
Electric cars are becoming more popular in the UK as drivers seek greener and cheaper alternatives to petrol and diesel vehicles. But one of the common concerns about electric cars is how long their batteries last and how much they degrade over time.
This article will answer frequently asked questions about electric car batteries and their longevity.
To successfully future-proof your vehicle, one must consider the average loss in battery life expected to occur over the years.
Like all things in life, nothing lasts forever. There will come a time when you will need to replace your shiny new electric car, the same as if you were to purchase a traditional ICE vehicle, that too would also need replacing one day. But the critical question on the minds of potential EV customers is, how long will my electric battery last?
The internet is filled with scare stories of how your EV's battery will abandon you after a couple of years. This has been proven to be 'fake news', and a quick search of used cars will show many of the original Nisan Leafs still going strong at over ten years of age.
Tesla has many examples of their original cars, which have been used as taxis over the years and have racked up hundreds of thousands of miles with their original battery pack, showing little sign of giving up.
Electric car batteries are made of many cells that store and release energy. However, over time, these cells lose some of their ability to hold a charge, which means they have less capacity and range. This is called battery degradation, and it is affected by many factors, such as temperature, charging habits, usage, and age.
According to a recent study by Geotab, a telematics company, the average annual decline in energy storage is 2.3 per cent for electric car batteries. This means that after 10 years, an electric car battery would still have about 77 per cent of its original capacity. However, this is just an average, and some batteries may degrade faster or slower than others. This also may affect how long it takes to charge an electric car. As we’ll see further in this guide, battery degradation depends on many factors, including the driver’s habits.
Battery degradation is a natural and inevitable process in all batteries, not just electric car batteries. It is caused by chemical reactions inside the cells that reduce their ability to store and deliver energy. Some of the main factors that influence battery degradation are:
One of the advantages of electric cars over internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles is that they have fewer moving parts and require less maintenance. This means they are less likely to break down or need repairs over time. However, ICE vehicles also have batteries, which are used to start the engine and power the accessories. So how do they compare to electric car batteries in terms of longevity?
ICE vehicle batteries are usually lead-acid, cheaper and more straightforward than electric car batteries, typically lithium-ion batteries.
However, lead-acid batteries have a shorter lifespan than lithium-ion batteries. They typically need to be replaced every three to five years. Lithium-ion batteries, however, can last up to 10 years or more, depending on how they are used and maintained.
However, non-EV batteries are also much smaller and cheaper than electric car batteries, an electric car's most expensive and essential component. For example, replacing a fossil-fuel vehicle battery can cost around £100, while replacing an electric car battery can cost thousands of pounds.
Therefore, it is more important to preserve the electric car battery and prevent its degradation as much as possible.
One of the ways to protect yourself from the cost of replacing an electric car battery is to check the warranty that comes with it. Most electric car manufacturers offer a warranty covering the battery for a certain period or mileage, whichever comes first. In addition, the warranty guarantees that the battery will not degrade below a certain percentage of its original capacity, usually between 70 and 80 per cent.
For example, Tesla offers an eight-year or 120,000-mile warranty for the Model 3 Standard Range Plus and an eight-year or 150,000-mile warranty for the Model 3 Long Range and Performance, with a minimum of 70 per cent battery capacity retention over the warranty period.
Nissan offers an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty for the Leaf, with a minimum of 75 per cent battery capacity retention over the warranty period.
But technology moves so rapidly that you probably won’t even feel the need to change the battery and would probably end up replacing your car way before that.
Charging at home overnight is a slower way to charge, but if battery health is important to you, then charging at home is preferable to a public rapid charge.
Many EV manufacturers will advise only to fast charge your car to 80-90% capacity. This is due to the resistance and heat generated when approaching 100% and has been shown to impact long-term battery health.
According to experts from RAC, there are a few more ways to prolong your electric car’s battery life:
However, as mentioned previously, the good news is that electric cars come with long battery warranties, guaranteeing an adequate battery capacity of at least 70% of the original specification after seven or eight years.
Electric car batteries typically last between 10 and 20 years, or 100,000 miles or more, before they need to be replaced. However, this can vary depending on how often you use your car, how well you take care of it, and your battery type.
There are tell-tale signs that your electric car battery may need to be replaced are:
The cost of replacing an electric car battery can vary depending on the model and manufacturer of your car, but it can be pretty expensive. In the last decade, the cost of electric car batteries has dropped from $1,220 (£1,021) per kWh to $132 (£110) in 2021. But this may have been reduced due to advances in battery technology.
Some EV manufacturers offer warranties or leasing options for their batteries, which can reduce the upfront cost and provide peace of mind.
EV batteries can be recycled, but the process can be challenging and inefficient. In addition, batteries are made of different materials, such as lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride, or lithium-ion, which require other recycling methods.
Some of the standard recycling methods are:
The industry has a lot of drive to make battery recycling more efficient and cheaper. Recycling electric car batteries can have many benefits, such as:
However, recycling electric car batteries also faces some challenges, such as:
Therefore, recycling electric car batteries is promising. However, it still needs to fully develop a solution for managing the end-of-life of EVs.
If the longevity of EV batteries is on your mind, maybe subscribing to an electric can make running one a bit easier for you.
This is a common query for new EV enthusiasts, and it's easy to understand if you think of your EV battery not as one big battery but as a circuit of smaller batteries housed in one case under your EV (like the AA batteries you put in your gadgets at home).
When your EV goes into the garage for its annual service, the mechanic will perform a test on the batteries to see which are healthy and which may need some extra attention. Any defective or underperforming battery cells can be removed and replaced.
New electric car batteries are generally covered by warranties lasting approximately eight years or up to 100,000 miles. This is a considerably longer warranty period than what is typically offered for other car components, indicating the battery's high level of reliability.
Typically, these warranties ensure a minimum of 70% battery capacity and range at the end of the coverage period. Below, we have compiled a list of some of the most popular manufacturer warranties for new electric cars, accurate at the time of writing.
Some of the above warranties may depend on the exact model and specification. But as you can see, drivers are covered for a long time!
Our editor wanted to find comments from real people on this topic, and we found the following after we scoured a few social media websites:
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