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Newish Electric Cars Are Coming Off Lease and Oh My God Are They Cheap
- hourislate 10y agoI would suggest caution. I would not touch a used electric vehicle unless it came with a new battery. I have seen newish hybrids sell for what seems a steal because of battery issues. Because it can cost several $1000 to replace a battery. Here is a success story of what I am talking about if you're interested. http://imgur.com/gallery/j8Bcp/ http://imgur.com/gallery/j8Bcp/
- Gibbon1 10y agoMost if not all of these cars coming off lease still have a several years of warranty left on the battery. Far as I can tell though batteries[1] appear to be rather reliable in any event. [1] Manufacturers have about 30 years experience making lithium ion batteries at this point.
- seanp2k2 10y agoWhat they don't have is 30 years of experience with putting them in cars which function from 0F to 130F ambient temperature and get put through much different duty cycles vs laptops with new battery management software and rapid charging from the various types of auto chargers out there. Many EVs used NiCd or NiMH batteries up until a few years ago.
- jacob019 10y agoThis summer I picked up a used 2014 Nissan Leaf, top trim level, with 14,000 miles for 14k. Best car I have owned. Felt like I stole it for the price.
- ZeroGravitas 10y agoWorth noting theres various deals available on new EVs too https://cleantechnica.com/2016/12/22/new-nissan-leafs-11840-colorado-11510-texas/ https://cleantechnica.com/2016/12/22/new-nissan-leafs-11840-...
- londons_explore 10y agoThe "hybrid" cars should be able to operate in mostly-gas mode even with severely degraded batteries. I'd buy one of them. I wouldn't buy an old electric only car. Lithium cells last 3 years, or at a stretch 5 years if you're happy to have only 30% of the range.