Battery Life

  • 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, road test, Spring 2011

    Which hybrid cars accumulate the most mileage over time? According to a new data analysis, there's one hybrid that stands head and shoulders above the rest--and it's not the Toyota Prius. Used-car listing aggregator iSeeCars analyzed more than 20 million used-car listings posted during April and May, looking specifically at the listed mileage on the cars. DON'T MISS: 2014 Honda Hybrid Cars: Ultimate Guide Specifically, the site split out hybrids with 150,000 miles or more listed, to see what percentage of the total number for sale were at that level--which it suggests is a proxy for lasting a...

  • 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV
    How Lithium-Ion Batteries Age: Scientists Offer Insight

    Scientists found that charging disrupts the structure of lithium-ion cathode material, degrading performance.

  • 2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5
    Battery Life In Tesla Roadster Is Likely Better Than Predicted

    Battery life is the subject of lingering doubt for many electric vehicle owners, but doom and gloom degradation projections don't always come true. Not for the Tesla Roadster at any rate, which is confounding Tesla's own battery life expectations for the car. According to data recorded by Plug In...

  • 2013 Nissan Leaf
    2013 Nissan Leaf Real-World Range: Is It Any Higher?

    it might not have been the number people were hoping for, but at 75 miles, an extra two miles of EPA range for the 2013 Nissan Leaf still represents an improvement. Even more so considering the EPA's electric car testing procedure for 2013 averages results from 100 percent and 80 percent charges...

  • 2013 Nissan Leaf (Japanese trim)
    Nissan Leaf Battery Capacity Loss: Covered By Warranty, Now

    Nissan is becoming the first manufacturer to offer limited warranty on battery capacity loss, when it implements a new warranty in Spring 2013. Announced via the MyNissanLeaf.com forums, Nissan executive vice president, Andy Palmer, has confirmed that Nissan is to offer an updated New Electric...

  • Three Nissan Leafs
    Exec Stands Firm on Nissan Leaf Batteries, Previews 2013 (Video)

    Ever since a handful of Nissan Leaf owners in Arizona noticed that their cars had started to suffer from premature battery aging, Nissan has been criticized for its apparent lack of transparency on the subject. Just over a week ago, Nissan announced it had asked electric car advocate Chelsea Sexton...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf in the Apple iPhone 4S commercial

    With ongoing consumer concerns about battery longevity in hot climates, not to mention an all-new 2013 Leaf electric car just around the corner, NIssan has dropped the price of leasing a 2012 model. According to The Washington Post, Nissan started September with enough 2012 Leafs in its inventory to keep dealers supplied with cars for 114 days. That’s nearly 4 months of supply, almost twice the ideal auto industry target of 60 days’ supply. As a consequence, Nissan has dropped the headline price of a 36-month lease on the 2012 Leaf from $249 per month with $2,999 down to $219 per...

  • Steve Marsh's 2011 Nissan Leaf: 11 Months, 36,000 Miles
    Nissan Buys Back Leaf Electric Cars Under Arizona Lemon Law

    Yesterday, a local news station in Phoenix, Arizona, confirmed that Nissan has agreed to buy back wilting Leaf electric cars from their owners under the state’s Lemon Law. The news comes less than a week after Mark Perry, Nissan North America’s product planning and advanced technology...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf
    Nissan Launches Global Leaf Advisory Board For Better Electric-Car Understanding

    For the past few months, Nissan has been investigating cases of premature battery aging and lost range in its Leaf electric car, particularly in hot climates like Arizona. Amidst continuing pressure from Leaf owners, however, and with the results of an independent Leaf range test proving that some...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf 4-door HB SL Instrument Cluster
    Independent Tests Show Nissan Leaf Electric Cars Lost Range In Hot Climates

    Have Nissan Leafs in hot states suffered premature battery aging, or is the apparent loss in capacity down to a malfunction in the Leaf’s dashboard display? That’s been the question on the lips of Nissan Leaf owners worldwide after some owners in Phoenix, Arizona, began reporting that...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf
    Nissan Leaf To Get Better Battery, No News On Capacity Loss

    When it launched back in 2010, the Nissan Leaf electric hatchback was criticized for its high sticker price, due in part to its expensive battery pack. Now Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has confirmed what had been widely rumored: Future models of the Nissan Leaf electric car will get an improved, cheaper...

  • 2012 Ford Focus Electric, New York City, April 2012
    Predicting Electric-Car Battery Life: GE, Ford, U of Michigan Team Up

    Because the gasoline car has been in continual production and development for over 100 years, automakers can use past experience to estimate how long cars -- and their engines -- will last. But because the development of the modern electric car is still in its infancy, automakers are still...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf

    Just like humans, lithium-ion battery packs don’t like extremes of temperature, which is why automakers often build plug-in cars with liquid-cooled battery packs. Unlike the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Tesla Model S however, the Nissan Leaf doesn't have any liquid cooling for its battery pack, meaning it can overheat when the weather gets too hot. As owners in the hottest parts of America have discovered this summer, prolonged exposure to heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit can prematurely age the Leaf’s battery, reducing its capacity and useable range. There is, however hope. By...

  • Hot Weather: Bad For Electric Car Batteries?
    How Long Will Your Electric Car Battery Last? It Depends Where You Live

    Over the past few months, we’ve been covering the woes of 2011 Nissan Leaf owners in hotter states who have already reported a noticeable loss in battery capacity since their cars were new. The woes of these early-adopting Leaf owners has certainly prompted many to ask if electric car battery...

  • Steve Marsh's 2011 Nissan Leaf: 11 Months, 36,000 Miles
    Nissan Leaf: Does A Battery Inspection Give Peace Of Mind?

    When a Nissan dealer services an all-electric Nissan Leaf, the garage’s diagnostic computer produces a Battery Information Sheet that can give the owner a an at-a-glance assessment of how healthy the battery is in his or her Leaf. But with several dozen Leaf owners, mainly in warmer states...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
    More Nissan Leaf Battery Loss, Nissan Doesn’t Blink

    Last week, Nissan gave an official response to the handful of Arizona drivers of its 2011 Leaf electric car that had experienced the first signs of battery capacity loss. A week on, with more reports from owners claiming a lost battery capacity bar and in two instances, two capacity bars, Nissan...

  • Nissan Leaf: Lost Battery Capacity
    2011 Nissan Leaf Battery Capacity Loss: Nissan Responds

    Just under a month ago, we reported a few cases in which owners of 2011 Nissan Leafs had noticed the first of twelve lights on their car’s battery capacity gauge had switched off, indicating a marked deterioration in battery capacity after just one year. Now Nissan has released an official...

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