Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Nissan Leaf battery replacement will cost $100/month, offers new pack at any time

Perhaps this is where some of that excess battery manufacturing capacity in Smyrna, TN will be used. Nissan announced a new battery replacement program for the all-electric Leaf today at a cost of "approximately $100 per month." The offer is in addition to the standard Leaf battery warranty that already covers the battery for against defects for eight years or 100,000 miles (and was upgraded late last year to cover capacity loss for five years or 60,000 miles).

Here's how it works. At any time, like when the warranty is about to end – so, at 4 years, 11 months or 59,999 miles – or even after your warranty ends, a Nissan Leaf owner can sign up for the battery replacement program. At that point, you start paying $100 a month (or whatever the final cost will be) and immediately get a new battery pack that has a full 12 bars of capacity.

Nissan's senior manager of corporate communications, Brian Brockman, told AutoblogGreen that "Owners can opt in at any time. When they opt into the program, they will receive a new battery pack with the latest available technology that is compatible with their vehicle. Then, Nissan provides assurance that the replacement pack will maintain 9 bars or more capacity for the time that they own their car and make monthly payments. If their battery drops below 9 bars, we will repair or replace the battery pack."

So, basically, the new program provides a reasonably priced piece of mind to Leaf owners. On top of that, anyone with an older Leaf who wants to take advantage of newer technology (as long as it's compatible) can get a newer pack using this program. So, if you buy a used 2012 Leaf today but want a 2015 battery pack in a few years (should it fit in the car) you can get one for $100 a month. This cost is transferable to the new owner if you later sell the car.

Which brings up the questions about what happens If you stop paying after, say, six months. Brockman said the situation would be similar to what happens to anyone who stops paying their car loan and Nissan is currently trying to determine "if there is an end point" to the payments. We'll know even more when Nissan releases more information "later this year," including how the program will work outside the US, and there are also more details below.

Nissan says it asked Leaf owners around the world what they wanted to see in a battery replacement program, and a small monthly charge was the winning option. The key security they wanted was a guarantee that the battery will maintain a certain capacity level. The current Leaf battery warranty kicks in if the capacity drops below approximately 70 percent. Specifically, here's how Nissan describes the new program:

All Leaf batteries installed under this program will enjoy coverage similar to the terms of standard battery coverage under the Nissan New Electric Vehicle Limited Warranty and be assured to maintain at least 9 bars capacity, or approximately 70 percent and protection from defects in materials or workmanship for the time they own their Leaf and remain in the battery program. If necessary, Nissan will replace the battery with a new or remanufactured battery to restore capacity at or above a minimum of 9 bars, much like the existing expanded battery capacity warranty.

If that sounds familiar, then perhaps you are thinking of the details of the expanded battery warranty from December:

Under an expanded New Electric Vehicle Limited Warranty, Nissan will protect against capacity loss in Leaf batteries that fall below nine bars, of the available 12 bars displayed on the vehicle's battery capacity gauge, for the first five years or 60,000 miles in the United States, whichever comes first. For Leaf vehicles whose batteries have fallen below nine bars during this period, Nissan will repair or replace the battery under warranty with a new or remanufactured battery to restore capacity at or above a minimum of nine bars.

Basically, what Nissan's offering here are three levels of security (defect warranty, capacity warranty, replacement program) with its still-new EV.

The replacement program is a bit of a change of heart from Nissan, which used to proudly say that the Leaf packs might need some maintenance or individual module swaps, but not a full replacement. Nissan's Erik Gottfried, the director of electric vehicle sales and marketing, said in a statement that "the great majority of our current LEAF drivers will never need this battery replacement option" but at least it's available.

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/06/20...ost-100-month/

bagwell

I don't like it

.....just put a better warranty on the battery and be done with it.

Sens4Miles

So basically, if you fail to make your $100/month battery payments, they come and take your battery pack away from you? Do they give you your original pack to keep at home when they do the swap or do they keep your original pack on ice and then put it back in if such a situation were to occur? Or do they just take back the newer pack and leave you without a battery?

This program seems reasonable on paper, but I would really like further explanation on how it will work long term. Though I do like that the $100/month essentially guarantees a properly working pack for the life of the vehicle

Jewcano

iTrader: (4)

What i'm noticing with these plans is that they nullify that 'savings' you are supposedly getting with electric. Whether it's Teslas battery swap station for $60-80 each 'fillup' or Nissans $100 a month swap. In just a year for this plan you're spending $1200, and that's not including the recharging costs on the side. For something that is supposed to save money, it seems like you'll be spending just as much, if not more, than on a small fuel efficient ride. I'm not impressed at all.

