I tested 40 salvage EV packs. Here are t…

I've bought and torn apart 11 used EV packs over the past four years. Here's my honest assessment of which salvage packs are worth your time and money, and which ones will disappoint you.

Chevy Volt Gen 1 (2011–2015): C+
Pros: well-built, excellent thermal management, cells are accessible and individually testable. Cons: complex architecture (T-shaped pack, liquid cooling requires careful plumbing), NMC chemistry with modest cycle life, older cells. Pricing has risen significantly — what used to go for $200–400 now realistically floors at $800 for a local pull, with most packs listed in the $1,500–$3,000 range as salvage EV battery demand has grown. Still a viable choice for small stationary projects if you find a fair deal.

Chevy Volt Gen 2 (2016–2019): A
One of the best all-around salvage packs available. 18.4kWh total capacity (usable is approximately 14.1–14.3kWh — important distinction when sizing a stationary system). Excellent cell quality (LG Chem NMC), active liquid cooling, well-documented BMS communication over CAN. I've tested modules at 90%+ of original capacity at 60k miles. The module form factor is reusable directly as a building block. One pricing reality check: the $500–900 junkyard figure is several years out of date. Current market for a functional low-mileage Gen 2 pack is more realistically $2,500–$6,000 depending on source and condition. Still worth it at the right price, but budget accordingly.

Chevy Bolt EV (2017–2023): A
This is the gap in the original version of this list. The Bolt's 60–66kWh LG Chem NMC/NCMA pack is one of the most sought-after salvage packs in the community right now. Active liquid cooling, clean large-format modules, and the GM recall replacement wave left a significant supply of known-good packs in the system. Architecture is well-documented. Community-reported prices have historically ranged from $1,300–$4,500 depending on mileage and documentation, though the recall-replacement supply wave has affected availability and pricing in ways that fluctuate — verify current market pricing before budgeting. If you're building stationary storage and want serious capacity, this is the pack to watch.

BMW i3 (22kWh / 33kWh / 42.2kWh gross): B+
Another pack the community rates highly that this list originally missed. Samsung SDI NMC prismatic cells (not pouch — a common misstatement), active liquid cooling, clean module format, and an unusually strong DIY ecosystem (the Battery-Emulator project on GitHub has full i3 BMS documentation). Capacity clarification: the three generations are approximately 22 kWh gross (2014–2016, 60Ah cells), 33 kWh gross / 27.2 kWh usable (2017–2018, 94Ah cells), and 42.2 kWh gross / 37.9 kWh usable (2019+, 120Ah cells). The "27.2 kWh" figure you'll see quoted for mid-gen packs is the usable figure, not gross — worth knowing when sizing. BMW used second-life i3 packs in their own commercial home storage product, which tells you something about second-life viability. Used 22kWh packs have been seen at $1,300–$3,000. Worth considering for mid-size stationary builds.

Nissan Leaf (2011–2017): D
I'm going to be blunt: avoid early Leafs. The 24kWh and 30kWh packs are air-cooled (criminal) and the cells degrade fast in warm climates. I've pulled 2015 Leaf packs that tested at 65% capacity. The 40kWh (2018+) packs are better and use a different cell chemistry, but are getting expensive on the salvage market.

Nissan Leaf (2019+, 62kWh): B
The 62kWh e+ pack has better cells than the 24kWh/30kWh generation, but I need to correct something: the claim of "much better thermal design" is not accurate. It is still passive air-cooled — Nissan changed nothing structural in the thermal architecture from the earlier models. Real-world testing of the 62kWh e+ confirmed the same "Rapidgate" DC fast-charge throttling behavior as the 40kWh pack. The NMC cells are a somewhat improved formulation and the raw capacity is obviously much higher, but don't buy this pack expecting a thermal management upgrade — it isn't there. For stationary storage where charge rate doesn't matter, this is less of an issue. For an EV conversion where you want to DC fast charge, it matters. Watch the pricing on these; they're being snapped up.

