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You usually don't replace the battery of an EV. It's like replacing the engine of an ICE car, it can be done but it's usually not worth it. An old leaf with a

You usually don't replace the battery of an EV. It's like replacing the engine of an ICE car, it can be done but it's usually not worth it. An old leaf with a bad battery should simply be sold for cheap to someone who needs less range.

driverdan 5y ago
> It's like replacing the engine of an ICE car I downvoted you because that's not true. It's far easier to replace batteries than an engine. It requires minimal skill. If they start building them into the body that may change though.
- speedgoose 5y ago
  It's not the same kind of skills for sure. Some cars are easy to replace the battery, but you still need to deal with high voltage procedures. I wouldn't trust myself with an e-golf, but I wouldn't mind replacing the ice engine of a Twingo with the right tooling.
1337turtle 5y ago
Yup, my Leaf gets only about 40 miles of range on a good day :) But it still works for errands around town. It would not make financial sense to ever replace the battery. It is better to just get another EV when I can no longer get out of my driveway :)
- clouddrover 5y ago
  Buying a new EV is the same as replacing the battery and spending extra on top. It still wipes out the previous savings and increases your carbon footprint because another complete car was manufactured.
  - speedgoose 5y ago
    The used EV can replace another dirtier car.
    - clouddrover 5y ago
      No, it can't. Its range is now so low it's no longer practical. Expecting people to accept a lot less is not realistic.
      - speedgoose 5y ago
        I see tons of first gen Nissan leafs with shitty range every day. And they still have some value on the used market.
        clouddrover 5y ago
        No, you don't. What you see are the few people who are willing to make compromises to practicality that the majority of people are not. I would not buy a first gen Nissan Leaf with shitty range and neither would most people.
        speedgoose 5y ago
        I'm quite sure I do. The Leaf is the best seller where I live and a lot of them are getting old : https://elbilstatistikk.no/ https://elbilstatistikk.no/ People don't drive that many km everyday and an old Leaf is an okay second car to quite a lot of people. Anyway, it's just an example because the first gen Leaf is an old car with a low range and a battery with a high degradation. If you think about newer leafs and other cars with more range, it's not really a huge difference if the car has lost some range over time.
        clouddrover 5y ago
        I'm quite sure you don't. There are 2.8 million registered private cars in Norway. 68,873 Leafs doesn't equal "tons" in comparison: https://www.ssb.no/en/transport-og-reiseliv/landtransport/statistikk/bilparken https://www.ssb.no/en/transport-og-reiseliv/landtransport/st...
clouddrover 5y ago
Halving the utility of the vehicle relative to an ICE car. Being able to repair the battery at a reasonable cost is a more eco-friendly option than having to get a new car: https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39687/teslas-early-vehicles-are-becoming-a-study-on-ev-battery-longevity https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39687/teslas-early-vehicles-ar... Throwaway cars aren't good for anyone.
- imtringued 5y ago
  That's an argument against ICEs because of their non continuous failure. An old car with a 66% degraded battery can still be used. An old car with a busted engine is scrap.

driverdan 5y ago

> It's like replacing the engine of an ICE car I downvoted you because that's not true. It's far easier to replace batteries than an engine. It requires minimal skill. If they start building them into the body that may change though.

speedgoose 5y ago
It's not the same kind of skills for sure. Some cars are easy to replace the battery, but you still need to deal with high voltage procedures. I wouldn't trust myself with an e-golf, but I wouldn't mind replacing the ice engine of a Twingo with the right tooling.

1337turtle 5y ago

Yup, my Leaf gets only about 40 miles of range on a good day :) But it still works for errands around town. It would not make financial sense to ever replace the battery. It is better to just get another EV when I can no longer get out of my driveway :)

clouddrover 5y ago
Buying a new EV is the same as replacing the battery and spending extra on top. It still wipes out the previous savings and increases your carbon footprint because another complete car was manufactured.
- speedgoose 5y ago
  The used EV can replace another dirtier car.
  - clouddrover 5y ago
    No, it can't. Its range is now so low it's no longer practical. Expecting people to accept a lot less is not realistic.
    - speedgoose 5y ago
      I see tons of first gen Nissan leafs with shitty range every day. And they still have some value on the used market.
      - clouddrover 5y ago
        No, you don't. What you see are the few people who are willing to make compromises to practicality that the majority of people are not. I would not buy a first gen Nissan Leaf with shitty range and neither would most people.
        speedgoose 5y ago
        I'm quite sure I do. The Leaf is the best seller where I live and a lot of them are getting old : https://elbilstatistikk.no/ https://elbilstatistikk.no/ People don't drive that many km everyday and an old Leaf is an okay second car to quite a lot of people. Anyway, it's just an example because the first gen Leaf is an old car with a low range and a battery with a high degradation. If you think about newer leafs and other cars with more range, it's not really a huge difference if the car has lost some range over time.
        clouddrover 5y ago
        I'm quite sure you don't. There are 2.8 million registered private cars in Norway. 68,873 Leafs doesn't equal "tons" in comparison: https://www.ssb.no/en/transport-og-reiseliv/landtransport/statistikk/bilparken https://www.ssb.no/en/transport-og-reiseliv/landtransport/st...

clouddrover 5y ago

Halving the utility of the vehicle relative to an ICE car. Being able to repair the battery at a reasonable cost is a more eco-friendly option than having to get a new car: https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39687/teslas-early-vehicles-are-becoming-a-study-on-ev-battery-longevity https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39687/teslas-early-vehicles-ar... Throwaway cars aren't good for anyone.

imtringued 5y ago
That's an argument against ICEs because of their non continuous failure. An old car with a 66% degraded battery can still be used. An old car with a busted engine is scrap.