All the details are in this post, but basically, Nissan, starting in May, is selling LEAF "refabricated" replacement batteries. In Japan. A 24 kWh battery will be around $2,850; a 30 kWh box will go for $7,608, and a 40 kWh is a comparative bargain at $7,798. Nissan doesn't say when, or even if, the program will begin outside of Japan, but I have to imagine that it will. Eventually.
That's great news, It makes you wonder if it's a good idea to buy and set aside an early cheap Gen1 Leaf and get a refurbished battery pack installed, It would basically be a nearly new car for not a lot of money, No news when or even if these will be available for this price in Europe!
I'm hoping the prices in Europe and North America will be a little more reasonable. These seem a tad high. I'm under the impression that automakers make the maximum margin in the Japanese market. It would be extremely helpful to know price and timing for outside Japan.
These prices would be awesome for DIY home battery systems; to store energy generated with solar PV systems, to charge your EV, for instance. The cost per kWh is almost 1/8th as much as some lithium batteries.
At that price I may make myself an electric boat with the 24kwh. Whoops, there's a hefty core charge on it, that's not straight retail so forget it.
Definitely will have a core charge.For your boat, it might be better to buy a pack from a smashed salvage car.
What's a 'core charge'? Is this much different to re-purposing used EV battery packs for home storage units?
A core charge is what you would be charged if you didn't have a used part to exchange for a new part. For instance, if you buy a rebuilt engine, you will be charged a few hundred dollars extra unless you give them your worn out engine. The old part, an engine in this example, is considered a "core." So, if you wanted to buy a remanufactured LEAF battery, there would be an extra charge if you didn't give them your old LEAF battery. If you don't have an old LEAF battery, then they might charge you a core charge. I have no idea how much that might be.
I think this is very good news! But let's not overstate the case. This isn't offering the option for a new battery pack for old Leafs; it's offering a refurbished battery. So essentially, that's recycling a somewhat used battery pack. A 24 kWh pack for less than $3000 would certainly give new life to older Leafs, and I think it's likely that will help the very poor resale value of this car. I also see it as a positive thing in that it means more batteries will be recycled rather than thrown into a landfill. On the other hand... it's still merely putting another inadequeatly cooled battery pack into an older Leaf. If you're determined to keep an older Leaf for a few more years, that may be a worthwhile investment. But with newer and better BEVs coming onto the market all the time, one needs to ask if extending the life of an older Leaf is really worth the money spent. This is good because it offers an option to drivers of older Leafs; an option they didn't have before. It's also good for the environment, more recycling is a win-win for everyone! But it doesn't at all improve the poor engineering of often prematurely "wilting" Leaf batteries. -
Another possibility is that 3rd party companies may develop replacement battery packs if they can overcome proprietary software obstacles. They could also offer refurbishment as well. While I somewhat agree with PuPu that it may be questionable to put money into an older somewhat obsolete Leaf, it's good for the environment to use a vehicle as long as it's viable. As public charging in my area sucks to the point of being useless, I would love the option of putting in a higher capacity pack if I keep the 2016 longer than intended.
