Kerry Dunstan, a professional cabinetmaker from the United Kingdom, recently discussed his journey with a second-hand Nissan Leaf. He purchased the vehicle three months ago for £12,500. Fuelled by all things sustainable Driving an electric Volvo SUV as well as his Tesla makes Dave a triple threat when it comes to sustainable driving. Dunstan says it’s been a great experience with the Nissan Leaf. It performs just as he imagined it would, great for getting around short distances.
As an example, Dunstan mostly uses his Nissan Leaf for trips under 10 km. And this application plays wonderfully to the Leaf’s remarkable strengths. If fully charged, it can go about 160 kilometers (100 miles) on a single charge. He frequently charges both his EVs to 100% and often just plugs in when he needs to recharge.
For example, I regularly charge both my EVs to 100%, Dunstan said. When they run low on battery, I just plug them in and don’t think about it.
His confidence in the vehicle is further increased by the roomy interior and boot space. It’s just the right size for his daily activities and carrying all his passengers. Cox doesn’t let the Leaf’s age and mileage get him down. Even without being able to ascertain the exact health of the battery, he remains upbeat.
The Nissan Leaf’s performance has reflected Dunstan’s hopes ever since he purchased it, proving its value for his everyday driving needs. He appreciates the vehicle for its efficiency and versatility, which work perfectly with his active lifestyle.
Even among experts in electric vehicle technology, there is disagreement on the performance and longevity of batteries. As Reid explains, older batteries tend to have a lifespan of 500-1,000 charging cycles. By contrast, breakthroughs in newer EV cells might extend that lifespan to 10,000 cycles. This evolution in battery technology serves as a reminder of the advances made in just the last few years.
“The older batteries might last maybe 500 to 1,000 [charging] cycles,” – Max Reid
“Now, it’s 10,000 cycles in some of these new EV cells coming out.” – Max Reid
Like Dunstan’s Leaf, it has done remarkably well for him. He admits that a lot of consumers do fear battery health when purchasing second-hand EVs. As such, he takes on the conventional wisdom when it comes to battery state of health in used models.
“An EV with a state of health below 80% can still be a great car… It just needs to be priced [appropriately],” – Kerry Dunstan
Simona Onori from the showing us this perspective. She highlights the need to strike a balance between enabling fast charging often and reducing it when it’s not necessary.
“There is likely a sweet spot between frequent fast charging and avoiding it altogether.” – Simona Onori
On another note, the issue of battery health is becoming more and more important as used EVs gain prominence among consumer purchase choices. Patrick Schabus claims that a battery’s state of health can be determined in a fast and smart way.
“We really can, completely independently, determine the state of health of a battery,” – Patrick Schabus
“We can do this at a standstill in under two minutes,” – Patrick Schabus
Although progress in technology helps battery performance evaluation, there is still a need for more standardized practices across the industry. Policy Council member Paul Chaundy argues for stricter guidelines. This new transparency has the potential to arm informed consumers with the tools to understand and confidently purchase used EVs.
“We need more standards around that, I think.” – Paul Chaundy