Scrap? LEAF it out! Here's how a 9-year-old Nissan LEAF 30kWh battery can be repaired. Part 2

If an electric car's battery is dying, is it destined for landfill? No! Having identified a faulty battery cell in his Nissan LEAF, my neighbour decided to get it repaired.
I join Dean and Cameron at The EV Workshop in Herne Bay while they show how to replace the cell in a Nissan LEAF battery.
Obviously don't do this at home!
The EV Workshop, Herne Bay, Kent: thevehiclework...
HEVRA Independent EV mechanics across the UK: hevra.org.uk
-
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @mrev
Or if you'd like to just buy me a coffee (or my wife a gin and tonic): ko-fi.com/mist...
Please use my referral links:
Octopus Energy: £50 off - share.octopus.... (or quote "free-sage-191" to them)
Octopus Electroverse: £5 credit - electroverse.o...

[@davec1768]

Everyone has been told it's doom and gloom when your battery fails, when cost to replace a faulty cell in a Nissan Leaf is no more than having a clutch and mass balance flywheel replaced in an ICE. More people should know the facts instead of the bad publicity.

[@PaulGuiry]

And a few months later and another cell fails. And another 'clutch' job and that cost😮

[@brendanpells912]

I saw the price flash up at the end of the video which gave a price range starting at £700. Replacing the clutch on my diesel Hyundai (which has a solid flywheel) cost £660. That was after 240,000 miles. But if you replace one faulty cell, or module, in a battery, how long is it before another module becomes faulty, and then another? Presumably all the cells in the battery are of similar age, and whilst one cell has to be the first to require replacement, doesn't mean it will be the last.

[@mikeypc3592]

​@@brendanpells912you could make that argument for any ice car as well The clutch goes, then how long before the alternator goes, head casket, spark plugs, engine, etc, etc. All that comes with owning a car. Things will fail at some point as the car ages.

[@davec1768]

@@brendanpells912 If you've done 240,000 miles on one clutch you've done very well. On modem cars these days you are also advised to change the mass balance flywheel. To replace the clutch, mass balance flywheel plus labour and consumables on small to medium sized cars, prices start at £700. Depending upon make and model they can cost as much as £1200. If you go to the main dealer, just double the lower price. I agree another cell could fail on an old car with battery degradation, but cambelt, gearbox or engine failure could also happen to an ICE.

[@brendanpells912]

@@davec1768 As I say, my car is a Hyundai, doesn't have a DMF, doesn't have a cam belt, engine and gearbox still running fine at 296,000 miles. Last time I had an engine failure was in 2002, Rover Metro 1.1.

[@condal32]

Fanastic to highlight a local garage that has embraced the latest tech and future of motoring! Thanks Mr.EV.

[@Brian-om2hh]

Both guys in my local village garage are HEVRA certified to work on electric vehicles....

[@gdm2417]

Actually, it should be 'Mr V' - to be compatible with how they spell SILICON[E] in the caption. Sheesh.

[@alexroper4020]

EV Workshop in Herne Bay are brilliant. Always helpful and knowledgeable! I strongly recommend, if you are in the southeast!

[@0-Will-0]

Watching this made me tempted to drive down from Sheffield to use them, seem like nice guys.

[@MrEV]

Great to hear!

[@matthewbrown8443]

Absolutely fascinating. One of your best videos… well done. And credit to that young lad for developing specialist skills in an emerging industry… he’ll be happily employed for life

[@ASI-l2w]

Only for the life of the battery?

[@stefenmitchell4112]

sorry doubt it, EVs are not the way forward best get trained up on hydrogen stop it with all this muskism he is a

[@southy7523]

@@stefenmitchell4112 There are currently 1.2million BEVs in the UK, going up around 300,000 per year, even if FCEVs are the future car manufacturers are all in on BEVs at the moment, so the skills to diagnose and repair what will end up being millions of cars will see many mechanics employed for many many years.

[@theelectricmonk3909]

@@stefenmitchell4112 Where can I fill my Hydrogen car up? I live near Liverpool in the UK. Meanwhile, my BEV is rarely parked up more than a few feet from a 13 amp socket.

