The engine and transmission are two of the most pricey parts to replace in a combustion engine car. It is the battery pack in EVs. Many people who are thinking about getting an EV as their next car may ask if the battery pack is covered by the warranty. What is the lifespan of battery packs?
Battery packs for the 2011-model Nissan Leaf are covered by warranties for eight years or 100,000 miles. That seems pretty fantastic when you consider that the Ram truck engines only come with a five-year warranty.
Battery deterioration must also be taken into account. Over the course of ownership, any EV’s available range will decrease. The 84-mile range of a 2015 Nissan Leaf, according to Recurrent, would get shorter with time. With a range of more than 300 miles, it has a far shorter lifespan than a battery pack today.
Nissan will replace the Nissan Leaf’s battery pack if its capacity falls below 75%. An estimate of the battery’s price is $4,500. A 24kWh battery replacement, including labor expenses, costs roughly $5,500, according to Nissan user forums.
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Selecting an Expert in Nissan Battery Replacement
You usually only have two choices for LEAF battery replacements: visit a Nissan dealership or engage with a battery repair professional. Similar to purchasing an oil change for a car with a combustion engine, dealership servicing costs are frequently more expensive. A
There can be less expensive solutions available, especially if you are near the ocean. In fact, the LEAF community keeps a list of shops that sell replacement parts. A
Why changing a Nissan LEAF battery is so difficult
The first Nissan Leaf was the only mass-market electric vehicle available when it was released over ten years ago. Virginia residents Mike and Karen Lawrence acquired one as soon as they could because they were concerned about the environment and wanted to back up their words with deeds.
It rarely needs service beyond a checkup, so it’s not a pain in the neck, she said. “Without a motor and the oil change, which we do not have to do since there ain’t none,” she added.
The battery is the only issue with the automobile. A completely charged battery could travel up to 100 miles at initially, but over time, that distance decreased. The car can only travel 45 kilometers at the moment on a single charge.
Old batteries require more frequent charging because they deteriorate and retain less energy. Nissan offered a replacement battery that the Lawrences could purchase, but it would cost $8,000, which is more than the car is currently worth. In search of replacement batteries, they joined a lively online community of Nissan Leaf aficionados.
This is a typical issue with Leaf owners and battery technology in general. The lithium-ion battery, which can cost up to one third of the price of the vehicle, is often the most expensive component of an electric automobile.
Lithium-ion batteries are the result of many years of research, and they helped three scientists win the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. They are essential to increasing the usage of renewable energy and power everything from computers to smartphones to automobiles. Investing in battery technologies is popular right now. But before batteries can power larger cars and last longer, there are still scientific issues that need to be resolved.
On a very basic level, lithium-ion batteries function as follows: Lithium ions go in and out of the positive and negative ends of a battery as well as back and forth in a liquid. When lithium ions move in one direction, the battery is charged and energy is stored; when they move in the opposite direction, the battery is discharged and the energy is used to power anything, like an automobile.
However, according to Gene Berdichevsky, who worked on a solar car project in the early 2000s as an undergraduate at Stanford, it took a lot of effort to make lithium-ion batteries function in a car. He claimed that most people weren’t as concerned about batteries then as they are now.
He claimed, “They were an afterthought.” People tend to overlook the fact that the battery played an equally significant influence when discussing how the present portable electronics sector was revolutionized by semiconductors.
Cost of a Nissan Leaf battery replacement
Up until the Tesla Model 3 passed it a few years ago, the Nissan Leaf was the most popular electric vehicle on the planet.
It’s hardly a performance vehicle, and most people would concur that they didn’t buy it for its looks. But it’s a cheap runaround, providing inexpensive travel for people who live in cities or small towns.
Well, it’s inexpensive up to the point where the battery starts to fail. You’ll need some new ones after that. And that is costly. quite pricey.
The price of a Nissan Leaf battery replacement is the subject of this article. It can cost between $4,000 and $6,000 with reconditioned batteries or between $7,000 and $12,000 at a dealership.
Nissan launches a new initiative to replace worn-out LEAF battery packs.
Nissan today announced the commencement of a new initiative to replace worn-out LEAF battery packs with “refabricated” packs at a reduced cost compared to new packs.
After some use, the battery packs in electric cars ultimately lose part of their capacity.
