Warning: Battery Replacement Cost Increase (now $8500)

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The Nissan replacement battery is craptastic, but at least it is real and carries a warranty. What does it cost to finance ?
 
proudapron said:
Politics aside, can we confirm pack replacements are really $8500? I called a dealer today and they said anywhere from $4k to $9k, seems like quite the range...
At http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=26615&p=537279#p537279, was
Bearman said:
Hi all.
I just replaced the battery pack in my 2011 Leaf. I am happy so far.
...
The battery replacement cost $7425.56. The dealer offered to loan me a car for the 10 day duration of the repair.
The above URL may cease to be valid in the future if it gets merged w/the topic I suggested.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/seattlenissanleaf/permalink/2123423544355738/?comment_id=2123675640997195&reply_comment_id=2126048690759890&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D also confirms a price of probably $7K to $7.5K. :(
 
Still no word on cost of 30 kwh or 40 kwh pack. Granted all are still in warranty except and very small handful but that will change by early next spring as several exceed the 100,000 mile limit and knowing now what the price would be is just plain good customer service.

I get that things change so announcing a price today only to jack it 10% in 4 months is...well business as usual
 
WHAT HAPPENS TO BATTERY PRICES DROPPING !!!!! :evil: Lies.

$8500 for another 24 KW battery, limited range, with NO ACTIVE COOLING and SHORT LIFE. :eek:

Replacement battery same known weak non active cooled design and battery chemistry. What happened to batteries getting better? Lies :twisted:

I suppose I can start looking for a wreaked late model LEAF that is totaled to buy in an auction....get battery pack and sell of parts to defer cost... That is a lot of work and effort. They only way that works is if you get it for a song and there are lots of parts to sell off the car.
 
gmcjetpilot said:
WHAT HAPPENS TO BATTERY PRICES DROPPING !!!!! :evil: Lies.

$8500 for another 24 KW battery, limited range, with NO ACTIVE COOLING and SHORT LIFE. :eek:

Replacement battery same known weak non active cooled design and battery chemistry. What happened to batteries getting better? Lies :twisted:
I'm not aware of Nissan promising that the replacement cost would go down.

Battery capacity is measured in kWh, not "KW". Yes, range just as limited as when the car was new and cooling just the same. As for short life? No, the "lizard" batteries are a hell of a lot better than the crap batteries in the pre-4/2013 built Leafs and better than the ones that Leftie calls "wolf packs".

I've been at EVents headed by a Nissan corporate marketing guy. Even before the price increase, quite a few folks present were bent out of shape that they couldn't get a larger capacity battery (only 30 kWh existed, at the time). Their reasoning was: if I'm going to pay this big amount of $, I'm willing to pay a reasonable amount more for a 30 kWh battery. Why would I want the same capacity as before?

Expecting battery thermal management on existing Leafs in the wild is totally unrealistic. Would take a ton of engineering effort to retrofit, assuming there's even any room.
 
camasleaf said:
cwerdna said:
^^^
To clarify, you mean the PHEV version, right? There are 3 versions of the Clarity: BEV, PHEV and hydrogen FCEV. First two can plug in.

Yes, the plugin hybrid. Thank you. We have chosen the Clarity PHEV over the Volt.

Interesting as I read a review on green car reports that the switch from EV to Gas mode was not as smooth as the volt - nice looking car though! Wonder if your experienced that.
 
We drive in the EV mode only. On the freeway I cannot tell when the ICE will come on and turn off. In town I can hear it, but the ICE rarely needs to start while driving in town. I usually make sure I have enough left in the battery before leaving the freeway by switching to HV mode when the battery is at the lowest desired level. Some time I forget and leave the battery to deplete. If that happens then I set the car to charge the battery while still on the freeway (if I have time).

I believe the ICE can engage the wheels directly only at freeway speed, there is no variable gears ratio transmission. At high speed it should be easy to match the wheel speed.

In Sport mode might be different, but I used it once in the beginning. The car is fast enough for us in EV mode.
 
jlv said:
From their website:
and a subscription model of less than $200/mo.
People are really willing to pay over $2K/year to lease a battery for a car valued at $5K-10K?

People here buy $10k+ used LEAFs that will last less than 5 years and have considerable degradation along the way. Car "value" is very much ymmv. I think an opportunity cost evaluation is a lot more informative and a car that costs ~ $150 a month that meets owner needs is pretty reasonable.
 
tattoogunman said:
... Even replacement battery packs for phones and other electronics often cost a significant percentage of what the thing they are powering cost in the first place (not all, but some). ...
No they aren't at all. The replacement battery I just ordered for my originally $500 Nexus 6p was $14. Batteries will definitely get cheaper although what might not get cheaper very soon is one especially built for an old LEAF. We may have to wait until small quantity prices drop far enough that third parties can rework LEAF packs affordably.
 
davewill said:
tattoogunman said:
... Even replacement battery packs for phones and other electronics often cost a significant percentage of what the thing they are powering cost in the first place (not all, but some). ...
No they aren't at all. The replacement battery I just ordered for my originally $500 Nexus 6p was $14. Batteries will definitely get cheaper although what might not get cheaper very soon is one especially built for an old LEAF. We may have to wait until small quantity prices drop far enough that third parties can rework LEAF packs affordably.

