A CAR still under warranty waited more than a year in a dealership car park after a driver waited for a crucial part.
An EV owner said he switched from gas cars to save money, but the switch left him with an old car that was stuck.
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“It was good and everything went well,” Atif Harooni, owner of the 2017 Nissan Leaf, told CBC in 2023.
“I really enjoy driving it and it requires very little maintenance.”
The Leaf had an eight-year warranty that covered the battery.
But in 2022, five years after owning the car, Harooni said the battery started having significant problems.
His Leaf broke down on the highway twice in one week.
After taking the car back to the dealership, the technicians said the vehicle needed a new battery.
The dealership initially said a battery would be available within a few weeks. So the parts department reportedly pushed back the delivery date by three months.
Ultimately, problems with the parts forced Harooni to wait more than a year for the part, CBC reported.
“Initially, I was fine with it,” he told the station.
“I understand there could be supply chain issues. But not giving me the ETA is just frustrating.”
Harooni’s parts problems were typical of early adopters of electric vehicles.
Brands like Nissan have spent billions of dollars to upgrade battery technologies to allow their cars to drive longer and charge faster.
Before investments, manufacturers often had to supply battery components to build their vehicles.
However, as car warranties neared their end, car manufacturers completely changed battery parts and manufacturing.
They no longer readily contract an assembly program for older EVs.
Electric versus gas vehicles
Pros and cons of electric vehicles versus gasoline-powered vehicles
EV PROS:
- Convenient (when charging at home)
- Cheapest (depending on the state or city)
- Cheaper maintenance due to lack of mechanical parts
- Great for commuting
- Reduced CO2 emissions
- Federal and state tax incentives
- More performance (speed, handling – depending on make and model)
EV CONS:
- Higher initial cost
- Higher Insurance Rates
- More frequent tire and brake replacement intervals
- Higher tare weight (thus causing faster wear on crucial parts)
- Low resale value
- High depreciation rates
- Lack of charging infrastructure
- Unreliable public loading (related: slow loading times)
- Poor performance in winter and summer
- Lack of clean energy alternatives means more “dirty energy” from coal and nuclear sources
- Range anxiety
PROS OF GAS:
- Highly developed refueling infrastructure
- Fast replenishment
- Cheapest insurance rates depending on make, model and configuration
- Established repair industry
- Lower initial cost
- Greater range before refueling, especially with hybrids
- Many manufacturers produce engines with almost fewer emissions
- Cheaper refueling depending on location
CONS OF GAS:
- Finite resource (related: heavy dependence on oil)
- Carbon emissions/greenhouse gases
- Higher repair costs
- Higher insurance rates depending on make, model and configuration
- Varying costs at the pump depending on state, city and county
Source: Driver, Perch Energy, Automatic Week
The transition has left some early EV consumers with outdated technology.
“They are producing new car batteries right now, so I don’t know why they can’t produce replacement batteries,” asked Harooni.
Chris Hornibrook, another Leaf owner, told the station that his 2016 car had a similar problem.
“[They said] It could take a year, a year and a half, who knows?” he said.
Nissan Canada said at the time that it was “working diligently on a compatible replacement battery.”
The company also said it was “getting closer to a sustainable solution for the Canadian market.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
