Kw battery pack down the road. Can I put a 2016 battery in my 2013 ? Is it the same battery with the same mounts and electrical connections as 2013? Is it plug and drive or does it require software or hardware mods? Thanks for your input.

A current (new) 24kwh battery pack will fit in any of the older Leafs. There is even an adapter kit available to install the battery pack in the 2011/12 Leafs. The problem is the BMS in the new battery pack needs to be paired with the car, and this requires a dealer Consult Tool and special security card to complete the process. It has been reported that the security card is shipped with the new battery pack and has to be returned to Nissan with the old battery pack. The only known workaround for this, so far, is to remove the cells from the new battery pack and install them in the old battery pack casing with the BMS that is already paired to the car.
 
You can "hack" in an extra 360V battery and add range to the Leaf with an auxiliary 360V battery of some sort..

Of course that can be super expensive and even heavy.

I was thinking of taking a wrecked Leaf, harvesting the battery, putting it on a trailer, figure out which pin opens the contactors, integrate that and the high voltage lines to the Leaf's, and violà! Not only would it be cheap (I'm seeing wrecked Leafs with working batteries for less than $1,000!) but it would also extend the range farther than simply putting in a new battery.

But I think I'm leaning towards aeromodding the Leaf instead. According to all my calculations, I should be able to increase highway range by 35% with as little as $400 in aerodynamic improvements (basically following the AeroCivic design.)
 
Can the bms from the 2016 24kw battery pack just be unplugged and plugged into the 2013 pack without any other mods ?
 
In the video he talks about him doing that and he fried a BMS. So, no. Move across all connections between batteries and wiring inside the battery. I'd research it very heavily before ever cracking open a pack.
 
chimmer said:
Isn't a August 2013 battery gen 2 ? If not .... What are the years and gen types ? Thanks

The generation labels might vary with who you ask. There was the original battery that was in the 2011 and 2012 models, with four temperature sensors. 2013 brought a new case, different bms, change in the wiring, and three temperature sensors. There is also a retrofit kit so the 2013 style battery will fit in the 2011/12 models. An updated cell chemistry was introduced in the April 2013 battery packs. Another cell chemistry update was introduced for the 2015 model year. These are supposed to be more heat resistant and know as 'Lizard' packs. It is rumored that some of the late 2014 models also got Lizard packs, but I have not read any confirmation of this. 2016 introduced the 30kwh battery packs, using the same housing, but reported as not electrically compatible with the cars that shipped with a 24kwh battery pack.
 
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