Worth upgrading a '12 Leaf or buying a used Chevy Bolt?

[cgott42]

I currently own a Gen 1 '13 Leaf (approx 65k miles), where the battery only gives me 40-50 miles per charge. Which isn't enough for my commute.
I'm considering - a Greentec battery replacement/upgrade to 62kWh
or sell my Leaf and buy a used '18 Chevy Bolt which also has a 62kWh battery (approx. 30k miles)
Factoring in money from the sale of my Leaf if I buy a used Bolt it'd be approx. the same amount of money for either option and have the same range battery. (I don't think I'd qualify for government EV rebates on used cars).
Thus, although I like the look and size of the leaf over the bolt, I'm thinking it as a no-brainer to get the 5 year newer car, rather than invest money into a 10 year old car.

What are your thoughts, am I missing something?

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Ooh that's a difficult decision. I prefer Leaf stying and interior the earlier Bolt. If you need long distances frequently (>500 miles/day), the Bolt might be better.

 

[Stanton]

All depends on how much the upgrade costs.
I faced that same decision a couple years ago and did a 24->40 kWh upgrade to my current Leaf (on my own)...and have never regretted it!

 

[cwerdna]

I owned a '19 Bolt (bought new) for 3 years. If you care about DC fast charging, make sure it has the inlet for it. https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/stranded-in-texas-with-only-15-miles.39988/ does not.

You need have the orange flap covering the two holes: https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/how-to-find-out-if-a-used-bolt-has-dc-fast-charger.37075/#post-577362.

Bolt's range is a game changer vs a 24 kWh Leaf. All '17 to '19 Bolts once their battery pack was replaced had their battery warranty start over with 8 years/100K miles from the date of the replacement. Not many recalled '20 to '22 Bolts got their packs replaced until that came to a halt: https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/chevrolet-ends-battery-replacements.50581/ and top of https://experience.gm.com/recalls/bolt-ev. So, unfortunately, those '20 to '22 Bolts who are just getting the software and the sw finds nothing wrong after 6200 miles won't get a fresh 8 year/100K mile battery warranty.

 

[MikeinPA]

Will the older Bolts also get Tesla charging privileges?

 

[SageBrush]

I'm considering - a Greentec battery replacement/upgrade to 62kWh

If this is the same Greentec company I remember from my Prius days, I am not impressed.

In any case, ask a couple of questions of them:

1. Is this a used battery ?
2. What is the battery warranty ?
3. What is the SOH of the battery ?
4. Is a suspension upgrade included ?

Be aware that a newer LEAF battery it may be, but it will age LEAF style, and you will have Nissan Corp telling you to pound sand if you ever have reason to ask them for assistance/remedy

 

[cwerdna]

Will the older Bolts also get Tesla charging privileges?

Maybe. I don't want to give wrong info but pieces like https://insideevs.com/news/671267/gm-tesla-supercharger-charging-standard-breaking/ claim:
"First access to the Tesla charging standard will come by way of an adaptor, which will be provided to existing GM EV owners sometime early next year.

“What’s even more exciting is that our existing EV customers can leverage the 12,000 Tesla fast chargers early next spring with an adapter," said Barra. "

My guess is that "provide" means available for sale, not free. https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/gm-survey-on-nacs-adapter.51400/ reported receiving a survey.

Google for mary barra nacs ccs adapters to see if there are any other better sources. https://news.gm.com/newsroom.detail.html/Pages/news/us/en/2023/jun/0608-gm.html is their press release from the day of the announcement.

 

[cgott42]

Thanks everyone for the info
I decided that I’m going to go for the used Chevy bolt

 

[cgott42]

Be aware that a newer LEAF battery it may be, but it will age LEAF style, and you will have Nissan Corp telling you to pound sand if you ever have reason to ask them for assistance/remedy

That's a very good point.
Can you explain - Why won't the new 62kWH battery age better than my original ?

 

[SageBrush]

Be aware that a newer LEAF battery it may be, but it will age LEAF style, and you will have Nissan Corp telling you to pound sand if you ever have reason to ask them for assistance/remedy

That's a very good point.
Can you explain - Why won't the new 62kWH battery age better than my original ?

I meant that a Nissan pack does not have thermal control.

 

[cgott42]

thx