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Gale Hawkins
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- Sep 20, 2009
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- Murray, KY
- Tractor
- 1948 Allis Chambers Model B 1976 265 MF / 1983 JD 310B Backhoe / 1966 Ford 3000 Diesel / 1980 3600 Diesel
Yesterday I went and picked up our 2016 Nissan Leaf SL. After the 30 kWh traction battery failed to maintain 63% of its new stated capacity (lost 4 of its 12 State of Health bars) in only 38 months of use it triggered the replacement warranty. Since the 30 kWh battery has been discontinued they replaced it with the 40 kWh batteries used in the 2020 Leaf. The Leaf Plus uses a 62 kWh battery.
I took the car in 30 Dec 2019 and a few days later determined the battery was ad but said they could not decide in the Memphis Nissan division what to do about it since the new battery listed for $12,500.00 plus labor. A buy back was mentioned and I think the service writer could hear my blood pressure thumping over the phone. Since I had started my claim directly with a National Leaf Customer Rep and had a contact and case number I just let things ride because I wanted to see how it played out since I wanted to know more before we added more Nissan EV's in the coming years. With the Nissan downsizing talk and the former CEO now a fugitive from the law talking about the Nissan company being in bankruptcy in 2022 was not helping my comfort level.
More Bad News at Nissan - The Drive
I just got back in contact with my contact at the national Leaf Customer Service center. Then the Nissan dealership changed my point of contact in their service department and the replacement happened in short order. When I picked it up yesterday the Leaf certified tech came up to the counter and answered a few questions.
Perhaps this new CEO (third one) just put in charge is serious about saving Nissan.
This is my 6th Nissan since 1973 so I have long been sold on the brand but this is our first Nissan without a gas tank.
Using the 150 mile range battery to replace the 107 mile range battery just happened in Jan I have been told so all of the delays on my part and that of Nissan seemed to have worked in our favor. We actually are going to have a few nights of cold temps that will test it somewhat.
What I have learned since last Oct it that I prefer EV's over ICE's for moving people to work, etc. They are quite and the power off of the line is addicting. If one is in the market due to wants or needs then take a look if you wish. Beware they can be addicting.
Retired people with a new like car may be set for life with what they now own. Even 10 years from now production will not be high enough so all new cars sold could be electric. It is not for another 20 years before NEW gas and diesel car sales is expected to be totally pulled off the market in some states in the USA. The supply of batteries for electric cars and trucks is going to be the main hold up of selling more EV's now that Tesla has removed all doubt about the validity of building and driving EV's as daily drivers. It will be interesting to see how many of the old car names are still in business 10-15 years down the road if they miss the paradigm shift away from gas and diesel engines.
Today I finished testing the range of our new 2020 40 kWh battery in our 2016 Nissan Leaf SL that is to have a range of about 150 miles where new the old one was 107 miles. Testing when air temps were like 14F the first trip of the day and 20 minute of cabin preheating and driving it hard on take offs but not speeding the range came out to be 91.5 miles on a full charge. Driving max of 45 MPH and with little heat usage but running the head lights today I effectively had a range of 170 miles. Actually drove 131 miles and when the battery was down to 20% remaining state of charge the remaining range reported 39 miles.
When we got the car last OCT 2019 our total range on a full charge was only 60-70 miles at best with the OEM defective 30 kWh battery. Now the car moves faster on take offs from stops.
I expect the range on a full charge will range from 120 to 140 miles driving more like 55 MPH and some heat/air. The car is much more useful now range wise and we will not have to charge everyday just for the commute.