5 Jan 2023

How long will an Electric Vehicle battery last?

Knowing the lifespan of your Electrical Vehicle battery may help you make an informed decision when deciding to purchase a new or used EV. Generally EV batteries are expected to last between 10 to 20 years, although there are certain factors that may negatively affect the lifespan and also reduce the performance of the battery. Industry estimates on average report the life of an EV battery to be approx. 320,000kms, therefore a car that travels approx. 20,000 per year should get a lifespan of about 16 years. Battery manufacturers continue to develop the EV battery to increase both its range and lifespan.

How long does a used EV battery last?

The lifespan of an EV battery depends on several factors, such as how many charge/discharge cycles it has undergone, age, and how it was cared for in the first place. Since each and every battery is unique, it’s almost impossible to give a universal answer here. For the sake of argument, though, let’s say that an EV battery that has been driven 4,000 cycles and has been recently discharged will last for about 400 charge cycles before becoming unusable. That being said, it’s important to note that your car battery will last a lot longer if you don’t use it a lot. An EV battery in a car sitting in the parking lot will drain roughly 1% of its capacity every day. This is not just true for batteries in cars but in any battery that is sitting idle. If you have a power tool that is kept in a toolbox, it will lose roughly a percentage point of its power every month. So if you have a drill that is kept in a toolbox 95% of the time, it will lose 5% of its power every month.

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What is the warranty on an Electric Vehicle battery?

In general, the industry standard for an EV battery warranty is 8 years or 160,000kms whichever comes first. Most manufacturers will expect the minimum amount of battery capacity to be at least 70% to be retained within the warranty period.

What is the cost of replacing an Electrical Vehicle battery?

The cost to replace an EV battery can depend on the vehicles make & model and also the capacity of the battery required for each specific vehicle. A 40kWh Electrical Vehicle battery pack on average will cost approx. $8,000.00, vehicles with a larger electric motor may cost anywhere up to $20,000.00.

Factors That Affect Battery Life

There are 3 main factors affecting the lifespan of EV batteries. The first is temperature, within general the batteries in warmer climates may have a shorter lifespan than a battery that operates in a cooler climate. The other 2 factors are vehicle care and usage and also the weight of the EV, with heavy weights affecting the mileage and battery lifespan.

Final Words

So, you may ask yourself what is the benefit of an electric vehicle? Well firstly they are energy efficient and reduce emissions therefore making them better for the environment. They also offer better performance and do not require as much maintenance as a petrol powered vehicle.