Tag Archives: cars

Errant Literary

EV Battery Swaps Have Arrived

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An Irish start-up firm in Co Kildare (Range Therapy) has begun offering battery swaps for the Nissan LEAF Mk1 model.

This service is currently priced at 7k Euros (7,212.10 USD), with discounts available if you decide to trade in your old battery.

Nissan LEAF Mk1

Daly brought her old 24kWh Mk1 Leaf to Range Therapy, and shortly afterwards drove back out again with a new 70kWh battery, giving the Leaf a potential range of up to 475km on one charge – something that the 160km ranged original could never have even thought about.

Once removed, the older batteries can be repurposed as an energy storage vessel similar to the power walls found in commercial and residential structures.

Cited article by The Irish Times/Neil Briscoe

https://www.irishtimes.com/motors/2025/01/15/dont-scrap-an-older-electric-vehicle-just-upgrade-it/

For US-based consumers, there are options available for replacing older batteries in LEAF vehicles. Models from the 2010s through to 2018s can be upgraded to the extended range 62kw Plus size batteries.

Leo & Sons Auto Repair of Massachusetts is an auto shop that can perform the battery replacement service. The LEAF Facebook group provides a list of shops that can perform the replacement service.

Your options for LEAF battery replacements typically come down to going to a Nissan dealership or working with a battery replacement specialist.

Typically, the 62kw battery packs run for $8k-16k depending on availability.

If you are having difficulty finding an available battery pack, try auto scrap shops. Often when a car is involved in an accident the insurer will write off the vehicle as a total loss when the damage is often only cosmetic.

Cited article by Recurrent/Jon Whitt

https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/nissan-leaf-battery-replacement

Errant Literary

Car Hunting (part 6)

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See part 5 here: Car Hunting

Well, things are certainly moving along fast now.

What ended up happening was I found a somewhat local dealership that had a Nissan LEAF SV Plus available and it only had 17k miles on it. For $15,998 I felt it was a good deal. After the regular fees, I was quoted $17,422.19 and a separate charge for delivery of $149 (75mi).

Last week, we went to the dealership to take the car for a test drive. It was a long trip and it was my mother’s birthday, so we stopped at the H-Mart in Cary to procure some choice pastries and on the way home we swung by the Red Robin for her free birthday burger and the Starbucks for her free birthday coffee. Plenty of sweet freebies including a cake from the Publix grocery store.

The car took some getting used to but I found the drive very smooth. The only issue was a loud buzzing sound, however, I found it to be a bug stuck in my dreadlocks. Some weird cross between a moth and a carpenter bee I’d say. It managed to free itself while I was pulled to the side of the road searching Google for “buzzing sounds” and the Nissan Leaf.

Cutting ahead now to the present, I have scheduled delivery and I am expecting a cashier’s check ($10k) in the mail for my down payment. I will be financing the remainder of the balance ($7422). I’ve got another check for $4,000 coming soon and then I can probably put the rest on my US Bank Altitude card which has a 0% promotion running.

The next hurdle was getting a “binder” from the insurance company. I initially spoke to the insurer for the house and my relatives’ vehicles but was told I was too old to be on their policy without being a joint owner.

I was directed to start my own policy, however, the quote was $533 per month which was too much given my small income. I tried Progressive, but their website was down, I called the General and was quoted $1,538 per month.

Finally, I used a generic website which led to a phone call with an insurance agent from Direct Auto Insurance. This ended up being the ticket. I received a quote of $224 per month, which is still a bit much, but better than the others.

The binder was handled smoothly and I should have the details sent over to the credit union that will handle the financing and the lien. I’ll have a few more calls to make tomorrow with the dealership and possibly the insurance agent, but otherwise, I think I am pretty much set.

At some point down the road, I want to get a custom license plate with my name on it. That’ll cost $33 with fees. I also want a DashCam, I have been looking at the Vantrue Element 1 for $71 on Amazon. I may make a post about that later.

Thanks for reading. Be safe and be happy.

See part 1 here: Licensed!

Errant Literary

Car Hunting (part 5)

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Car Adventures (part 4)

I’m almost to the finish line.

