EV OWNER TELLS ALL
► CM published two interesting letters in your August 2022 issue regarding living with an EV and the hidden costs of owning an EV. I agree with Nigel Gutteridge that some of the hidden costs to owning an EV are never apparently discussed, but the battery is only one of many hidden costs.
I bought my Nissan LEAF new 9.5 years ago. It has covered 85,000 miles and still has the original main (HV) battery. Battery life was one of the concerns I had in mind when I bought the LEAF. I wanted to factor in battery replacement as a future cost to balance against the savings possible with the reduced running costs, and right from the start it was impossible to find any figure for the battery replacement cost. The dealer network was very evasive. It is still difficult to get a figure from any Nissan dealer. I’m not sure that many Nissan dealers are interested in maintaining an out of warranty EV, and I suspect that the Nissan business model involves steering customers away from keeping an older EV on the road, and towards buying a nice shiny new EV. This is my personal experience.
The apparent lack of manufacturer concern for older EVs kind of defeats the environmental responsibility ethos somewhat.
Back to my car. Being a Japan built model, made in 2013, it is one of the last of the series one cars. The UK built series two cars had substantial changes under the skin when they were introduced in late 2013, and the battery and electronics technology has been developed continually since.
But I am happy to
