“We see variations across vehicles and models,” continues Arg. There are other factors as well. “There is no need to be afraid of using EVs, as so far we have not seen a significant impact on deterioration rates due to long driving distances.” This finding is consistent with the P3 study.
“However, we have seen a correlation with the frequency of DC fast charging,” warns Argue. “The rate of deterioration increased visibly in cars that were rapidly charged frequently.”
Hot weather is also a factor that affects durability. “The worst-case scenario was three times higher if you frequently used fast charging in hot climates and drove certain models,” Arg says. This means that you lose 5.4% of your battery capacity per year. However, “the best ones deteriorated by an average of 1% per year. This is definitely a positive trend that we are seeing.”
“When the electric vehicle market started, there was great concern about factors that could lead to increased battery degradation,” says Neil Cawse, CEO of Geotab. “For example, fully discharging, charging in cold and warm weather, and using fast and slow charging. But battery technology has improved significantly, especially around management systems, and for example when it’s cold… Lithium-ion batteries now charge properly.
This superior battery performance may provide a longer warranty for higher remaining capacity. Toyota already offers a 10-year warranty on EV batteries, and MG is experimenting with it. lifetime warranty In Thailand. “They typically still come with warranties that promise 70% health over eight years, but you see much less degradation with these batteries,” Wallace says.
Your EV may still be useful 20 years from now
However, previous research was based on how the car’s system reports battery health. “I would take all of these values with a little bit of a grain of salt,” Wallace says. “The health status reported on the dashboard that customers see is often significantly different from their actual health status. actual Your health is determined by your battery. ” According to the report Published by Elysia In 2023, actual health conditions could differ by up to 9% from what is reported.
Another issue is the buffer that manufacturers leave in batteries, or the difference between net capacity and gross capacity (in kWh). “OEMs are oversizing these batteries,” Wallace said. However, as Argue explains: “What we know from battery science is that when a battery is completely full or completely empty for an extended period of time, it creates more stress, so you need some kind of safety buffer. will be protected from deterioration.”
Wallace believes this buffer is too conservative given the low degradation seen in EV batteries. “We don’t need a lot of excess capacity,” he says. “The smaller the buffer, the smaller the battery, which lowers the cost of EVs.” The problem is that many traditional automakers don’t yet have the data they need about their batteries to take this step. Mr. Wallace thinks so.
Still, if the batteries continue to last as the P3 and Geotab studies suggest, EVs may be in better shape than internal combustion engine vehicles of the same mileage and model year. The rest of the EV also has lower running costs. “Maintenance costs are much lower,” says Kawes. “Just maintain the brake pads and replace the wipers. That’s it.”
An EV from 10 years ago is almost like new, and an EV from 20 years ago is still very usable. This could be yet another disruption for the auto industry, which relies on most of the cars ending up in junkyards in 15 years.