Sens4Miles

That's kind of an inaccurate statement. Tesla's battery swap is a 3rd option for long distance travelers who don't want to wait 45 minutes or so for a full supercharge on their battery. Their supercharger stations are FREE. Show me one gas station in America that offers free gas for the life of the vehicle. If you charge at home, from what I've read, the customer pays about $5 in electricity for a full charge. Again, show me a gas station in America that will allow you to fill up your gas tank for $5.

This battery swap option is simply a way to get Tesla drivers in a hurry back on the road fast. Those who don't want to wait 25-45 minutes to fully charge their own battery. It's a luxury. And it costs about the same as filling up a gas tank that you would need to do anyway if you were driving an ICE car.

No one is forcing Tesla drivers to use the battery swap feature, but it's nice to have options.

Furthermore, the Model S is a premium luxury vehicle that is also an EV. For the price of an equivalent S Class, you will absolutely pay more to drive and maintain that S Class than you will with the Model S. You will also get much better resale value if you do decide to sell your Model S one day over the S Class (which I believe has one of the most drastic losses in resale value of any car when purchased as a new vehicle). So yes, the Model S offers a lot more savings over an equally priced sedan in its class.

As far as Nissan offering a battery replacement leasing option, show me any other car manufacturer that offers a lifetime engine replacement for $100/month. As least they are offering this peace of mind to EV drivers.

Jewcano

iTrader: (4)

And how long do the supercharger stations take to charge the car? As well, nothing is "FREE". You're paying the cost somewhere, whether it be the price of the car, or tax credits the company is getting for setting them up. Someone is eating that cost. And I'd like real world statistics that show it only costs $5 a month. Really? How much driving does that one person do? How often do they fill up? I guess if they drive 2 times a week and 'charge' once a month, maybe it is $5. In the real world, people would be charging all the time and driving alot more often, so I'd imagine the average charging would cost MUCH more than just $5.

Correct. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they were saying the Tesla can pull 200 miles to a charge? If you're doing a long drive, then how many of the battery swap stations will you have to go through? Or how many of the 'free' stations will you be stuck at? $80 for 200 miles is kinda pricey......Considering for example my car gets 25mpg highway (V8). Current price of premium is $3.84 locally. For that same range I'll pay $30.72 in premium fuel. So for less than half, my V8 ICE car is ALOT more practical than this all electric car.

You're right, its a nice feature to have to swap out in around the same time as filling up. It will cost you at that time the same as filling up, so no savings at that point over an ICE vehicle. However if the charging stations are located at rest stops, it's a nice feature for folks who are looking to stretch their legs on long trips and have a little break/nap. As for the comparison to the S class, I'm sure they aren't in the same price bracket? If they are.....it's then left to the buyers preference which one they want. But as I said, I'd prefer to see real world 'charging' figures.

Good thing the battery isn't the engine of the electric car . Those are the 'electric motors'. And those don't last forever either. I'm sure they have fancy motors to power the wheels, but I'd hate to see the replacement cost on one of those :I.

Sens4Miles

Yes, it is calculated into the cost of the car and the ownership experience of owning that car. The same as let's say, the dealership experience you might expect with owning a Lexus. All those perks that you get at a Lexus dealership are "FREE", however it is part of the owner experience and is already built into the price of the vehicles. The same thing applies to Tesla. It is no different than any other luxury car manufacturer.

I didn't say $5/month, I said $5 for a full charge. A full charge equals about 250 miles of driving in the Model S. So let's say your S Class gets 25 miles per gallon. That's 10 gallons of gas. At a reasonable $3.75 per gallon, you are paying $37.50 to drive those same 250 miles. Hmm, so let's see $5 per 250 miles or $37.50 to drive those same 250 miles. The Model S is a far cheaper "refueling" vehicle.


What you don't seem to understand is that this battery swap option is not intended for daily use. You and your V8 ICE car will ALWAYS have to pay $30.72 to drive those 200 miles. The Tesla can be recharged at home for far far less or supercharged on the road for FREE. Don't want to wait 25-45 minutes to supercharge your battery? Then you still have the option to battery swap in less time than it takes to refuel your gas guzzler.