[@TroggyPB]

Thanks for showing this repair. It demystifies what a lot of prospective (and current) buyers need to know if the second hand market is to prosper. Watched a HEVRA accredited garage repair of a small battery component filmed by JP. IIRC HEVRA helped with that fix. Clear to see “repairability” wasn’t high priority for Nissan battery designers. “Just replace the battery pack and skip the old one.” 🙄

[@simplygregsterev]

Like most things these days just toss and replace.

[@restfulplace3273]

It hurts seeing those expensive hv insulating gloves used without cover gloves to protect them from cuts. Once the insulating gloves are damaged they need replacing. Those gloves look flimsy compared to to hv rated gloves I’ve seen elsewhere. Maybe they aren’t hv rated?

[@johndoyle4723]

Thanks, a real growth business. Many repair garages will need to upskill or lose out. Cleevely have made a good start, and HEVRA repair places growing.

[@Brian-om2hh]

My local garage has two HEVRA certified techies....

[@vboost]

This is awesome to see. More garages need to be learning this stuff. It's lost business going forward as the percentage of EVs rises. Big thanks to Dean & Cameron for the explanations & insight.

[@RichardEricCollins]

As an ex mechanic. This job looks so much easier than fixing a car where the cam belt has snapped.

[@PeterStaniforth]

But doesn't cost any less.

[@cad4246]

There was a graphic that said that job is between £700 and £1400. Not sure many ICE cars can be fixed for that after a snapped cam belt. Or stretched timing chain in a modern BMW for example.

[@idrisddraig2]

@@PeterStaniforth Than a snapped (not replacement) cambelt, way cheaper.

[@PeterStaniforth]

@@idrisddraig2 If you're lucky enough to have a none interference engine (which is rare) that is.

[@DavidJackson-zc4eq]

Cam belt isn't going to electrocute you if you get it wrong though😮

[@lancpudn]

Well done everyone at the EV workshop repairing this Nissan Leaf, It proves all the nay sayers wrong who say these EV's will be in the scrapyard when the battery pack bad. It's very interesting that one dead cell in the main battery pack can bring down the whole pack. Great to know there are now garages around the UK doing this kind of work.

[@TroggyPB]

Cell death is not new. It’s similar issue with a lead acid battery. If not looked after over time one cell could fail to accept a charge and the whole battery is kaput.

[@TheGramophoneGirl]

I was always uneasy about keeping my 2020 Nissan Leaf beyond 6 or 7 years, but now dud cells can be so easily replaced I am more confident of keeping it longer term.

[@Brian-om2hh]

You do sometimes find that in a pack of a fairly high number of cells ( a Leaf has around a 100 I think ) that out of the cell total, at least some will perform slightly worse than the rest. Slight variances in the production process of the cells can readily cause this.

[@johnathanpearson3203]

How long will this repair last until another old cell has problems?

[@johnmcdyer1573]

You are definitely having a good laugh at daft customers who buy this crap

[@K12beano]

Fantastic to show these superstars working away and giving so much confidence that fixes are possible. No landfills were harmed in the making of this video. Great stuff!!! 👏

[@verygoodbrother]

The issue with EV or even ICE repairs nowadays is manufacturers deliberately making repairs difficult or even impossible. Which is why right to repair is important.

[@MrEV]

I couldn't agree more. Especially when the battery is the main cost of a vehicle.

[@restfulplace3273]

This. The Nissan leaf is a sweet spot for relatively easy repair and battery tech which has significantly improved.

[@0-Will-0]

One of your best videos Andrew (and most are great!). Kudos to EV Workshop for being involved and sharing their knowledge too.

[@davidarmstrong1657]

Great video. Really complex battery pack 😳 but it’s good to show it is not the doom and gloom many try and tell you!

[@cook5381]

This is a first generation car that new did 73 miles range. Now the range is 226 miles. But even the lower range suits a lot of people. Our electric car is mainly used doing a 15 mile round trip 4 days a week. It suits us but not everyone.

[@MrEV]

Definitely. The guy that bought it really just wanted it for local journeys. As a second car especially, it would fit a lot of people’s needs.

