2016 leaf upgrade to 30kwh battery

Leaf has a hurdle as I believe GA and WA are ending their big incentives for BEV.
On the other hand, Oregon is thinking of adding a big BEV incentive, so that would be important for Leaf if it happens.
CA may add more green HOV stickers otherwise PHEV sales may fall off big time... I do not think CA will allow that to happen.
But let's face it, plug-ins probably increasingly a West Coast thing.

Of interest to PiP, I wonder if OR proposed PHEV incentive ($1500) would apply?

 

UMMMM ... 105 miles? What happened to the rumored 200 mile traction pack.

Next-gen Nissan Leaf to get 200-mile range to take on Chevy Bolt | New and Used Car Reviews, Research & Automotive-Industry News & LeftLaneNews

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Still could happen.
This larger battery is going into the current Leaf model.
Probably to prevent sales lost to the new Volt and other newer plugins until the next generation model comes out.

 

clear out all the old models over the next few years to the bottom feeders. when gas goes up, all the manufacturers will be ready with better products.

 

Had I not purchased my LEAF in December 2014, I likely would have waited for the 30 kWh SV later this year However, I do not think the incentives will be as good when it initially comes out (although we will see).

 

I should have specified Nissan's incentives (not state incentives). When I purchased, Nissan had (haven't checked if they still do) 72 months no interest plus $3500 rebate for financing through them, and VPP + dealer discount was another $3700 (so $7200 off of MSRP). I might have waited one year for an extra 6 kWh, but I would not have been willing to pay an extra $7200 for it.

 

Confirming from 2 independent Nissan dealers is worthless. Just like the Prius at Toyota dealerships, they are generally clueless. I was talked down to at Nissan for not scheduling an oil change for my Leaf. I am "past due". The battery capacity check after 3 attempts was never performed. The service techs and managers didn't realize I needed the traction pack tested as per warranty, not my 12v battery. After explaining it and getting what I thought were expressions of understanding, the guy came out with a handheld load tester with jump leads... "You can't be serious, that's a 12v battery tester." "Yeah you said you needed the battery checked"...

So unless someone from inside the engineering team says something, which they wont because they'd be fired, I don't buy it.

 

Well, not all dealers are same. I guess it depends on how many Leafs they sell.

Here, in Seattle, Leaf is the largest selling Nissan model. My nearest dealer built a new campus recently. They have half a dozen quick chargers. They called the governor to inaugurate - and he even cut a gas pipe with Leaf in the background instead of the traditional tape.

 

I know the article didn't know the details, but I wonder if the price will be roughly the same as this year, or if it'll increase slightly. If they keep the price about the same, sales should climb or at least stay level. If Nissan manages to drop the price, sales should skyrocket.

The other big question I'm wondering about is if the 2011-2015 model year Leaf cars can get retrofitted/swapped with the larger battery, and hopefully without costing an arm and a leg. This would make getting a used Leaf, then getting the new battery installed, more attractive, and help resale value. And perhaps the old batteries can be repurposed for other things, say, home energy storage...

 

If true, the increase range would push the Leaf from iffy to a contender for my commute.

Wouldn't count on it. Part of the low cost for a current replacement pack is because they are getting the old pack in trade. That will help with the price of the 30kWh pack, but I think the labor cost for non-warranty work will push the conversion out of reasonable range.

On the technical end it should be simple though. The questions are; does it require a software update and/or a larger cooling fan? It might be a good idea to upgrade the charger on older Leafs.

Old hybrid and plugin packs are already being repurposed. There are test programs going on. Toyota is using them for peak shaving at some Japanese dealers, and I bet SolarCity plans to use old Tesla packs once they become available for the same.

 

Well the way things go I doubt the new pack will be compatible with older cars, but if it is, that would be one sweet deal for all those old used ones that are going for pretty cheap nowadays.

 

That depends on what the retail price of a 30kWh pack will run for. The difference between one and a the current replacement cost form Nissan on a right size pack will likely be enough of a determent for most people.

Then the next generation Leaf will come out soon after. With only one MY of gen 1 Leafs with the 30kWh pack on the road, there isn't going to be many packs around for DIYers to play with.

 

I would think it would be a retrofit to older LEAFs, otherwise there isn't much point in R&D for one model year.