Nissan Estimates Leaf Batteries To Outlive Car By 12 Years

Nissan says that the batteries powering the all-electric Leaf will last approximately 22 years.

While speaking at the Automotive News Europe Congress in Gothenburg, Sweden, Francisco Carranza, managing director of Renault-Nissan Energy Services, said that the batteries used by the Leaf should outlast the vehicle by 10-12 years and that the company is “going to have to recover those batteries.”

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The Japanese car manufacturer is working on a number of projects where it utilizes both new and used batteries. For example, it opened a three-megawatt storage system at a soccer stadium in Amsterdam using the equivalent of 148 new and used battery packs.

In addition, Nissan is trailing a variety of ways which its vehicles can store energy and return it to the grid during times where the car is not being used. A pilot program run with Italian energy company Enel in Denmark determined that Leaf owners could earn up to $1,454 from their vehicles feeding energy back into the grid, Auto News reports.

The current Leaf range is topped by the Plus model that arrived in U.S. dealerships in March with a base price of $36,550. It is powered by a 62 kWh battery which allows for up to 226 miles (363 km) of driving on a single charge. The Leaf Plus also supports a more potent powertrain which delivers 214 hp and 250 lb-ft (338 Nm) of torque, a substantial 67 hp and 14 lb-ft (19 Nm) more than the standard Leaf.