[@richardfearn6638]

Great video, hope it goes to show the non believers all is not a disaster if a battery cell goes duff

[@joolsmorgan7032]

Well done the staff at EV Workshop.

[@thomasjpuleo8112]

Really interesting. I have a feeling that in 10-20-30 years of technological development we are going to look at this and think how strange it all used to be.

[@atrociousliar3314]

Well the EV makers certainly made that easy!

[@dcvariousvids8082]

Another cracking and relaxing presentation. Thank you.

[@happysporran]

That was rather excellent Andrew 👍

[@stevel6117]

Absolutely brilliant video so informative, your best video yet. One question I have is if one cell has failed does it mean the battery is starting to fail (more cells)?

[@MrEV]

It's a good question. I've heard that's not necessarily the case and there's no reason to expect the whole pack to start failing any time soon. Provided the owner treats it well and doesn't leave it left at 100% for extended periods!

[@gmosc]

Great job. Lots of answers. Hats off to the shop and to you for showing their work.

[@Medolino2009]

cool video as always. Thank you. Greetings from Serbia

[@jcflippen1552]

Excellent video - should be mandatory viewing for EV non believers. Of course not all makes use Nissans construction and non BMS systems so 200,000 miles or more can easily be achieved without major degradation. 👍

[@ndudman8]

great video, despite the battery design, seems incredible straight forward to replace. That tease at the end though.... part 3 :)

[@colin13579]

Really interesting video, thank you for uploading. Look forward to part 3!

[@KeithWilliams-h2x]

Very informative to see the whole process. Nice one Mr E V. 😊😊

[@benbocc1549]

Excellent video, well done EV Workshop!

[@stuarthorwood2101]

Looks like another myth being busted! Thanks Andrew and the EV Workshop for the tear-down. Maybe worth having a look at the Car Wizard's KZbin of him replacing the voltage regulator in a mark one Fiat 500e, restoring a brick to a fully working EV

[@andrewallen9993]

Now try to source 20 year old semiconductors! Even common as dirt silicon transistors made in the millions twenty years ago like the 2n3055 are now very hard to find brand new!

[@MrEV]

True. My uncle has made millions buying and selling components like that actually!

[@elementaldraco]

Interesting video although it has left me with far more questions about how 3rd party are actually being carried out, and what sort of industry supervision if any is taking place.

[@leejordanful]

Very interesting. I have lots of questions for EV Workshop. They should start their own KZbin channel!

[@MrEV]

I agree!

[@infocuslearning]

Very interesting video

[@neilbrandon]

Part 3 Andrew asap. What a great video and cliff hanger.

[@MrEV]

Thanks Neil!

[@nickwebb9290]

That was excellent, really really interesting and one of your best posts 👍

[@MrEV]

Thank you so much!

[@judebrown4103]

Oh Andrew this is fantasic, thanks for showing this! I knew of this garage but had been to the supposed HEVRA garage in Wincheap and was singlularly unimpressed. They had all the certificates on the wall but I'd missed them initially and asked them if they were a HEVRA (pronounced as you did in this video) garage. The bloke said whats that then? just as I saw the framed certs on the wall, that, I said. Oh we dont call it that we say H-e-v etc... he printed out some meaningless bumph for me to see what they would do in a service but it wasnt ev specific. I took a look in their workshop and there was a guy in flipflops about to fit a tyre to a wheel and there was mess all over the place, lines and tools in pathways. H + S nightmare. I was very disheartened and discouraged from visiting these chaps, wish I had now. Ended up going to Marshalls and I hate main dealers, always out to do more work than necessary and they're no exception. The following year I got Cleevely's down and of course theyre brilliant, I'll say it, I know youre biased lol, but they can only do so much on the ground, its such a long way for them to come so it works out a bit more expensive. Now I know these chaps ate the real deal I'll pay them a visit, i hope do they do servicing too, not just specialist battery stuff? Are they on the Eddington road estate?

[@MrEV]

Thank you! I wasn't aware there was a HEVRA garage in Wincheap although it sounds like they should be avoided! I believe EV Workshop do servicing as well, yes. They're on Westbrook Industrial Park.

