Experts doubt Nissan Leaf battery life claim

Nissan claim battery will have up to 80% of its original capacity after 10 years

Battery experts have cast doubt on the claimed longevity of the battery in the first full electric passenger vehicle to go on sale in the UK, the Nissan Leaf.

Nissan’s stated range for the vehicle is 100 miles on a 24kW/h Lithium-ion battery pack. Nissan claims that the battery will have between 70-80% of its original capacity after 10 years’ use. 

However Dr Allan Paterson, senior electrochemist at battery company Axeon Power, said people in the battery technology field widely question the lifespan claims of the Leaf’s battery pack.

“There are claims that they will last 10 years but because of the kind of cells they are using and the way they are using them, the pack will have to be managed to achieve that,” he said. 

“The materials they are using haven’t got the longest cycle life, and meeting the performance targets will be difficult – the range will decrease as it gets older.”

Experts have warned of  significant drops in performance expected in extremely hot or cold weather and in stop-start urban traffic conditions. 

Concerns over everyday performance of EVs have been highlighted recently in studies by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the US.

The phrase “range anxiety” has been coined to describe the fears consumers have about electric cars running out of charge and leaving them stranded. GM is to offer an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on the battery pack it supplies with its extended-range electric Volt car.

Nissan said it did not have a detailed breakdown of the figures for the car because it will not be available until next year and declined to comment further.