I’ve been driving used EVs for almost 20 years now, and it’s been great cheap transportation. We did get hit with around an unexpected $8k battery replacement on a Nissan Leaf, but it was still cheaper in the long run than a new electric or a used ICE.
It’s probably not that bad anymore. Battery prices have fallen steadily since then.
The early Leafs were also particularly bad because the batteries were passively air cooled. We knew it was a gamble, but they were also really cheap. Still, I think we got 60k miles on top of the 20k it already had when we got it. The new battery hasn’t lost any appreciable range in the 4 years since it was replaced.
I’ve been driving used EVs for almost 20 years now, and it’s been great cheap transportation. We did get hit with around an unexpected $8k battery replacement on a Nissan Leaf, but it was still cheaper in the long run than a new electric or a used ICE.
8k USD? Worse than I thought!
It’s probably not that bad anymore. Battery prices have fallen steadily since then.
The early Leafs were also particularly bad because the batteries were passively air cooled. We knew it was a gamble, but they were also really cheap. Still, I think we got 60k miles on top of the 20k it already had when we got it. The new battery hasn’t lost any appreciable range in the 4 years since it was replaced.