[@H4RRI5]

Great video as always Mr EV, very interesting! Eagerly awaiting the Polestar 2 review 😄

[@MrEV]

I'm eagerly awaiting that too! It's been ready to go for months!

[@H4RRI5]

@@MrEV I guess your waiting on them to review it 😅

[@antoniopalmero4063]

Good work guys , cheers Andrew .

[@BalintGulyas]

Brilliant video! Thanks guys!!

[@john3Lee]

Interesting video Andrew thanks for posting.

[@harley883ap]

Been looking forward to this vlog

[@Lukeaaaa]

That mechanic really needs to educate himself about lithium battery chemistry and theory. If a battery module gets swollen, that is it. It's done.

[@MrEV]

Isn't that the reason he has the replacement cell in the vice?

[@Lukeaaaa]

@@MrEV in normal circumstances a battery pouch will never swell. You don't need a vice for it. When lithium battery (module) swells it means a reaction took place and the battery is no longer stable and needs to be disposed of. I've seen this many times. Even in a consumer tablet where battery chemistry is almost identical. The battery can swell so much that it pushes the screen up.

[@Lukeaaaa]

@@MrEV I do appreciate your video though. Thanks 👍🏻

[@MrEV]

Yes, years ago I had a laptop which I kept plugged-in all the time. It didn't last long for the battery to die and start swelling to the point where it popped the case open!

[@Lukeaaaa]

@@MrEV exactly that. Nowadays the charging regime and buffer in the batteries is managed much better. But if the battery is kept at 100% at all times it may get proper knackered.

[@remotaurog]

Nissan had unique design with their drive train, Have you seen the new EZ-6.

[@pppscooby]

Were they able to seal the battery cover, as they had to break the seal when they opened it?

[@MrEV]

Unfortunately they did that after I’d left so I couldn’t show it, but yes, they were able to use some sort of silicon (I think) to reseal it. I believe the 24kWh one has a rubber seal so is far easier!

[@johnw65uk]

At 17:30 they have put sealant around before putting the cover back on.

[@GruffSillyGoat]

@@johnw65uk - indeed you can see the black sealant stringing as the close/reopen to adjust the cover into it's seating position.

[@markstuckey6225]

It's even simpler than re-celling an e-bike battery.

[@stevoone342]

Good vid. But this sadly shows the flaws though. The end of being easily to work on you own car at home, bar people who have lifts and tranning / facilities. It one of the key factors why im sticking with ice van/car/bike, is the self repair and maintenance capabilities they offer. Let alone howe ice is a no brainier for myself and wear i live. Don’t get me Wong i still use my local independent shop for stuff i carnt do or have time or facilities for. But self maintenance and repair has saved me a small fortune especially being a tradesman/ sole trader. But obviously if i am being forced to use garages or main dealers or forced to buy an expensive ev van/car sadly those costs will be passed on to the customers at the end of the day. Like many others in my position are having to start planning for ever up are prices massively or face eventual closing are business. Personally im just going to run my van as long as i can. And realistically probably wind my business down due my customer base wont be able to afford my rates if i would be forced into ev sadly. Its not just the price of changing van/car its the reduction on customers realistically i could see per day and extra time i would need to factor for charging and don’t forget needing to run to the builders merchants, will become a bigger problem especially if on a job that retires something unforeseen. And likely there will be fewer tradesmen and getting a tradesmen or other services from van/cars will be harder and even more expensive.

[@TheEVside]

Really interesting vid mate not a quick process though

[@MrEV]

Thanks, sir! I know, right? I thought it'd be like popping in a new Duracell. 😀

[@gregsanders8498]

Fascinating video.Hrs and £?

[@firmbutton6485]

And on that bombshell!!

[@elektrischverhaal5166]

The stacked cells do represent a design flaw by Nissan because there is more heat build-up there. Is there a statistic somewhere about which cells give the most problems or is that coincidence and just bad luck? Not that it necessarily matters much.

[@MrEV]

Before I knew what cell it was, my friend @JonathanPorterfield told me it’s probably one of the ones under the back seats as they get the hottest. He was absolutely right!

[@joelmarold]

Tbh I think everything you make when your alone is good .. fyi

[@MrEV]

Thanks so much!

