LeftieBiker said:
People who only believe facts that have been documented by official research studies should probably avoid driving or owning cars entirely. The technology has evolved in a fairly haphazard manner over many decades, with changes based on everything from sound engineering decisions, to not so sound engineering decisions, to focus groups (I was in one of those for a couple of years before dropping out in disgust), to whims. Yes, Nissan prefers the flooded cell starting batteries because they are cheap. Imagine that.
+1
My brother needs a new battery for his '13 and I suggested he look for a 51R AGM. I suggested Pep Boys as not too long ago someone here and I verified, posted they had Bosch AGM 51Rs for around $150. Well, he called and not only do they not really carry AGM batteries anymore and told him that they "are being phased out" :? but they said even if they could find a 51R AGM it would be around $300! They suggested he try a couple of other local auto-parts stores and none had an AGM in the 51R size but they said they could order one for again very expensive prices. He said O'Riley quoted around $170 for a regular acid 51R. I had checked a local big box lumber store(Menards, similar to Home Depot) yesterday and noted they only sold a couple AGM 12v batteries, mostly for trolling motors and all too large to fit in a Leaf, they did have (3) 51R acid batteries on the shelf for ~$110. I remember thinking to myself that not that long ago(OK, maybe a couple of decades ago) I could purchase Champion acid batteries for $39-49 and no-name acid batteries for $29 so I thought the $110 was high, guess I was wrong. I purchased my Optima yellow-top 51R that I still have in my '12 for $199 but now Optima's seem to sell for over $300 and I couldn't even find a 51R, only a regular 51 which won't work.
Apparently, the Pep Boys was correct in that AGM batteries seem to have fallen from favor
so I'm just going to suggest my brother get a flooded acid battery, Amazon did sell a "Powertex Batteries Lithium-Ion LiFePO4 BCI Group Size 51R Automotive Battery - 12.8V 720CA 360CCA 36Ah 461Wh - AGM & SLA Drop-In Premium Replacement" for $399 but as my brother just recently moved into an apartment and no longer has access to home charging and instead is forced into QC'ing basically all the time, he's not sure how much longer he's going to keep his Leaf
He loved it for the 4 years he's had it but may be forced to going back to a gas burner so he doesn't want to spend more than he needs to on a replacement battery.
https://www.amazon.com/Powertex-Batteries-Lithium-Ion-LiFePO4-Automotive/dp/B09HL5KXW9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=17EGGSI2MN2PI&dchild=1&keywords=51r%2Bagm%2Bbattery&qid=1635282986&sprefix=51r%2Bag%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzN0Q1QTM5WTlIWDY1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjc2MDU2MkJPU0o2MzBQVjhSSCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTU1MjM3M0c0TDAzTjQxQjAxRSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1
The Nissan Leaf is a nice car but above all it's been "value engineered" so just because the OEM battery isn't an AGM doesn't mean a flooded acid battery is the best for a Leaf, it's just the cheapest.