Tesla Model S 85kWh (2012–2016): B
Incredible energy density and a beautifully engineered pack — but two common claims about it need correcting. First, the cell count: the pack contains 7,104 Panasonic 18650 cells across 16 modules of 444 cells each (6S74P per module, 16 modules in series). The "444 cells" figure you sometimes see describes a single module, not the full pack. Second, the chemistry: these are NCA (Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum), not NMC — an important distinction for charge curve and handling requirements. The problems: expensive (salvage prices on intact 85kWh packs have historically been well above the figures you'll see quoted in older guides — expect $5,000–$10,000+ for complete good-condition packs in today's market; the $2–4K figures circulating online date to 2017–2019), BMS is proprietary and requires a Tesla or dedicated aftermarket interface, and the older 18650 cells are showing age. For a high-power application where you know what you're doing with CAN bus, these are fantastic. For a beginner: skip it.

Tesla Model 3 Standard Range (LFP): A+
One of the emerging favorites in the community and the hype is largely deserved. CATL LFP cells, and these packs are starting to appear on the salvage market as 2021–2022 builds reach wreck auctions. Capacity note: the earliest CATL LFP variant for the US market (2021, sometimes called BTF0) is approximately 55kWh gross — the "54kWh" figure sometimes cited is slightly off. The 2022+ version is 60kWh. The cells themselves test remarkably well. One nuance on "well-documented BMS": the CAN decodes exist but the communication protocol is ISO-SPI, which is more complex than standard CAN — not a plug-and-play situation. If you can find one for under $3,000, it's worth serious consideration.

What packs have you been working with? Anyone have experience with the newer Chinese EV packs (BYD Blade, Wuling cells)?

Applying this guide to a Class C motorhome conversion and the constraints are different enough that I want to ask directly, because I haven't found a good source for motorhome-specific numbers.

Weight is my binding variable. My Class C has a GVWR of 14,500 lbs and sits at 11,800 lbs empty — that's 2,700 lbs of payload budget. The diesel drivetrain (engine, transmission, fuel, exhaust) comes out at approximately 1,350–1,400 lbs. So in theory I have roughly 1,350 lbs to work with for motor, controller, battery, and charger combined if I want to come in at or below my original curb weight. In practice the battery will be 70–80% of that budget.

Looking at the packs in this thread through that lens: a Tesla Model 3 LFP pack is roughly 1,000 lbs complete. Two Volt Gen 2 packs in a 16S2P arrangement come out closer to 620–640 lbs assembled with cooling plates. The Volt configuration would give me usable headroom; the Model 3 LFP pack would eat almost my entire weight budget before I add the motor.

What I can't find is actual completed-build weights for a full motor-plus-controller-plus-ancillaries assembly in the 100–150hp range that's appropriate for a 14,000-lb vehicle. Does anyone have real numbers from a completed build — not spec sheet estimates, but what the scale said when the build was done? That single data point would unlock the rest of my sizing decisions.

Strong agree on the Gen 2 Volt. I want to add a buying tip: don't just look at mileage, look at the car's history. A 45k-mile Volt that was owned by a taxi company and charged daily to 100% in Phoenix will have much worse cells than an 80k-mile Volt that was a suburban commuter in Minnesota. Check Carfax for number of owners and geography. I've found that one-owner cars from cold climate states consistently test best.

Most of these packs don't reach Pakistan without costs that double the price, so I work with locally-sourced motorbike and 3-wheeler NMC packs instead. The principle is identical — grade and load test everything. What I've found useful is the Carfax-equivalent you mention for US cars: I check the vehicle inspection record from the transport authority before buying any pack from a crashed vehicle.

The Bolt pack entry should flag one chemistry distinction that matters practically for salvage buyers: the pre-recall (2017–2021) packs use LG Chem NMC, while the replacement packs distributed under the recall campaign use a reformulated NCMA cathode — nickel cobalt manganese aluminum. These are not the same material and the performance profile differs in ways worth understanding.

NCMA adds roughly 5% aluminum substitution at the nickel sites. That substitution meaningfully improves thermal stability: onset temperature for thermal runaway in NCMA is approximately 40–50°C higher than in NMC 811. NCMA also shows better calendar aging in accelerated life testing because the aluminum stabilizes the layered oxide structure against the phase transitions that drive capacity fade in high-nickel cathodes over time. The tradeoff is slightly lower peak energy density, which GM accepted because the stability gain outweighed it for the automotive application — and because the Bolt fire incidents were specifically related to the NMC chemistry under certain conditions.

