[KariK]

This is at Green Car Congress:
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/06/ghosn-nissan-ca.html#more

"Without the battery, the cost of the electric car should be comparable to that of a similar-sized car today. The lease of the battery plus the electricity cost should be lower than the cost of gasoline. If oil prices continue to stay at a high level, as expected, the electric car will become that much more attractive.
—Carlos Ghosn

I found that interesting. So if you remove the ICE and the transmission, and add the electric motor and the Battery Management System, it is a wash, price-wise. Is it the BMS or the copper in the motor, anyone know?

 

[Jason M. Hendler]

There are a couple threads on this topic - here is one of them.

Link

 

[Dave B]

This is at Green Car Congress:
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/06/ghosn-nissan-ca.html#more

"Without the battery, the cost of the electric car should be comparable to that of a similar-sized car today. The lease of the battery plus the electricity cost should be lower than the cost of gasoline. If oil prices continue to stay at a high level, as expected, the electric car will become that much more attractive.
—Carlos Ghosn

I found that interesting. So if you remove the ICE and the transmission, and add the electric motor and the Battery Management System, it is a wash, price-wise. Is it the BMS or the copper in the motor, anyone know?

And all of a sudden the case for leasing a battery is made, is it not?

 

[drivin98]

And all of a sudden the case for leasing a battery is made, is it not?

No.

I still hate the leasing concept. After the useful life of the battery for automotive purposes has ended it still has value. It could be integrated into the renewable energy system of my house, for instance. Or perhaps sold on to another end user of some type.

I don't know. Leasing always struck me as a way for a manufacturer to get more money for a product than it could by selling it outright.

 

[Altazi]

No.

I still hate the leasing concept. After the useful life of the battery for automotive purposes has ended it still has value. It could be integrated into the renewable energy system of my house, for instance. Or perhaps sold on to another end user of some type.

I don't know. Leasing always struck me as a way for a manufacturer to get more money for a product than it could by selling it outright.

I am also not a fan of the leasing concept.

I suspect that, once the BEV's battery has reached the end of it's useful life, it would not be particularly useful in a home energy system. You might use it to hold down a large tarp or something, though. . . I think I'd just rather recycle it.

 

[KariK]

I don't know. Leasing always struck me as a way for a manufacturer to get more money for a product than it could by selling it outright.

That is certainly true. Still, if the batteries degrade pretty fast and I would end up having to buy another pack three or four years down the road, then leasing becomes somewhat interesting.

 

[Jason M. Hendler]

While leasing isn't an attractive option for those who can afford EV's that cost $40K - $110, it is a viable alternative for those who can afford to pay $15K - $20K for the vehicle, and afford long term lease rates for the battery.

 

[SilverBlade]

Leasing isn't a favorable option to me. You don't own it outright, and after the lease is up, you spent all of that money with nothing to show.

Not to mention..at any time during the lease, the company can recall the cars.

I personally am not going to let that happen. I purchase outright, or no money is handed to the dealer.

 

[Altazi]

I purchase outright, or no money is handed to the dealer.

I'm with SilverBlade on this one. I refuse to drive anything I can't own outright. No more EV-1 debacles! Just give me a good recycling plan for the used batteries.

 

[KariK]

My understanding is that you buy the car, but lease the batteries. If the battery technology improves, some third party is sure to come up with a replacement pack you could buy, so then you could stop leasing them. So the lease guards you against technology improvements and against having to plunk a big amount of money at once to buy a new pack if the old one deteriorates too fast.
I'm not necessarily for the lease option, just pointing out that a case could be made for it. I would hope there would also be a buy option.

 

[CarZin]

I would prefer to lease.

Most of you are just assuming the battery technology is going to work. Its simply not worth the financial risk for me to own the battery outright, if I can lease and leave that to someone else. The battery and its ability to hold a charge after 1 charge every day still makes me nervous. I have had my current car for over 7 years, so I like a car to have longevity.

 

[calgaryvolt]

I too would prefer a lease on the battery pack. I would be more than willing to pay for the vehicle and own it but I would prefer to lease the battery pack/powertrain mostly because I don't know how reliable it might be but also because I would like to be able to opt for a larger/newer pack after 3 or 4 years. Cars are at the point where the materials and construction is pretty solid. A car frame and body can last 20 years even up here in the winters of Canada. The drivetrain is a fairly weak component. If I could lease that I'd be one happy guy.

What ever happened to the "skateboard" platform that GM showed??