[@Sidewinder1009oli]

front passenger tyre inside looking a bit smoooooooth from the view on camera

[@MrEV]

That’s been replaced now, thankfully!

[@eddyd8745]

That was really interesting, thanks ever so much for posting!

[@simplygregsterev]

I’ve been an auto mechanic for 20 years and enjoy watching this. I keep telling people that battery packs can be repaired for the most part. Great Video

[@Brian-om2hh]

Although EV battery repairs will come as a heart stopping shock to the "if the battery gets scratched, the car is a write-off" crowd, because most of them belong to the " I'm not interested in the facts, I've already made my mind up " gang.

[@markrainford1219]

They are modular so every pack can be repaired. Even if it means an exchange unit.

[@markot4627]

Tesla model 3 and model Y batteries are much harder to repair as the individual little cells are all glued together with some kind of polyurethan glue.

[@mofotose]

With warranty?

[@kylereese4822]

This DVLA KILLER LAW will scare the C&*P out of anyone.... Battery boxes(in the boot) in conversions can no longer be bolted down and the only option is GLUE..... Using bolts is classed as a modification to the car and the DLVA then question the cars existence... Glue to hold a battery box down that could weigh 150kg or more... Now that 150kg in an impact and inertia and glue failure weighs 300,400,500......kg that`s now heading for survivors in crashes... The same rules apply to motor mounts no drilling or welding to secure motors... already seen motor & battery mounts just resting on chassis legs in the engine bay DVLA say it`s 110% legal & and illegal if bolted down securely using new holes.

[@Ryan.williams]

A great video to show those that say ‘you’ll need a new battery in your EV and it will cost you £10k’. In reality people will get individual cells replaced just like this!

[@AndyC2_]

😂😂😂😂

[@Brian-om2hh]

And they already are.....particularly with the Leaf, as the oldest examples are now 10+ years old. The Nissan Leaf isn't the best example of EV technology, and today's EV's are vastly superior in their battery tech and performance. Cleveleys Electric Vehicles rom Gloucestershire for example, run a fleet of MG5 electric estate cars. One particular 71 reg example of theirs has now covered 130k miles, with the battery still showing 92% state of health. These cars are used for a 24/7 call out service, hence the very high mileage.

[@howarthcd]

But how long until the next cell fails, then the next one etc...

[@AndyC2_]

@@howarthcd Exactly this - I’ve never seen as many dumbasses as on here right now 😂

[@Ryan.williams]

@@howarthcd I’m sure at the same time as swapping the faulty cell they test the others to make sure they’re ok.

[@duneplodder]

A really good video. Thank you. Dean & Cameron did a great job. You left us on a real cliff hanger..!

[@davec1768]

That is one of the most interesting videos you have produced. Can't wait for the next episode.

[@MrEV]

Thanks so much. Great fun to film!

[@davec1768]

@@MrEV How long did it take to complete the jobs, including charging.

[@MrEV]

It ended up being about two days of labour, although that included a couple of other things the owner wanted done.

[@davec1768]

@@MrEV In the future it would be interesting to see them doing a liquid cooled battery. Bjorn Nyland has done a few videos in Norway showing EV battery repairs, perhaps you could follow him lead.

[@SimonApperley]

Brilliant cliff-hanger ending! Really good to see the process, I guess a pack which has cooling will be a bit more complex, but it shows the naysayers that think the entire battery goes into landfill that it's fixable. Looking forward to Part 3 and nice to see the owner was happy to be filmed.

[@BD-bditw]

Official stats tell us that less than 10% of these crap batteries are recycled. Even if an EV had a battery that lasted twenty years all it would mean is that someone suffered for twenty years with stress and misery of owning a piece of miserable junk!

[@chrisd924]

Good job well done Lads. Thanks for showing us the whole process and letting us into your workshop. To be frank, Its been a bit of a dark art to date which scares potential new and secondhand EV buyers and car dealers off. I'm just glad to know that sometime in the near future our children won't have to inhale toxic diesel and petrol emissions outside their school gate. Have a great day all who watch this channel.

