battery upgrade and replacement legislation

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gossett

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2012
Messages
17
As you consider future legislation promoting electric vehicles, I hope you take the following issue into consideration as you communicate with your various legislators.

The biggest barrier to people purchasing an electric vehicle is range anxiety. Newer EVs have sufficient range to make that no longer an issue for buying. However, to be really environmentally friendly, EVs should be kept on the road for at least 15-20 years. That will require replacing the original battery a few times.

And that is the problem: most of the EV sellers have no intention of making that economically feasible. They want their customers to buy a new EV every 5-8 years. A case in point: I am the owner of a 2106 Nissan Leaf. My battery as at 78% of its original capacity, which is within the warranty expectation. However, next winter, there will be days when that battery will not have the capacity for the Twin Cities travel I will need.

If I lived in Oregon or a small number of other far distant areas, I could have a third party company install an upgraded battery from a newer, but wrecked Leaf. It could be done at an affordable price. I could double the range the vehicle had when new. But no such businesses exist within 1000 miles or more of my home.

Nissan refuses to even consider battery upgrades. In fact, they required a great deal of run-around (back and forth between my local dealer and the national office) to even give me a price on a replacement for the original battery. Their price is almost 30% of the cost of a new vehicle ($13,000). This is a price that is communicating to me: dispose of the car and buy a new car. But, of course, there is not much of a market for used EVs with low range. So Nissan is really saying "throw the car away (after 6 years) and buy a new one". This is the opposite of environmentally responsible.

So here is my suggestion: any new legislation regarding electric vehicles should REQUIRE manufacturers to implement affordable, and accessible battery UPGRADE and REPLACEMENT programs. The customer should have details of the program in writing at the time of purchase.
 
It sure would be nice if eventually the EV manufacturers all agree on a standardized, modular battery pack design. That standard would facilitate quick swaps of bad modules, to extend the life of original packs, as well as guarantee a sustainable and affordable battery upgrade option for EV owners as cars age. It would also guarantee much easier repurposing of EV battery modules for solar, wind, and other "green" energy storage purposes.

However, a standardized, modular battery pack design won't happen any time soon as EV manufacturers view battery tech as proprietary IP and a product differentiator. So, I think the only way that ever happens is if lawmakers force that type of standard. Seems unlikely that will ever happen though, unless global warming issues trump capitalist interests.
 
alozzy said:
However, a standardized, modular battery pack design won't happen any time soon as EV manufacturers view battery tech as proprietary IP and a product differentiator.
You hit the nail on the head. We have the same issue (different perspective) in the telecommunications industry. It took decades to get to the point where standardization allowed for what we call "mid-span meets" between vendors, but interchangeable equipment between vendors would be the end of the world (as we know it).
 
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