Nissan LEAF - General

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71 posts

Master Geek

#3172257 16-Dec-2023 10:24

No recycling of batteries in NZ basically. Here is a good website which provides the options for Nissan batteries in New Zealand.

https://evdb.nz/leaf-battery-guide

HarmLessSolutions

969 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#3172317 16-Dec-2023 12:13

boland:

Just wondering, what are currently the options when a Leaf's battery is end of life? Is there any battery recycling system in place? Or should I just drive it to the scrap yard and that's it?

"End of life" is very much a subjective term as the link in Cybnate's post proves. An EV places far higher demands on a battery's remaining capacity than other used that they can be repurposed for. For example our recently sold Leaf had a 62% SoH 24kWh battery so roughly 15kWh of usable capacity remaining. While that was providing us with effective driving range of ~60km which was marginal for our usage the new owner will enjoy cheap urban driving for the next few years at least, or considering the capacity was equivalent to that of a Powerwall it probably has as least 10 years of home storage usability if put to that purpose.

We are living in a period where EVs are still new technology and the opportunities that they present such as battery recycling, V2G/V2H use and autonomous operation are still in their infancies. Any technology that offers a potential economic return will eventually find someone willing to develop the infrastructure for financial gain and battery recycling will be no different with those companies stockpiling old Li-Ion batteries essentially just playing the long game. The complicating factor for such development here in New Zealand is economy of scale as is so often the case for our business ventures.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

Canuckabroad

177 posts

Master Geek

#3172321 16-Dec-2023 12:18

You can generally find a buyer for any functional EV battery, even those which are degraded. Consider your oldest Leafs shipped with 24 KWh batteries which when they are down to half their range, still have more storage capacity than a Tesla PowerWall. The question is whether you can find a replacement battery for a 'reasonable' price compared to what you could pick up a used newer EV with battery cooling and more modern design - as to whether you would scrap the car or replace the battery to keep it going.

RUKI

1402 posts

Uber Geek

#3172665 17-Dec-2023 13:06

Re: new life to Leaf wrecks. As some may know - you cannot make Leaf motor and on board charger work standalone (e.g. in EV converted car) without special 3-rd party device/firmware & software.
FYI Darrell in Auckland had developed a while ago and improved Leaf motor control kit with his own hardware and firmware design plus smartphone app to control it. He put one such motor into the boat and another into LandRover. Now, because of his invention Leaf motors with on-board chargers can have new life. We could all be proud of such cool invention being made in New Zealand! Well done!

Toyota / Lexus Hybrid and EV Battery Expert Battery Test & Repair

boland

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3172668 17-Dec-2023 13:19

What are your thoughts on taking a 69% soh 30 kwh Leaf on a 350km trip?
We need to travel from Wellington to Turangi and unfortunately our ICE vehicle is at the mechanic.
Hoping to take the Leaf. We'll travel this week with ambient temps of around 22c
Would I run into issues with too high temps?

We'd need to qc 3 or 4 times, I don't mind the waits, but don't want to be stuck for hours to let the pack cool down.
Longest I've taken it was a 160km trip with 1 qc, battery went up to max 7 bars, so no problem.
I'll ensure we drive slowly.

We could rent a car but that's very expensive and I'm also a bit excited to take the Leaf on a road trip. So ideally we take the Leaf.

HarmLessSolutions

969 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#3172672 17-Dec-2023 13:39

boland: What are your thoughts on taking a 69% soh 30 kwh Leaf on a 350km trip?
We need to travel from Wellington to Turangi and unfortunately our ICE vehicle is at the mechanic.
Hoping to take the Leaf. We'll travel this week with ambient temps of around 22c
Would I run into issues with too high temps?

We'd need to qc 3 or 4 times, I don't mind the waits, but don't want to be stuck for hours to let the pack cool down.
Longest I've taken it was a 160km trip with 1 qc, battery went up to max 7 bars, so no problem.
I'll ensure we drive slowly.

We could rent a car but that's very expensive and I'm also a bit excited to take the Leaf on a road trip. So ideally we take the Leaf.