[@NissanEVOwnersUK]

@@chrisd924 totally! I hope this video encourages more mechs to get the extra training and equipment as well as reassuring EV owners and buyers.

[@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834]

absolutely, and those drivers at the school gates leave their engines running for ages so their little didums can have a warm/cool car. How totally thoughtless.

[@markrainford1219]

No because Chinese kids will be doing it instead.

[@GraemeFullerton]

Andrew - Hats off to the owner for letting you film this. We wish him well and also thank you for the interesting and informative video. Fascinating stuff. Clarkson wont be happy as he thinks they all get thrown away after 3 years! 🤣

[@kylereese4822]

This DVLA KILLER LAW will scare the C&*P out of anyone.... Battery boxes(in the boot) in conversions can no longer be bolted down and the only option is GLUE..... Using bolts is classed as a modification to the car and the DLVA then question the cars existence... Glue to hold a battery box down that could weigh 150kg or more... Now that 150kg in an impact and inertia and glue failure weighs 300,400,500......kg that`s now heading for survivors in crashes... The same rules apply to motor mounts no drilling or welding to secure motors... already seen motor & battery mounts just resting on chassis legs in the engine bay DVLA say it`s 110% legal & and illegal if bolted down securely using new holes.

[@dogbreath6974]

All battery packs should be modular so they can be repaired, unfortunately some manufacturers like Tesla are using structural foam which can't be repaired, all that can be done is recycled which is a shame when only 1 cell is damaged. Good video btw.

[@AndrewEbling]

This is one of a few reasons why I didn't go through with a Tesla Model y purchase.

[@KennethPaul]

Amazing work by EV workshop hope you boys get the recognition and work you deserve. Keep providing a quality service and I'm sure you will have recommendations for as long as you want.

[@hmallett]

Looks quite straightforward really. When you see videos of ICE car engines that have spun bearings being stripped down and repaired, this is much simpler and cleaner.

[@MrEV]

That's a really good point. I don't know if they said in the video, but that's one of the reasons they love EV work: so much cleaner.

[@PJWey]

@@MrEVtotally and also having seen Dala EV do something similar it was not surprising to see a middle cell at the back of the pack fail, so relatively simple to diagnose.

[@NissanEVOwnersUK]

Very interesting. Will share!

[@MrEV]

Thank you!

[@thomasczylok2269]

Thank you so much for sharing this interesting multi-part story. I am glad for the new owner to have such a pleasant experience after that rather rough start of his EV ownership.

[@normansmart7502]

Easier to send it to the scrap yard 😊

[@ysarn]

Great video, Andrew, really useful to see that not all is lost if there is a traction battery problem. Looks like the front left tyre needs changing though, very worn 🙂. I remember seeing a video some time ago when Robert Llewellyn upgraded his Nissan Leaf 24kwh battery from a 2011 car to a 40kwh battery that fitted into the same space. He then was able to say it was a 180m range car after the upgrade.

[@MrEV]

The buyer did consider a 40kWh battery but it was just too much money.

[@malcolmking7926]

Very interesting. I'm an electrician and a car enthusiast so that all made perfect sense, thank you for taking the time to record it.

[@nigeldoran]

we used to build Lithium Ion Batteries of this size and and even larger capacity. Ivwas the engineer that had to approve every procedure for working on these things to ensure we had minimized the risks to the people and the building. Lithium ion batteries always involve some risk when building, testing and/or repairing them. Even in a state of low charge they contain enough energy to produce serious burns, electric shock or an electrocution. Working with energy storage devices like this requires gloves to protect from an electric shock, leather over gloves to protect the electric shock gloves from damage, hearing protection, face shield and outer clothing that is flame resistant with cotton undergarments or another fabric that will not melt into your skin. You should also have everyone CPR trained and a defibrillator available.

[@MrEV]

That's really interesting. Thank you!

[@RobSchofield]

Impressive standard of workmanship. Only thing I missed there is how you re-seal the battery pack and how the silicon seal is replaced.

[@MrEV]

Sadly I wasn't able to wait for the replacement cell to charge, so the final footage is from the guys at The EV Workshop. You can see the stickiness of the replacement silicon seal when they're putting the pack back on but yes, it would be interesting to know more about that.

