JimSouCal said:
The original LEAF is a fine seminal EV, but the lack of upgrade support is indicative of the ongoing application of the disposable model to car sales...
I'd like to comment as well on product upgrades.
Historically users of tech have had always expressed a desire for manufacturers to provide upgrade paths. At first glance, this seems like a reasonable request. The idea of upgrading a legacy product so that it can perform like the most current one is a good idea in itself, but the devil is in the details and the costs associated with the upgrade.
It turns out that almost universally upgrading a widget on a piece of hardware means upgrading all of the ancillary widgets that make the first widget work. Then there is the obsolescence of the widget that has been replaced by newer tech, which may not be easily compatible with the connection to legacy tech that is not being upgraded. Add to that costs and efforts with inventory, installation issues, training, marketing, support etc. What happens is that even if something can be upgraded, it ends up being unwieldy and unreliable and very expensive. The recent upgrade from 2G to 3G on the LEAF's infotainment system is a good example of how difficult it can be.
Then there is the issue of something called the "Take-Rate." In other words, how many of those that want the upgrade are actually going to pay what it costs to offer that upgrade? That is where things go south very quickly. Overhead for upgrades tend to be so expensive and have such a low take-rate that it is easier cheaper and better to acquire the latest version.
I don't see any indication that Nissan, VW, Hyundai, Ford, GM, FCA, Volvo, or even Tesla for their mainstream vehicles will be offering traction battery or any other hardware upgrades anytime soon for their existing fleets.
The speed that tech innovation moves today, especially with EVs, means that the only logical way to approach it is to accept that what you acquire today will be superseded by something better, faster, cheaper, more reliable in the next three or four years.