Comments on: Nissan Leasing Leaf Batteries Soon?

By: Buy the Car, Lease the Battery | CleanTechies Blog - CleanTechies.com

Buy the Car, Lease the Battery | CleanTechies Blog - CleanTechies.com — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:01:04 +0000

[…] United States has indicated it will start a leasing program here. In an interesting development, Nissan has indicated it may lease batteries, but also just in Europe, where its Leaf will compete against […]

By: » Buy the Car, Lease the Battery Pike Research

» Buy the Car, Lease the Battery Pike Research — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:36:57 +0000

By: Michael Schroter

Michael Schroter — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:44:00 +0000

The probelm with swapping batteries is the assurence that you would get a good quality battery in exchange for the one you had. Would it run the same number of miles as the previous one? or would it suddenly die on you? it is not like petrolium which is the same every where.

By: Michael Schroter

Michael Schroter — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:38:00 +0000

Would there be problem with the battary quality when you are leasing?

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:48:00 +0000

$36,000 – 25,000 = 11,000.

$11k @4% and 5 years = $202.58/month.

At the end of five years you own the battery. If there was no hope that battery prices would drop and range increase then purchasing would probably make more sense.

If you can get out of the lease after 3 to 5 years – give Nissan back the original battery – and replace it with a more advanced battery you would be ahead.

Worst case, batteries get no cheaper or higher capacity. After 10 years of leasing you will have paid about the same as a battery purchase. And would have been able to spread the ‘out of pocket’ over a longer time.

Take the lease and for the first five years you’d have a car payment ~$460 + $100 for battery lease or $560. Then $100 for further months.

Purchase both at $36k and you’ll have monthly payments of $663 for five years followed by no more payments.

At about ten years the cost is the same. Hard to believe that EV batteries won’t be much better and much cheaper ten years from now.

If I could get out of the lease in a reasonable number of years I think I’d go the lease route.

By: BrianKeez

BrianKeez — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:44:00 +0000

At $93 per month, I would not lease the battery. That would put my monthly cost close to what it was with my gasoline car. After the rebates, I paid about $25k for my Nissan LEAF. I know that as Nissan starts producing the batteries in the U.S. En mass, the price will drop and probably quickly.
I leased my car and will probably buy it because I know that the battery modules can be replaced as needed and right now that’s only a couple of hundred dollars each. When I actually need to do some module replacement, it will be even less. I hit 15,000 miles in my LEAF last week.

By: exdent11

exdent11 — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:41:00 +0000

Absolutely lease the battery. People can’t get passed the much higher upfront cost plus leasing takes the battery worries away from the customer.

By: Jmurray59

Jmurray59 — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:11:00 +0000

I just don’t get it, if I gas up a @ 50 MPG I can go 1250 miles @ $4 per gallon. How many miles can I go with the charge recharge charge cycle. Great Idea but not a fit for 99% of us. We would need to be able to swap out batteries like filling up a car to compare to what petroleum can do.

By: Pawel

Pawel — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:29:00 +0000

That’s very good idea, I personally don’t want to own battery. Going further, it would be excellent with possibility to replace battery with low cost, at any time.