Electric cars can last longer than you think

“We see variations between different cars and models,” Arg continues.There are other factors as well. “So far, we haven’t seen a significant effect of high mileage on degradation rates, so you shouldn’t be afraid to use your EV.” This finding is consistent with P3’s research.

“But we did see a correlation with the frequency of DC fast charging,” Argu cautions.

Hot weather is also a factor. “Worst case was three times more for a model driven in hot climates and using a quick charge,” says Arg. That would mean losing 5.4 percent of battery capacity per year , “the best had an average annual degradation of 1 percent.” It’s definitely a positive trend we’re seeing.”

“When the electric car market started, there was a lot of concern about the factors that could lead to battery degradation,” says Geotab CEO Neil Coase But battery technology has gotten a lot better, especially around the control systems, like making sure the lithium-ion cells charge properly when they’re cool.”

This better battery performance can lead to longer warranties for more remaining power.Toyota already offers a 10-year warranty on its EV batteries, and MG is testing it lifetime warranty in Thailand. “You generally still have warranties that promise 70 percent health over eight years, but the degradation we see on those batteries is much less,” Wallace says.

Your EV may still be good 20 years from now

So far, however, research has been based on how the vehicle’s systems report the health of the battery. “I would take all of those values ​​with a grain of salt,” says Wallace. often differs significantly from it actually the state of health is from that battery.” According to the message published by Elysia In 2023, the actual state of health may differ by up to 9 percent from the reported one.

Another problem is the buffer that manufacturers leave in their batteries, which is the difference between net and gross capacity in kWh there should be a buffer because what we know from battery science is that if the battery is completely full or completely empty for a long time, it causes more stress to have a buffer from the battery’s destruction.

Wallace believes this buffer is extremely conservative given the low degradation seen with EV batteries. “They don’t need that much extra power,” he says. “Smaller buffers mean smaller batteries, which lowers the cost of EVs.” The trouble is, Wallace believes, that many traditional automakers don’t yet have the necessary data on their own batteries to take this step.

However, if the batteries continue to work, as the P3 and Geotab studies show, EVs can fare better than combustion engine vehicles of the same mileage and age.The rest of the EV is also less expensive. “The cost maintenance is significantly lower” says Koss. “You maintain the brake pads and change the wipers, and that’s it.”

A 10-year-old EV can be almost as good as new, and a 20-year-old can still be very usable.That could be another setback for the auto industry, which relies on cars that mostly end up in the junkyard after 15 years.