We have a 2016 Leaf with very similar stat's to yours and wouldn't attempt a long distance road trip like you're considering. Battery heating is very likely to be an issue so you can expect the car to resist fast charging if not refuse to until the pack cools. As well as being inconvenient for you anybody who is in line behind you won't appreciate the delay you're likely to cause. Also consider the longer term effects in terms of accelerated battery degradation.

If it was me in you situation I'd consider using the opportunity to trial a rental EV more suited to long distance trips. Treat yourself to a road trip in a Tesla, Polestar2 or whatever the rental companies can offer you, and regard it as a Xmas gift to yourself rather than doing a stress inducing trip in your Leaf. (We also have a Polestar so our Leaf is our commuter and local travel vehicle).

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

boland

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3172674 17-Dec-2023 13:48

Thanks, but I can't justify a rental. At short term they are about $250 per day.

I've read different stories, some people who were fine doing even longer trips, and some people with issues.

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HarmLessSolutions

969 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#3172675 17-Dec-2023 13:52

boland: Thanks, but I can't justify a rental. At short term they are about $250 per day.

I've read different stories, some people who were fine doing even longer trips, and some people with issues.

Be sure to report back on your experience including if the SoH takes a hit. That would be of great interest for other Leaf owners.Happy and safe travels 😎

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

kingdragonfly

11190 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3172676 17-Dec-2023 13:57

If the car's in a large city, get a pre-purchase inspection, by AA or VTNZ, and ask the inspector to use LeafSpy Pro on it.

It's not a guarantee to find all problems, and inspectors likely have little experience with EV's. But on the other hand EV's are much less mechanically complex.

Then if all good, fly in to pick it up (should be cheaper than having it delivered)

Cybnate

71 posts

Master Geek

#3172753 17-Dec-2023 15:52

boland: Thanks, but I can't justify a rental. At short term they are about $250 per day.

I've read different stories, some people who were fine doing even longer trips, and some people with issues.

Done a longer trip requiring 3 charges in autumn earlier this year with 30Kw 2016 Leaf. It was close, battery temp was very high and in the red after 3rd charge. Got it the cool down for 30 minutes before driving again. Not recommended.

I wouldn't do more than 2 charges during summer trips if they are mostly on the highway (at speeds of 80km+) without having the battery cooling down for at least 4 hours in a breezy spot outside of the sun.

everettpsycho

614 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3172759 17-Dec-2023 16:21

We quite often do Rolleston to Kaikoura but that's probably the limit with two charges on the way, any further I think we'd be pushing it. Don't find the two charges to be remotely an issue and barely have any additional temperature on the dashboard bars at that range. Ours are sat at about 80% though so range is less of an issue.

nic.wise

333 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#3176617 1-Jan-2024 11:20

We did a similar length trip in 2022 with out 2014 24kwh 85% SOH leaf

https://fastchicken.co.nz/2022/02/20/do-evs-dream-of-electric-roadtrips/

longest leg was Hahei to Auckland with a stop in Thames and Bombay to charge. It was “ok” but Thames to Bombay is right at the limit for the car. Plus it was VERY hot outside - 30deg or so

Nic Wise - fastchicken.co.nz

boland

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3177711 4-Jan-2024 16:59

We have decided to postpone our 350km trip, will wait until the ice is back. Instead we did a 120km trip, including a bike rack.
Definitely noticed the bike rack, took about a 20% hit. Needed one QC for approx 50% halfway.

Also temperature increased quicker, 6 bars after 30 min driving, 7 bars after 1 QC.
Can slow charge at the campground.

RUKI

1402 posts

Uber Geek

#3194570 13-Feb-2024 11:22

The resale value of Leafs is now going to plummet for 3 major reasons:
1) Introduction of RUC from 1 April 2024
2) End of Free Vector Charging from 19 Feb 2024
3) This week discovery of how to proof 100% that your Leaf ODO was wound back.

Toyota / Lexus Hybrid and EV Battery Expert Battery Test & Repair

GV27

5896 posts

Uber Geek

#3194573 13-Feb-2024 11:24

The end of free Vector charging means close to nothing when it comes to the value of EVs.

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