[@cook5381]

Great video. Steve knows his stuff and explains the procedure well. It's worth pointing out too that evs mostly don't require much servicing during their life so paying for this sort of work is acceptable.

[@Byzmax]

Good video. Problems I see is that this is a 9 year old battery that has a cell failure, you replace the faulty cell (a) with a used one that could fail, (b) any of the other cells may well fail at any time. There are many other components that have a limited life span but can take out the entire power system. Resale values of Ev's is terrible and getting worse. This approach may help but may not. Insurance issues, even new vehicles with minor battery damage are scrapped as the risk of failure is too high in their opinion. Whilst I'm in favour of electric vehicles, their cost, charging and maintenance issues as well as some safety issues make them problematic. Many practical issues to solve. As for someone saying this is better than a snapped cambelt on an ICE, well get the cambelt changed and that won't happen. (results may vary) especially on Ford Ecoboost and other welt belt systems.

[@stefan_sth]

Wet belt systems seem to cause problems in petrol motors only. Petrol in the motor oil destroys the belt, not the oil. So (nearly) no problem in diesel motors. I will wait another 5-10 years before even thinking about buying an EV. Leasing one - no problem.

[@sydjaguar]

Nissan could have been a leader in EVs. They had a head start

[@MrEV]

It’s so frustrating isn’t it? Squandered their lead.

[@Brian-om2hh]

Toyota had an even earlier start (15+ years ago) with the Prius, but sat on their hands and didn't bother to evolve the car into a full EV. Instead they watched Nissan develop the Leaf, bring it to market, and sell hundreds of thousands of them... Toyota didn't just miss the train. They failed to make it to the station on time...

[@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834]

indeed, what went wrong?

[@restfulplace3273]

Not uncommon for early adopters of new tech. They incur the high development and production costs, high advertising and sales costs converting the market to accept the new tech. Suppliers who enter later reap the benefit. It’s like having a team of boxers wear down a Mike Tyson in his prime. The first few will get smashed, after a while, even mediocre boxers will make a hit.

[@ASI-l2w]

Excellent, informative and clearly described video. Thanks. Only one thing I would suggest to the workshop is to get a rotatable, waist high workbench for stripping the battery pack. Working at ground level can’t be preferable. Thanks again. I enjoyed that a lot. 👍🏻

[@mickhursey4802]

You can tell how stressful EV repairs are - See how much that young lad had aged by the end of the video

[@MrEV]

I think being filmed doesn't help! This was the first 30kWh pack they'd worked on so it was a bit of a learning experience for them as well. They did a great job.

[@AdrianMcDaid]

We need more great repair placea like this !!

[@mauricewatts2380]

I know it's not possible but it would be interesting to see the rogue cell being reused or it's component materials recovered. Brave of those guys to let you film the first time they had done this job. Gives me confidence i can keep my 6y old 2nd generation leaf going indefinitely. Thanks Andrew.

[@salibaba]

The cell is totally bad. But the other 3 cells in that module would potentially still be usable in a project. ~0.9kWh

[@MrEV]

I'd be fascinated too. I'm hoping to film what goes on at a recycling plant - I've been making some enquiries.

[@mdshovel]

Good to see ... a bit of a difference from Herne Bay to those doing this in Norway 😃

[@rubyandrenaetheminiatureda6988]

Really interesting video, and in my town. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@beamer.electronics]

Superb video, thank you. Am I the only one though that sees this Lithium battery pack as a potential explosive device? The power density is very significant, yet I did get the impression it's discharged before work. I wouldn't take it apart in proximity of the customer's car, also wouldn't use a standard multimeter to test terminal Voltages. I would like to see a room designed for the repair of these packs, maybe with a large water tank underneath, so that the pack can be very quickly submersed - should things go wrong. Super well ventilated to reduce explosive force/extract fumes/dust quickly, and not in proximity of other battery packs/volatiles. These are just the thoughts of a concerned old man.

[@M0UAW_IO83]

I'm a fan of EVs, my next car is highly likely to be a full EV but having been a user of Li-Ion cells for over a decade and a half now I've seen a few cell fires in small packs and it worries me that as cells age they are statistically more likely to fail with flames.

