Random EV thoughts.....

I saw that post and my first thing to do would be to ignore the nissan dealer completely as they are clueless.

I would get leafspy on the battery and check cell parameters etc but the very very first thing would be to charge the 12v battery externally to the car. Leafs always have issues like that and they are almost always caused by the 12v

It seems convenient for Nissan that it gives up the ghost 4466 km after its 100000-mile warranty.

Battery warranty

Investing in a New Nissan LEAF means investing in both the very latest in all-electric vehicle technology and in peace of mind. Each new model that is purchased is backed by an 8-year/100,000-mile New Nissan LEAF Battery Capacity Loss Warranty, which ensures any concerns over the maintenance and performance of the Lithium-Ion battery in your vehicle are covered.

https://www.windsor.ie/nissan/new-leaf/maintenance/

Any time I needed a loaner it was my insurance sorted it out not the garage, unless its scheduled warranty work and then I just organise my life to not need one to avoid the stress and ballache of insurance etc. I dont get the obsession with like fo like loaners really some people have, if I need one I want a 0.9litre polo please....Defo dont want a better car as comparison is the thief of joy.

Its called PC12A. I've used it a few times recently. The dealer specifically asked if I had this in my policy and once I had there was nothing else required. Automatically covered and no phone calls or specifying start/end times etc. Just hop in and drive.

What often happens is that one cell in the battery degrades faster than others and pulls the others down as a result

It probably is an outlier, but it's still considered fine from Nissan's perspective. I went on a bit of a rant a few pages back about how manufacturers test their products beyond their spec limit to ensure they last the expected lifetime. That's why generally the batteries last longer than expected but it is basically borrowed time

Because the battery is a sealed unit, and requires "special training and equipment" to work with, garages won't fix them. They'll just swap them out

The batteries in Tesla's, or at least the Model S, were almost hand crafted. The individual cells were matched very closely to each other and they were very carefully put together. Again, they were specced way beyond any competitors batteries which is what is allowing them to expect a million miles from some of them

I’m on my first driving holiday since getting an EV. Went smoothly in Clare. Saw plenty of availability in chargers I didn’t need to use. I charged daily in Shannon, once on the DC at Circle K and twice on the AC by the Garda station when I had enough leftover juice that AC speed was enough.

Crossed over to Wicklow today and used a fair bit so went for DC again. Popped in to Coynes Cross services for a bite to eat and a charge if available. Lucky I wasn’t counting on the charge. ID3 on CCS and a van on AC. Then a Leaf came and was still waiting when I left. I drove the few minutes to Tesco Wicklow and charged there, with a backup plan to use one of the ACs if that was in use. Topped up a bit more on a Tesla hotel AC for my last day and trip home tomorrow and of course moved the car to a normal spot when done.

At this point, it’s clear that a single unit at motorway services is crap. They should have banks of the things.

As an aside, I saw loads of EVs on my travels, in all sorts of places in the back of beyonds. Was good to see. Several from UK and the continent too.

I think you're putting a lot of faith in the dealership to be able to spot any battery issues ahead of time. I know that they can all output things like cell voltage via OBD but you also need someone who can interpret the results, and I've yet to see anything that gives me confidence many dealerships can do that

The differential in rapid and fast charging pricing I find is a bit of a dilemma.

On one hand its good to have the ability to pay a premium for convenience - Im all for that. But on the other, there are many EV users who dont fully comprehend that an EVs ability to charge rapdily is dependant particularly on the state of charge and battery temperature.

It all to easy to go for a quick top up and find you are paying for rapid charging, only to find your charge rate is no higher than you would acheive on a fast charge (eg less than 50kW).

If you're in LA keep an eye for one of the two Fisker Ocean test vehicles that recently landed (amongst the 2.5 million cars there!)

Warranty and lifetime of battery are 2 different things entirely. Are there stats showing significant battery failure, as against degradation, just outside of warranty periods? TBH if that was the case, that would be a really strong argument not to buy a used EV and yet in many cases used EVs are selling for more than they were when new.

In any case degradation does not equal failure. And even if batteries suffer degradation they are still perfectly operational especially now in bigger battery cars. In a 400km range car, 20% degration will still leave you with 320km range which is nearly twice the range of a new L24.

While the Leafs are rigjtly derided for their poor battery chemistry and non existent cooling, there are still loads to be seen on the roads and you can be sure the vast majority are still on the original battery. My own L30 has 148k km on the original battery and while it has degraded to high 70's % it still has been flawless since I got it 5 years ago. I only wish it had a bit more range.

Electric vehicles are already displacing 1.5 million barrels per day of oil usage, equivalent to about 3% of total road fuel demand.