I got some helpful input from my relatives on which cars they had good opinions of. After reviewing my options I have finally settled on the 2020 Chevy Bolt EV.

The Bolt gets 259 miles of range with a 66kWh battery. It has all the technology I am looking for with Android Auto, a nice console screen, a backup camera, and safety features.

2020 Chevy Bolt EV

I found a nice dealership in Virginia that will be able to deliver the vehicle to me for $300. There are processing fees of $699 plus the cost of the vehicle itself, which is $16,000. The EV Tax credit will help a bit next year.

I have $11.5k in the bank and I have a one-year, 0% Balance Transfer offer on my US Bank Altitude GO card. I can probably get another 4-5k from that card without pushing the minimum payments too high.

My limit is 9k for that card and the BT fee would be about $199 for a $4,000 transfer. I am also getting 3k from my father as an early graduation gift.

So that should be about $18.5k available to cover the cost of the purchase plus registration fees. I will also need to get the car added to the household insurance policy. I was added to the policy earlier this year as a requirement to take the NC driving test.

I had dithered some time on getting a Kia Niro PHEV which has excellent mileage. The main problem I ran into with the Niro’s was that most were priced at 20k+ and often had 60-100k miles on them. I didn’t want to get something that was nearing the end of its life (or midlife).

2019 Kia Niro PHEV

I will be losing the larger trunk space that the Niro (19.4 ft³) has to offer if I go with the Bolt (16.9 ft³), but I think that is an acceptable trade-off if I can get a vehicle with 20-30k miles on it instead.

Another car I was looking at was the Nissan LEAF. The dealership only had the SV model (40kWh) available and I really wanted a Plus model which has a larger 62kWh battery. The trunk in the LEAF is much bigger (23.6 ft), this is despite having the wheel wells constricting the space.

2019 Nissan LEAF (SV)

So for now I am just getting my funds together to make the purchase. If a LEAF Plus shows up before I make the call, then I may switch to that vehicle instead. Otherwise, I expect to be driving sometime in May.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate your taking the time to be here. If you have any questions or comments for me, be sure to leave them below, and have a great day!

Errant Literary

Something Colourful (part 3)

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I have been looking at used cars for a while now and I think what I really want is something multi-coloured.

I remember my father’s 3rd sailboat (Molly Griffin) was painted many different colours. He had me pick out the ones I liked, and I mixed some together to get a nice colour.

The hull was golden yellow with a ruby red gunwale and strake, the cabins were purple/violet, and the decks and cockpit area were teal.

Cars with a single colour feel very limited. If I am going to be driving around and spending lots of time in my car, then I want it to be a reflection of myself.

I have been looking at the BMW i3 and Mini Coopers primarily.

I really like the wood inlay on the BMW i3s in the dash and the multi-coloured seat materials. It is also nice that it includes flat panel screens, even on older models. It really feels like a car that was advanced for its time.

The mini coopers are stylishly designed although they typically come in two tones unless you get one with a custom wrap.

Either choice looks good, but I am leaning towards the BMW.

See the continuation of this article: https://fatwalletrefugee.com/2024/03/30/car-hunting/

Errant Literary

Unlocking the Road (part 2)

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My Search for a Quality Used Car

Now that I have gotten my license the next step is to get a car. I have been looking at many different brands and different models and I think I have done a good job narrowing down my options.

There are three cars left on my list, but I am not sure which one will be the final choice. I was initially looking for something I could use for a courier or delivery side gig, but I heard most of these companies do background checks.

So, if I don’t need something with a lot of cargo space, then the next sticking point is I want something with good fuel economy. I do want the car to have either a Mild-Hybrid or a pure electric powertrain. Gas and power are fairly inexpensive here compared with other states.

Well, here are my options:

Kia Niro (Hybrid)

Chevy Bolt (EV)

Nissan

My price range is limited to $16,000 and I am looking for something from around 2018 or newer. I mostly want to make sure the car has modern technology in it as far as the instrument panel and cameras. Anything that helps me drive safer will be of benefit.

I’ve got until May at the earliest to make a decision.

See the continuation of this article: https://fatwalletrefugee.com/2024/03/12/something-colourful/