I have the equipment to test small phone and camera lithium cells. I've tested dozens. I can absolutely guarantee you that none of these cheap ones are remotely as good as original. They come anywhere from DOA, to about 3/4 original capacity (at best), usually ~50-60%, and generally a much shorter life-span. IOW, they are mostly crap, but cheap crap.
 
flydiver said:
davewill said:
tattoogunman said:
... Even replacement battery packs for phones and other electronics often cost a significant percentage of what the thing they are powering cost in the first place (not all, but some). ...
No they aren't at all. The replacement battery I just ordered for my originally $500 Nexus 6p was $14. Batteries will definitely get cheaper although what might not get cheaper very soon is one especially built for an old LEAF. We may have to wait until small quantity prices drop far enough that third parties can rework LEAF packs affordably.

I have the equipment to test small phone and camera lithium cells. I've tested dozens. I can absolutely guarantee you that none of these cheap ones are remotely as good as original. They come anywhere from DOA, to about 3/4 original capacity (at best), usually ~50-60%, and generally a much shorter life-span. IOW, they are mostly crap, but cheap crap.

I just bought one for $28. I hope my 'expensive' replacement is good, but if not I'll return it.
 
flydiver said:
I have the equipment to test small phone and camera lithium cells. I've tested dozens. I can absolutely guarantee you that none of these cheap ones are remotely as good as original. They come anywhere from DOA, to about 3/4 original capacity (at best), usually ~50-60%, and generally a much shorter life-span. IOW, they are mostly crap, but cheap crap.

I'm 100% not surprised but I do need a new battery for my Nexus phone. Do you know of any sources of quality replacement batteries? I was planning to go the DIY route but I would pay to have it done if there are good batteries to be had somewhere.
 
goldbrick said:
flydiver said:
I have the equipment to test small phone and camera lithium cells. I've tested dozens. I can absolutely guarantee you that none of these cheap ones are remotely as good as original. They come anywhere from DOA, to about 3/4 original capacity (at best), usually ~50-60%, and generally a much shorter life-span. IOW, they are mostly crap, but cheap crap.

I'm 100% not surprised but I do need a new battery for my Nexus phone. Do you know of any sources of quality replacement batteries? I was planning to go the DIY route but I would pay to have it done if there are good batteries to be had somewhere.
Buy from a vendor who publishes the Ahr capacity. Return it if it fails to live up to the advert.
 
SageBrush said:
goldbrick said:
flydiver said:
I have the equipment to test small phone and camera lithium cells. I've tested dozens. I can absolutely guarantee you that none of these cheap ones are remotely as good as original. They come anywhere from DOA, to about 3/4 original capacity (at best), usually ~50-60%, and generally a much shorter life-span. IOW, they are mostly crap, but cheap crap.

I'm 100% not surprised but I do need a new battery for my Nexus phone. Do you know of any sources of quality replacement batteries? I was planning to go the DIY route but I would pay to have it done if there are good batteries to be had somewhere.
Buy from a vendor who publishes the Ahr capacity. Return it if it fails to live up to the advert.

MOST of them publish the Ahr (capacity), or at least it's printed obviously on the cell.
Hint - if the capacity listed is more than the original......don't bother. The more the claim = the bigger the lie.

I wish I knew where to reliably get good replacement cells. Sometimes, for a fairly high price, you can get a true original from the manufacturer. OTOH, it could be old.
Even if it claims to be an original battery, if it's 1/4 the price, it's probably not. Sometimes you can remove the wrapping and see what's really underneath.

FWIW, I recently bought a couple off eBay that LOOKED original, and claimed to be original. When received I could not tell the difference from the original in the packaging or the battery. When tested they were ~ 60%. Sent the vendor the picture proof from the test equipment and they admitted they were original, but likely very old stock, as in VERY old. Got a refund and did not need to return. I indicated in the letter that I considered them defective and would not mail them back anyway.

The trouble is PROVING they are not up to capacity. The vast majority of users simply do not have the knowledge or the tools. The anecdotal reviews you get on eBay or Amazon, etc., are pretty much worthless.
 
davewill said:
All all of this is entirely besides the point that the battery cost is nowhere near a significant percentage of phone cost.

If your battery is built in, it can be a chunk of change. In reality with power packs a dime a dozen, I don't even consider replacing my battery. BMS not left to the phone helps a lot too. Don't discharge below 15% and don't charge over 90% as much as possible and it will make a lot of difference. I am now actually using a phone that might even have "convenient battery life left after 15 months...
 
flydiver said:
The trouble is PROVING they are not up to capacity. The vast majority of users simply do not have the knowledge or the tools.
No lack of Android apps that report capacity. Accubattery is one example.
I presume that iOS has similar tools.

If the vendor does not like the App choice I would agree to use whatever they recommend so long as it is highly rated.
 
Add a 24KWHR battery pack to your current Leaf for $4500, don't pay $8500 to Nissan who screwed us with inferior batteries from the start!

https://hybridindustries.webs.com/
 
I'm no expert, but it seems to me that currently, Nissan is much more interested in promoting the sale of new vehicles and to that end, a high replacement cost might prompt people to replace the car rather than the battery. Non-OEM battery replacements are available for one-third the cost of OEM.
 
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