Battery based electric vehicles of today and tomorrow.

[Gale Hawkins]

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.

 

[airbiscuit]

Progress!

 

[California]

... After the 30 kWh traction battery failed to maintain 63% of its new stated capacity ... they replaced it with the 40 kWh batteries used in the 2020 Leaf.

Today I finished testing the ... 2016 Nissan Leaf SL .... Driving max of 45 MPH and with little heat usage but running the head lights I effectively had a range of 170 miles. ...

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 ...

That's great news!

 

[Grumpycat]

Do tell us how many naturally occurring locations there are to store water at height or air under pressure ? How many are built without a tax break or a research grant ?

Every dam in the country "stores water at a height" sufficient to produce electricity.

Sadly the state of government and taxation is that nothing is ever done without a "tax break". You didn't buy your tractor without getting a tax break. You get a tax break to purchase seed. You get a tax break on fuel for the tractor. Etc.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

No its your turn. Show us how pumped storage is only a tale as you asserted, a fable.

Here’s a pumped storage facility in VA.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

That's great news!

I am happy at this point but has been a real learning curve. In Oct 2019 when I bought the 2016 Nissan Leaf SL it never occurred to me to check out viability of the Nissan as a company being able to stay in business long term. I think in a couple years the future size and shape of Nissan may become clearer. Pulling out of Europe factory and sales wise and cutting the USA operations down in scope and size details seem to be under discussion at this time. The EV's are about their only market hope in the EC and they are deemed behind competing with EV companies from Korea for example.

I have owned Nissan cars since 1973 but the last 20 years has been hard on Nissan. In a resent report 30% if their USA Nissan dealerships are operating in the red and 10% are at break even. This may be one reason dealerships are not promoting the Leaf because of lack of income from the sale and follow up service. I got a call from the selling dealership in St Louis wanting me to bring in the Leaf for its 5000 mile regular service interval. The lady was not aware the Leaf is electric and has no scheduled 5000 service interval. The dealerships are not getting their mind around the fact if the Nissan EV's fail so does the entire corporation.

This purchase is working out so far. I am being forced to learn technical aspects of EV's and their ownership especially when it comes to lithium ion traction batteries.

If I had the money for a Tesla that would have been the low brainer route to take. But in the real world many do not not have $50K-$75K to drop on an EV and the used market is needed to get an EV at this time. In our case we have a 2016 Leaf SL with the 40 kWh battery pack like in a 2020 Nissan Leaf thanks to Nissan standing behind their 8 year battery warranty. I do wish the corporation the best of success in downsizing and staying in the market place. It seems the confusion and perhaps wrong doing at the top level of management has damaged Nissan. Do they have the will, ability and money to keep moving forward in a meaningful way will be known sooner than later I expect.

Reducing CO2 emissions from passenger cars | Climate Action

Reducing CO2 emissions from passenger cars

"From 2019 on, the penalty will be €95 for each g/km of target exceedance."

This cost is not just a Nissan thing but impacts all car companies. Toyota has gone on record recently stating their ICE and hybrids will not cut it in the EC. Yes it may be decades before we see pollution fees on cars and trucks in the USA in a major way but the laws on the books may be tweaked going forward.

What Cars Are Affected by the Gas Guzzler Tax?

"The "gas guzzler tax" is a federal excise tax applied to the domestic sale of new vehicles that do not meet certain fuel economy standards. It was enacted as part of the Energy Tax Act of 1978.

This law does not apply to trucks, SUVs, vans and station wagons. However, there has been talk in recent years in Congress to expand this tax to SUV owners. At the time the law was written in 1978, SUVs were not as popular as today. In 2014, data shows that SUVs and crossover vehicles surpassed sedans to become the most popular vehicle body style in the U.S."

 

[Gale Hawkins]

This may be of interest to the few that are interested in current and coming changes to EV battery packs in an 18 minute video. A lot of cool stuff is predicted by 2030 which is when EV's may make up 50% of new vehicle sales/leases.

Tesla Solid State Battery? Tesla Battery Investor Day Preparation - YouTube

For a print article on the same subject see below.

Biggest Tesla News Of The Year: Next-Gen Battery Cell Production In Fremont | CleanTechnica

 

[California]

Bleeding-edge technology advances at an uneven pace!

She rented one of those cars that you reserve online then go find where the last user parked it. The company unlocks it remotely for you to use.

Then:

My rental car lost cell tower access. I'm stranded way out in nowhere. I guess I live here now.



May you live in interesting times ....

 

[Gale Hawkins]

As I often say, Technology is going to be the death of us all.

 

[cqaigy2]

As I often say, Technology is going to be the death of us all.

Arnold will back you up on that.