Although it’s typically only a few percentage points, some Nissan Leaf users have reported seeing a more noticeable deterioration.
Nissan Leaf promises to maintain approximately 66% of its capacity over 100k miles or 96 months, however a recent analysis reveals that the original 24 kWh pack loses about 20% of its capacity over the same period.
The same research, however, reveals that Nissan’s more modern 30 kWh battery pack loses capacity more quickly than the earlier pack:
Nissan is undertaking a new replacement program, initially in Japan, to allay worries:
“Nissan LEAF customers will be able to recycle their old batteries starting in May and obtain replacement ones for a charge. Nissan is providing the program using the battery-refabrication skills of 4R Energy Corp., a business created through a joint venture with Sumitomo Corp.”
The cost for new packs for owners is 650,000 yen ($6,200) for 24 kWh, 800,000 yen ($7,600), and 820,000 yen ($7,800) for 40 kWh.
However, the new scheme for replicas will only set you back 300,000 yen ($2,850).
Nissan may replace the cells that lost the most capacity, so even if those refabricated packs aren’t brand new, they should have more energy capacity.
Buyers of new electric vehicles frequently have serious concerns about battery deterioration. It’s possible that the Nissan Leaf, which had numerous problems in that area, is partially to blame. As a result, Nissan now offers a far more thorough warranty on battery capacity, and the firm is considering new initiatives to address the problem, including this one.
The 30 kWh pack data is particularly concerning, but maybe the problem has been rectified for the new 40 kWh or impending 60 kWh packs that are expected to be included with the 2019 model.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Nissan Leaf Battery Upgrade
A 24 kWh, 30 kWh, or 40 kWh pack can be used with the 2011–2012. Due to the 62kWh’s limitations with the on-board charger, we do not advise it.
Depending on the original equipment, the 2016 can have 24, 30, 40, or 62 kWh. A 30, 40, or 62 kWh can be used with the 2017.
The cost of installing or upgrading a battery is based on a number of variables, including the vehicle’s year, the donor battery’s age, market rates, and other factors.
Range is dependent on a number of variables, including driving habits, HVAC system demands, outside temperatures, whether you’re driving on the highway or in the city, etc.
Considering a 90%+ Health Status:
The actual installation only only a few hours. To make sure the battery and car are in good condition, we prefer to keep the vehicle for 3–4 days following to perform some high-level testing, capture some data logs, and put it through a few charge cycles.
The on-board charger, electric motor, and PTC heater, among other high-voltage parts of the vehicle, will also be evaluated. We will also check the brakes, tires, fluids, and other components for safety and maintenance.
Prior to installation, we can confirm the replacement pack’s health using specialized equipment that can connect with it.
We only use original Nissan battery packs that are of high quality. Rebuilt or refurbished packs, in our opinion, are not time or money well spent. A particular cell design and chemistry were intended to be employed in the Leaf HV battery. A costly risk is trying to repair the battery using a different kind of cell.
If you are outside of New England, which is our immediate service area, we advise doing an online search for a shipping provider like uShip.
Before buying, we advise having the car inspected. Nissan Leaf pre-purchase examinations are FREE if the car is brought to our shop.
The capacity bars on the dash’s far right side and the estimated range after a full charge are two simple items to check.
Affordable up front, but there is a catch
When compared to the competitors, the Nissan Leaf has a comparatively low starting price for a completely electric car, but it still makes use of the same battery pack. This indicates that, in comparison to EVs with higher starting pricing, the cost of replacing the battery pack will be higher as a percentage of the initial new price. While the Leaf costs less than $20,000, a replacement 40 kWh battery costs between $6,500 and $7,500. (via Recurrent Auto). That equals about 37.5% of the cost of a brand-new vehicle.
However, over the past ten years, the cost of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) packs, as they are often known, has decreased by 89% in real terms (via Bloomberg NEF). Bloomberg NEF estimates that the cost of BEVs was roughly $1,100/kWh in 2010 and would be just $137/kWh in 2020. This has also been reflected in the new EVs’ beginning prices, which are likewise continuing to drop in price. By 2023, the cost of BEVs per kilowatt-hour is expected to fall to as little as $100/kWh, making them not only more economical overall but also making them more cost-effective to replace when one runs out of power.