Nissan Responds To Leaf Owners Battery Woes

Last weekend, a group of Arizona Nissan Leaf owners conducted a trial to see how much range their pure electric vehicles had lost in the desert heat. Their conclusion?The battery loss was more rapid than Nissan led them to believe, undercutting earlier claims that the gauge cluster was wrong.

Well Nissan has finally stepped up with a real answer…that the batteries are deteriorating. But don’t worry, it is all a part of the plan!

According to an open letter from Nissan to Leaf owners, engineers found that the lower-than-normal battery levels relate to 1) higher-than-average mileage and 2) “unique” usage that includes high miles in high heat. I have posted the entire message at the bottom of the post for you to read over.

That is hardly reassuring to Arizona Leaf owners, many of whom tried trading in or selling their cars only to be rebuffed by local Nissan dealerships. Some owners were reportedly offered just $14,000 for their used Leaf EVs, less than half the after-rebate cost. Talk about salt in the wound.

For those Leaf owners who have seen their range drop by as much as one-third (from around 90 miles fully charged to less than 60), this is no consolation. Nissan goes on to insist that based on their own internal calculations, the 450 or so Arizona Leaf owners will still have about 76% of their battery capacity on hand after 5 years, even though some drivers are already well past that mark. It is also fair for Nissan to say that ALL battery packs experience loss over time. This is true. That said, when the battery is the sole means of motivation for an automobile, it damn well better last a long, long time. This does not bode well for Nissan’s other attempts at electric vehicles worldwide.

Suffice to say, this is bad news for Nissan and early adopters of the Leaf. Some owners have even gone so far as to say they cannot recommend a Leaf to others until this issue is remedied. The matter isn’t helped by the fact that the Leaf already offers such a limited range, that any loss can have a profound effect on the EV’s usability.  Even with the 8-year/100,000 mile battery warranty, it seems like many Leaf owners are already giving up on their car…at least in Arizona. Also, Nissan may have left itself an out, as the warranty can be invalidated if the battery is regularly exposed to ambient temperatures in excess of 120 F.

If I was a Leaf owner, I’d personally be livid. Then again, you kinda had to expect something like this from a first-of-its-kind vehicle. More salt for your flesh wound?

Source: My Nissan Leaf | Plug-In Cars