A Nissan master technician in Miami made a funny video that went viral. The video shows every electric vehicle owner’s biggest money fear: replacing the wrong battery by accident. Master tech Nick Pichirilo posted the video, and it got over 1.1 million views on TikTok.
In the clip, Pichirilo walks up to a coworker who has an electric car lifted on a jack. A huge high-voltage battery pack is lying on the shop floor. According to Motor1, Pichirilo asks his coworker, “Yo, how much longer for this battery? The customer is waiting.” Then he says the punchline: “Brother, the 12-volt battery.”
The joke works because the price difference between these two batteries is massive. A regular 12-volt battery costs about $100 to $300 when installed. But the high-voltage battery pack costs anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000, and labor can add another $1,000 to $3,000. For luxury electric cars, the cost can reach $15,000 to $22,000. One commenter joked, “Why is my battery replacement $62,500?!”
Electric cars need both batteries for important safety and cost reasons
The TikTok video shows that electric cars have two different batteries, which confuses many people. The small 12-volt battery handles all the low-voltage parts like the radio, USB ports, and air conditioning vents. More importantly, the 12-volt battery acts like an ignition switch.
The main high-voltage pack stays electrically isolated for safety when the car is off. The small battery turns on the relays and switches that bring the big battery online. If the 12-volt battery dies, your electric car won’t start at all. While this coworker mix-up was caught in time, some workplace disasters happen without warning.
This system is a smart design choice. It’s much safer to use a $100 battery to turn the car on than risk damaging a $10,000 to $20,000 pack by engaging it directly. Many viewers wondered if the video showed a real mistake or just a comedy skit. It’s probably not real because dealerships don’t keep these expensive battery packs in stock. They order them only when needed for specific repairs. Just like uninvited guests crashing workplace celebrations, this scenario seems too awkward to be genuine.
Other viewers noticed the technician wasn’t wearing the required safety equipment for high-voltage work. Whether real or fake, the joke works because people really do worry about electric car battery replacement costs. The video reminds electric car owners to be very clear about which battery needs replacing when they go for service.
Published: Feb 12, 2026 11:59 am