Nissan is set to put into motion a third-party investigation into some Nissan Leaf owners claims that their battery packs have been losing range, and aging too quickly.
Owners of Leaf electric vehicles in Phoenix, Ariz. have been experiencing problems with their Leaf vehicles, due to the high heat. Nissan admits that its lithium-ion battery will begin to lose charge capacity over time, saying that after five years of use, 80 percent charge should still be possible. Seven Phoenix Leaf owners however, have experienced the same amount of loss in just a couple of years.
The investigation was announced on the Leaf owners website, by senior vice president of research and development, Carla Bailo. It has been requested by Nissan that EV advocate and former GM marketing manager Chelsea Sexton form a worldwide group to investigate the issue independently of Nissan. Nissan has already inspected the affected Leaf vehicles themselves, and they claim that all of them have higher that average mileage.
With a new $1.6 billion investment ready to be poured into mass-producing the Leaf and its battery pack, Nissan wants all controversy around the car cleared.
[Souce: Automotive News]