This is a question for anyone considering purchasing an EV. How long will the battery last?
Short answer: longer than most EV buyers own a vehicle.
Battery degradation is inevitable, but there are two important steps you can take to slow it down.
Anyone who has kept their phone or laptop for long enough knows that even the most reliable rechargeable batteries will ultimately abandon their ghosts. Over time, the battery cells lose the ability to hold the same amount of charge as they were in the latest.
Battery life
So how long does an electric car battery last and what steps can it take to slow its deterioration?
Just like people on mobile phones and laptops, electric vehicle batteries are lithium ions and are made from a variety of rare earth minerals and other materials, such as cobalt, nickel, cadmium, manganese and other materials. Regardless of which vehicle is, all batteries experience deterioration over time.
Even the weather in your location can affect the life of your battery. Very hot and very cold environments and excessive humidity environments can shorten the battery life.
Lithium-ion batteries have a higher energy density compared to lead-acid or nickel metal hydride batteries found in hybrids. It also charges quickly and maintains energy density with hundreds of charge cycles. That's why they are the ideal choice for electric vehicles now. The introduction of solid batteries may change quickly, but for now, lithium ions are the best choice for EVs.
However, all charging and discharging cycles reduce the overall battery capacity by fractions. Over the course of hundreds or thousands of charging cycles, the vehicle range will ultimately hit.
Reduced range
The 2019 analysis sampled data from 6,300 electric vehicles, indicating that the average battery range decrease was approximately 2.3% per year.
In real-world terms, if you have an EV in the 300-mile range, it means that you would expect a range of up to 267 miles with battery disassembly, as many people do in 5 years now. Of course, it takes forever to charge a 100% fee, so most people charge 80% to get back on the road.
All manufacturers have different predictions about how long the battery will last, but the U.S. Department of Energy makes its own predictions.
According to the DOE, “Predictive modeling by the National Institute of Renewable Energy shows that today's batteries can last between 12 and 15 years in medium climates,” but those living in “extreme climates” can expect their numbers to range from 8 to 12 years.
This is primarily speculative, as the actual data is not yet that much. Currently, the average vehicle on American roads is over 12 years old.
What about your car's EV battery warranty?
The federal government requires EV manufacturers to provide a warranty of at least 8 years/100,000 miles on all EV batteries. California compensates for the mandatory 10-year/150,000 miles warranty. Assuming the warranty is transferable, this could be a future concern for the fourth or fifth owner of 100,000 miles on a used car.
What you can do
Battery degradation is inevitable, but there are two important steps you can take to slow it down:
1. Avoid heavy acceleration and sudden braking
By asking the battery to release energy quickly over and over again, it essentially overworks it and degrades it faster. This is like constantly leaving your phone screen behind.
2. Maintain a rate between 20% and 80%
When the battery reaches 20%, charge it to 80%. In most cars, certain parameters can be set and certain values can block charging. This approach places much less strain on the internal chemistry of the battery.
