Nissan debunks the myth of excessive battery degradation

Over the past few years, there is probably no one who has not heard some warning from electric vehicle deniers about the useful life of batteries and the high cost that must be assumed if this component has to be replaced.Be careful because if in a few years you have to change the battery it will cost you almost as much as a new car.", they said.

The truth is that, as is so often the case, this is only half true. Yes, it is true that replacing the battery pack of an electric vehicle can cost you several thousand euros, as it is the most expensive component of the vehicle. The reality, however, is that it is highly likely that you end up getting rid of the vehicle and exchanging it for another one before the battery gives you any kind of problem.

As proof that this is indeed the case, one only has to read recent statements by Nic Thomas, Nissan's UK Marketing Director. According to him, the vast majority of the Japanese manufacturer's electric vehicles They still have the original battery packs, and we must not forget that the Nissan Leaf hit the market 12 years ago.

The warnings of EV deniers have therefore not come true in most cases after more than a decade. And this has happened in a vehicle like the first-generation Leaf, which It did not have liquid cooling but air cooling, which should punish the cells more. Additionally, another point to keep in mind is that the cells currently used in electric vehicles are much more advanced after so many years of research.

Nissan's plans for battery recycling have yet to get off the ground

As Thomas explains, the durability of the batteries in its electric vehicles has even become a problem for the company, as planned recycling measures have not been able to be carried out due to the lack of a considerable stock of discarded battery cells. Just the opposite of what many people feared when we launched the Leaf on the market., concludes.

«At the end of the vehicle's useful life, after about 15 to 20 years, batteries can still retain 60 to 70 percent of their capacity. They can therefore be recycled for other alternative uses.»

So next time someone comes to you with the same old story, remind them that the thousands of Nissan Leafs that are more than a decade old and still running perfectly give the lie to such doom-laden claims.