Electric car battery replacements do not come cheap

So you are feeling smug that you finally took the plunge to purchase an electric vehicle, knowing that you do not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions whenever you are right beside a Hummer at a red light, throwing a smirk at the driver at the same time. Your smirk might not last if your vehicle’s lithium ion battery pack fails suddenly – it seems that UK-based news baron The Times reported the total cost to replace a 24-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is found inside the Nissan Leaf would cost you a whopping £19,392 to replace – when you convert it to the weakening dollar, it is $31,753 – which at this point, you might as well purchase a whole new car.

Just how did The Times arrive at this figure? Andy Palmer, Nissan Great Britain senior vice-president, mentioned to the news outlet that to replace a single module in the Leaf’s four dozen module battery pack will burn a £404 ($662) hole in your pocket – multiply that by 48, and you will come up with that staggering figure. Palmer went ahead to say that the Leaf most probably will need no replacement battery for at least a decade, simply because electric vehicles are meant for short trips. Does that mean those who make long trips with their electric vehicles run the risk of being disappointed sooner rather than later?

There are a lot of assumptions done here actually, and no one claims that to replace the battery, you need to put in all 48 new modules. I think hybrids are the way to go…

Edwin Kee
Categories: Green, Transportation
Tags: Battery, electric car, electric vehicle, ev