Yes, the Model S is in the same price bracket as the S Class. And as the demo from the other night shows, it actually takes less time to swap out the battery pack than to fill up your gas tank.


Not true. The battery is the single most important part of an electric vehicle. The electric motors are cheap and pretty much unbreakable. Do some research on the subject and you will see this. An electric motor will outlast an ICE every single time. The battery pack, however, will degrade over time (much like an ICE), so the comparison is a fair one. But if you want to make it apples to apples, show me one car manufacturer that is willing to give you unlimited gas for $100/month

mrraider

The 100/month is nothing more than an extended warranty on the battery. If the maker of an ICE car offered me an extended warranty for 100$/month on the engine, I would tell them to screw off and go buy a car from a company with an engine that will last the life of the car.

If Nissan really wants to impress me, they need to offer an 8 year warranty standard on the battry like GM does on the Volt

-J-P-L-

The idea of these massively expensive battery replacements just reaffirms why the electric car will never be more than a small niche vehicle, barring a huge battery tech breakthrough (250,000+ mile life, and 400-500 mi range, and same price as ICE cars).

$100 buys you 1,600 miles in a Prius at today's price of $3.50/gal. More than the average driver drives a month. A Prius starts at $10,000 less than an ugly Leaf. Pretty easy math against an electric and we haven't even bought any electricity for the Leaf yet. Then there's the little detail of being stuck within 50 miles from your home. 100 miles if you know of a rare charging station on the other end.

The only customer that exists for an electric are those that just have a problem with gasoline. There's not much other justification that can be made for one. So you hate gas, but then burn coal for electricity, never mind manufacture a big battery that is not at all good for the environment.

Plus that one customer is further limited by having lots of money. You may have a lot of gas haters, but most can't afford a $32K car that doesn't go far, which leaves you needing a second car.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

car manufacturers give you 6 years 70k mile powertrain warranties already. Bumper to bumper extended warranties are a HELL of a lot cheaper than $100/month on an ICE. $100/month just covers the battery pack lol?

Sens4Miles

The battery pack is not going to die or stop working after the warranty period ends. It simply may not have the same range per charge as it once did while new. Nissan offering this extended plan is like them offering a brand new engine after you've already racked up 200,000 miles on your ICE car. You can opt in at any time, meaning 5 years, 7 years, 10 years after your initial purchase and get a BRAND NEW battery pack for $100/month. That's like driving a Altima for 10 years and then having a brand new engine put in for $100/month.


Oh please. Batteries don't last forever, just like gas engines don't last forever. That's like saying Nissan should start offering 250,000 mile standard powertrain warranties. It will never happen. Can an Altima engine get 250,000+ miles with proper maintenance? Sure, but Nissan will never offer such a ludicrous standard warranty. Neither will Toyota, Honda, or any other manufacturer.

You're looking at this $100/month battery warranty the wrong way. It's not really a warranty, it's a way to get a brand new battery pack and to always have a brand new battery pack for as long as you want to drive the car. Again, that would be the equivalent of Nissan offering a lifetime engine replacement program on the Altima. No one is forcing this plan on anyone. But it's certainly better than having no options and no affordable way to get a new battery pack.

They need a larger battery pack. I agree with that. I think Tesla has the winning formula right now and Nissan and every other manufacturer is going to be playing catch up to them. There's a reason why Infiniti put their EV plans on hold. I just hope Nissan designed the Leaf with the capability of adding a larger pack as time goes on. Because I have a feeling 200 miles per charge is going to be the absolute minimum range on EVs within the next few years, making the Leaf, as is, with its 85 mile range, a bit obsolete.


Again, no manufacturer will ever offer a lifetime replacement warranty on any gas engine for $100/month. Nissan offering this to their Leaf customers gives them peace of mind to know they will never have a dead battery or one that has very little range left. That $100/month always guarantees a fresh pack and optimal performance

LexFather

The leaf hasn't been anything like Nissan wanted or expected. I like it but it just missed the mark on numerous levels.

spwolf

well, $100/month is a lot for warranty ... nobody offers that for gas cars because it would be insane... they offer it for Leaf because replacement cost is insane.

As to Tesla superchargers - they are built outside populated centers on purpose so you dont get to recharge for free daily.