![]() ![]() Note that Nissan's 100,000-mile / 8-year warranty only covers the battery if it fails completely. The battery is covered by the same warranty as a new Leaf: if its capacity drops four bars within five years or 60,000 miles, I am entitled to a free replacement. I paid State of Washington sales tax and financed the $5,500 cost for three years at $150 per month (at a 3.09% APR).Ĭonsidering that we will probably drive our Leaf 50,000 miles over the next three years the cost of the new battery is a little over $.13 per mile. The dealer is not allowed to mark up or profit in any way from the battery replacement, and the labor charge is fixed at 3 hours. The 2011 battery requires a few additional parts to fit the new 24-kwh pack, and the old battery must be returned to Nissan. Nissan will finance up to $5,500 for 12 to 60 months. I was able to buy a new battery pack under this program-which is good only for Leafs that have a clear title (not salvaged or reconstructed), but only available through Nissan dealers. My fourth bar dropped at 65,000 miles, so I did not qualify. If your battery capacity drops four bars within the first 60,000 miles or five years (whichever comes first), you are entitled to a replacement under the new-car warranty that Nissan provides with every Leaf. That’s what I did, and we've been very happy with the results. If your battery has degraded but you're not eligible for a warranty replacement, you may want to consider replacing your battery under this program. You can buy a new Leaf battery for $5,500 under the Leaf Battery Replacement Program. The one that worked perfectly on my Leaf was the Vgate OBC2 Bluetooth Scanning Tool, which cost me less than $11. Not all ODB connectors work with all cars, however: I bought my first connector, and it generated errors when installed on my Leaf. LeafSpy Pro app showing real-time Nissan Leaf electric-car operating data But better yet, Nissan should modify that algorithm to take downhill travel (based on data from the car's inclinometer) into account. ![]() If there were some way to reset the estimate at the bottom of the hill, it might be more accurate. This throws the remaining-range estimate way off, as much as 50 percent higher than my actual range. Third, the Nissan trip computer’s range-estimating algorithm factors in unrealistic efficiency because of those first few downhill miles.When I charge to 80 percent, I pick up 3 to 4 percent more capacity on the descent, but if I head down the hill with a full charge, I pick up no additional charge and possibly degrade my battery.) (I believe this factor may have contributed to my shortened battery life. Second, and more importantly, when you charge to 100 percent and start off heading downhill, the battery level fluctuates between 98 and 100 percent-which is hard on any battery.First, for every trip the last few miles take three or four times the energy as they would in level driving, which adds to range anxiety.I think this is very bad for an electric car, for a few reasons: Then there's this: we live on a hill, so the last leg of any trip we take includes an 800-foot climb. Since the reserve capacity of any pack is a fixed number, the percentage of total capacity it represents rises as capacity decreases. The reserve capacity of our new pack is about 3.5 kwh, according to Leaf Spy Pro (more on that later). Rick and Linda SantAngelo with the 2011 Nissan Leaf at 96,000 miles ![]()
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