FirstGenFixer

The defect rate section is what I needed to read before I did something dumb. I was tempted by eBay listings at $28/cell — clearly not Grade A. The guidance to stick with vetted importers even at a slight premium is right. I've been watching the r/diysolar megathread on Alibaba supplier reputation and the variance in cell quality is wild. Spending an extra $200 on 16 cells from a trusted source is obviously correct once you actually think it through.

Eleven years in with my 2013 Leaf and the TCO numbers track with this breakdown — with one wildcard the article underestimates for older EVs: battery replacement. I'm at 78% SOH after 62k miles, still fine for my 14-mile commute, but the writing is on the wall. A reconditioned pack from Greentec runs $3,000–4,500 installed, which changes the 10-year TCO picture meaningfully compared to a newer car still under warranty.