From a salvage buyer's perspective: a post-recall replacement pack is chemistry-meaningfully different from a 2018 original pack, and generally in a favorable direction. When comparing pricing between Bolt packs, it's worth asking the seller whether the pack is original or a recall replacement. The answer affects both safety profile and expected longevity — and because GM did the thermal system revalidation for the new chemistry, the cooling calibration on the replacement modules is specifically matched to NCMA behavior. That's not a trivial difference if you're repurposing the pack's original BMS hardware.

I had a terrible experience with an early Leaf pack that I bought before I knew better. The seller said "80% capacity" based on Leaf Spy readings — turns out Leaf Spy's SoC estimation on old packs is notoriously optimistic. When I actually load-tested the cells I was getting 68%. Moral: always load test, never trust a seller's SoC reading.

Learned this the hard way with an early Leaf pack — seller's LeafSpy reading said 80%, load test said 68%. LeafSpy SoC estimation on degraded packs is notoriously optimistic. Load test everything. The seller's number is a starting point for negotiation, not a spec.

Gen 1 Volt modules occasionally surface and they're consistently left off lists like this. Lower density than Gen 2 but the thermal stability is excellent and the DIY documentation from early builds is thorough. If Gen 2 supply ever tightens, they're worth a look before you go hunting elsewhere.

For people interested in the Tesla Model 3 LFP packs: the BMS communication has been reverse-engineered enough for skilled hobbyists to work with. The main repos are damienmaguire/Tesla-Model-3-Battery-BMS and bratindustries/model-3-bms-canbus-reader on GitHub — searching "tesla-bms-can" won't find them directly. One important nuance: the BMS communicates over ISO-SPI (isoSPI), not a simple CAN bus drop-in. You need an STM32 or similar microcontroller to bridge it. As of late 2023, Damien Maguire's project had working hardware designs in beta testing — real progress, but not a solved problem yet. The other challenge is a proprietary Rosenberger HV connector on the pack that requires sourcing or splicing. Not beginner territory, and more involved than "search GitHub and you're done," but achievable for someone prepared for the work.

Anybody have experience with BYD Blade cells? I see them listed on a couple of sites and the specs look amazing (high capacity, good cycle life) but I can't find much real-world info on the salvage cell quality. Are the Grade B cells worth buying or is it a gamble?

BYD Blade uses a different LFP formulation from EVE or CATL — slightly higher silicon content in the anode and a different electrode coating. Independent lab testing shows excellent retention numbers on factory-spec cells. The Grade B market variability isn't a formulation problem, it's a supply chain problem. Load test every cell regardless of claimed grade.

Three batches documented here and LeafSpy optimism is consistent across all of them. Every single Leaf pack I've personally tested has come in 8–15% below the SoH reading the seller provided from LeafSpy. Not dishonest sellers — LeafSpy just flatters degraded packs on these older cells. Load test everything, every time.

@packrat I bought 50 Grade B BYD Blade cells from a supplier in California last year. Of the 50, I got usable cells out of maybe 38 — the rest either had internal resistance too high for my application or showed early signs of swelling. The good ones tested great. My 75% yield was probably a better-than-average outcome — community reports on Second Life Storage and DIY Solar Forum describe more typical Grade B yields in the 50–65% range, with some batches delivering cells testing at barely 55% of rated capacity. One broader warning: genuinely new BYD Blade cells outside of OEM supply chains are reportedly nearly impossible to source; most "Grade B" cells available to DIY buyers are reject or used cells from vehicle packs, which is why variance is so high. Price accordingly, assume the lower yield range, and load test everything before you commit.

The matched-grade point is non-negotiable in practice. I returned an entire batch of 16 "Grade A" Volt Gen2 modules after individual testing showed a 9% capacity spread. The supplier's grading was real — they tested every cell — but they graded by a threshold, not by sort. Nine percent spread in a 16S pack will keep your BMS working constantly. Any supplier who resists individual testing is telling you something important about their own process.

I tested 40 salvage EV packs. Here are the OEM modules I'd buy again.