Old Nissan Leaf is priced at sub $20,000, and the battery upgraded by 70 miles range. As electric vehicle prices are skyrocketing, this old EV becomes one of the most affordable vehicles in the US. One Reddit user posted their experience with the first-gen Nissan Leaf. It gave more than double the vehicle’s original 70 miles of the claimed range.
The 2013 Nissan Leaf is a sleeper, but an affordable one. According to this Nissan Lead owner, there is a ship in Portland Oregon called EV Rides. The shop could take old Nissan Leafs and change the older batteries with new ones from the new models. So the range is much better, and affordable at the same time.
As prices of vehicles are increasing the alternatives are being looked at. In recent times, many Automobile leaders are predicting increasing prices, chip shortages, and other supply chain constraints. Stellantis CEO recently spoke about how increasing vehicle prices further could impact the automotive industry in a negative way.
Furthermore, the company offers two range options as well- a 24 kWh battery, a 30 kWh/40 kWh/ pack, or a 62 kWh battery. With this, the old Nissan Leaf can have a battery range of up to 230 miles per charge. This is a modest upgrade, allowing 90-100 miles of range of 150-160 miles.
Buying an old EV with an upgraded battery – My experience
byu/sctbke inelectricvehicles
Reliability
In the post, sctbke says that they get roughly 110 miles of range on the highway or 160 miles of range in town. Further, they love that they can use 50 kW fast-charging systems. And because their workplace has solar charging available, the vehicle essentially charges for free. From their four months of ownership, they claim that they have already saved over $1000 in gas, and the vehicle is set to pay for itself in saved gas costs in roughly 2 years.
The saved gas money was only one of the many reasons they went for the vehicle. They cited a couple of other main motivators that led them to their decision. First off, unlike many other states, Oregon offers a $5000 rebate on electric vehicles (new, used, or converted) for lower-income individuals. On top of that, Oregon and the Portland areas already have great access to charging infrastructure; including CHADEMO, which the Leaf still uses. They were also relieved to find out that the newer Leaf’s battery doesn’t deteriorate at the same rate as the older first-generation batteries, allowing for longer terms of ownership. The environmental benefits were the cherry on top.
Ever since buying it, they cited multiple quality of life benefits over their gas-powered SUV. Not only were they saving gas, but despite not having at-home charging, they only need to charge roughly 2 times a week.
Credits- Teslarati