[@MrEV]

I'm no expert in battery tech but, as I understand it, the cycle count is so much higher in EVs and the battery management so good, the chance of issues like that is far reduced. The closest I've seen to any battery issues was an old laptop I had that was permanently at 100% (due to being plugged into a display). It didn't take long for the battery to fail and start swelling to the point where the case popped open. No fires though, thankfully!

[@JohnSmith-ux3tt]

What about all the other cells in that very old battery which are about to fail in 2 months time? Do it all again?

[@MrEV]

It's unlikely they'd fail so quickly, provided the new owner treats the battery well. It's leaving it charged at 100% for a while that kills a LEAF battery.

[@KsiNixNie]

This is the future of local garages. Either adapt or get out of business. There should be a massive re-schooling of mechanics be going on right now. Governments should set the right conditions for this, like e.g. force all manufacturers to supply required info that allows other garages to work on the HV components of their cars. There's still a long road ahead but good to see that there are people out there who do bother to learn and renew.

[@MrEV]

I couldn't agree more.

[@EVDaysOut]

So interesting. Definitely keen to find out how much that battery repair cost.

[@phiiz3r]

Interesting and informative and nice/brave of the guys to let you show them at work on youtube. Well done!

[@vhol93]

This is a mega important topic to be addressed! People have 0 idea that most battery issues can be fixed

[@glovesoffofficial1382]

These batteries can explode with no reason spontaneous combustion..tooo dangerous if there lithium

[@miscbits6399]

I'm surprised that impedence checks weren't done too. A bad or degraded cell can appear fine voltage-wise but the impedance starts going high long before anything else and changing out sagging cells now saves having to do the whole thing again in a couple of years

[@phonepower66]

Looking forward to part 3 . Proves you have to have lots of knowledge when buying older E cars ,but they are fixable.

[@MrEV]

I'd be more confident getting pretty much any other used EV irrespective of its age. The Leaf, unfortunately, is just relatively unique in having such poor battery thermal management.

[@sameshitagain6735]

It's interesting to watch, put them batteries are like working with bombs, any one of them "faulty" batteries could catch on fire.

[@pauleast4372]

A very informative and re-assuring video - thanks. Just to put things into perspective, I have just had the 70k mile 'service' to my 2020 Kia e-Niro. Nothing needs touching (brakes etc still original of course) and the battery check shows it remains at 100% - no degradation. Way to go!

[@GBass-d3m]

But if all the cells are the same age and condition surely the rest will fail shortly after. Even in anything battery powered the manufacturers always state change all cells together and do not mix old and new cells

[@GBass-d3m]

Soooo. How much did it cost. Seeing as it was so straight forward . 19:28 how much. Forget it. It’s scrap 💩

[@hannuhanhi183]

After some time, the next cell goes bad and the next and the next ...

[@alwynjones2286]

How much did it cost.? Would you be replacing a nine year old petrol engine in a Nissan

[@brunonikodemski2420]

You absolutely need to match the replacement cells, with the existing ones, at about the same level of charge. Otherwise, the weaker cells will continue to fail faster.

[@gavinmoore8024]

Great video and showcasing the future! Also loved the lo-fi soundtrack!

[@Richard-ce8ej]

Great video! Really interesting to see the procedures involved in getting to the battery and successfully repairing a fault. Well done.

[@georgestewart1983]

After my campervan failed the dreaded emissions M.O.T which cost hundreds to repair, I am now looking at buying an e.v. van to convert.( I did look at the latest diesel vans but ADBLU seems to cause too many problems!) Once I can find an e.v. van that can do 300miles on a charge?

[@MrEV]

That'd be great! Good luck finding a suitable van though. The ID.Buzz Cargo is a contender perhaps, although not quite 300 miles! Your best bet may be waiting for Kia as they have some EV vans coming next year I believe.

[@GlynHudson]

Excellent video! Great to see more local garages getting on board with these repairs.

[@MrEV]

Thanks Glyn! Good on them for seeing where the future is. I’ve spoken to other mechanics who are terrified of HV systems.