How Far Do Electric Cars Go On Average
The median range of electric vehicles has been steadily increasing over the past decade. In 2011, there were just three different models of all-electric vehicles on the market and their ranges on a full charge spanned from 100km to 150 km . Today, that number is much higher and sits around 326 km per charge.
The Main Thing That Matters Is Battery Health
Electric cars have far fewer moving components than gas powered cars. This means that electric cars generally last far longer. EVs can easily stay on the road for 300k-500k miles. But while the car can last a very long time, the cars battery is going to take a big hit over it’s lifetime.
While a new Tesla Model 3 can drive over 300 miles on a single charge, it’s battery could lose a great deal of it’s range over a few years. Most EVs have a warranty that covers some percentage of battery loss over 8 years. In general electric cars tend to lose about 20 to 30 percent of their range after 10 years.
The problem is that mileage doesn’t really give us a good picture of battery health. The main culprit to battery degradation is heat. EVs driven in warmer climates will have their batteries degrade faster, so if you do live somewhere hot pay attention to this.
Fast charging can also negatively impact battery health. So even if you live up north be sure to check the range on the battery.
If you’re thinking of buying an older EV used be sure to ask questions about the range. Some older EVs have poor battery management systems that can lead to inaccurate range estimates. This can sometimes lead to the battery quickly losing range once it starts discharging poorly performing battery modules.
Is There A Reduction In Electric Car Mileage
Any item will experience a decrease in performance or quality as it is used. Now the question is, is the mileage of an electric car also experiencing the same thing? Is the longer it is used, the distance will be shortened?
The answer is yes. But worry not, because the decline does not occur quickly. To find this out you will look at the battery cycle. It is estimated that batteries in electric vehicles reach their end after 10 to 20 years of use, until the vehicle needs to be replaced with a new one.
The battery capacity of electric cars will gradually decrease with a small reduction every year. If you look at most electric vehicles today, the decline in battery capacity that occurs is 2.3% per year.
As an illustration, you buy a new electric car and the mileage of the electric car is 240 km when you first buy it. Then you use the vehicle for 5 years, if the reduction is 2.3% per year then the distance traveled will decrease by 27 km to 213 km.
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How Does Ev Battery Longevity Compare To Ice Vehicles
Both of the mandated warranty numbers for EV batteries far exceed the average ICE vehicle drivetrain warranty of 5 years or 60,000 miles. The average lifetime mileage of an ICE vehicle is about 133,000 miles. While experts estimate the average EV battery will last around 200,000 miles, some manufacturers already promise much more than that.
And the news gets better: Tesla has their sights set on a million-mile battery, and claims that they are not far from achieving this goal. On average, EV batteries only degrade at a rate of 2.3% of maximum capacity per year, so with proper care you can reliably expect your EV battery to last as long or longer than ICE drivetrain components.
What Is The Life Expectancy Of An Electric Car
As we have said, life expectancy for vehicles is always stated in mileage by car manufacturers. But, if you are not that clued-up on cars, then you might struggle to convert this mileage into a figure that you really understand. So, what is the life expectancy of electric cars in years?
The exact number of years that your vehicle will last depends on the amount of miles that you drive on average. According to studies, the average mileage for electric vehicles in the USA is around 7,000 miles per year.
This is significantly lower than the average mileage of 10,000 miles a year in gas vehicles. So, if you are moving from a gas vehicle to an electric vehicle, it is important to recognize that you could end up driving more miles than the average for electric vehicles.
If you were to drive 7,000 miles a year, then an electric vehicle would last for around 14 years. But, most people will drive more than 7,000 miles a year.
Even if your average mileage is 7,000 miles a year, there will be years when you will exceed this mileage, so you shouldnt expect your electric vehicle to last for 14 years. In fact, most electric vehicles will last for around 8 years with their original battery.
This doesnt mean that your electric vehicle will stop working after 8 years. It simply means that you might have to have your battery changed after this time. Electric vehicles will degrade much more rapidly than gas vehicles because they are powered by batteries.
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Why Is There Such A Difference In Car Battery Price From Dealer To Dealer
Without a doubt, anybody who has owned a car will understand the important role their car battery plays. Yet, as with so many of the components housed under the bonnet, it wont last forever.
Your new car battery cost can vary by extreme amounts from dealership to dealership, and youll find just as much variation throughout independent garages and retailers.
So, I can already hear you asking: why is that?
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How Long Does An Electric Car Battery Last
As electric cars and other electric vehicles become more popular, many consumers hoping to make the switch want to know: How long does an EV battery last? While battery life span varies by manufacturer and age, in general you can expect new batteries to rival and often exceed the longevity of drivetrain components on internal combustion engine Vehicles.
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How Long Do Electric Car Batteries Last
The biggest question hanging over electric cars is how long the battery will last. Its no secret that an EVs battery health diminishes over time, and it can decline even more quickly in extreme temperatures or if DC fast chargers are used too frequently.
Most EV manufacturers claim that the battery will last as long as the life of the car, even with reduced capacity taken into account.
As the U.S. Department of Energy explains, lithium-ion batteries have a limited number of charging cycles, but its more common for batteries to be replaced due to a crash or a malfunction than because of reduced battery capacity.
Tesla claims that its battery capacity drops by only 20% after 200,000 miles, while Nissan claims that the Nissan LEAF battery can last for up to 22 years.
Some automakers are working on batteries that can last for a million miles or more, and could be used in multiple cars over the course of its lifespan.
How Many Years Does The Battery Last
Your individual driving habits will affect the lifespan of an EVs battery, but most manufacturers cover their battery packs for at least eight years, and anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 miles. Tesla and Hyundai cover their EV batteries for life. Read the fine print here, thoughsome manufacturers will only replace the battery in the event of complete failure, which is exceedingly rare.
So how long can you drive an EV before the battery starts to lose charge capacity? It varies by manufacturer and use conditions, but its usually a very gradual process. EV advocacy group Plug In America collects data from EV drivers on changes in charge capacity over time and found that Tesla Model S vehicles usually only lose around 5% of their total charge capacity after the first 50,000 miles of driving.
The bottom line? MyEV says that, when properly cared for, an EVs battery should get you well past the 100,000-mile mark before its capacity is limited. Some estimates range as high as 200,000 miles. When driven around 12,000 miles per year, thats around 17 years before the battery needs to be replaced. Thats somewhat less than the average mileage of 15,000 per year logged by drivers in North America but still promising.
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Conversely, steps like only charging the battery when necessary and staying between 20-80% capacity will help extend the life of an EVs battery pack, according to EVBox.
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Myth Busted: Neither Evs Nor Gasoline Cars Are Infallible
Since the first automobile went from production to daily driver to a cube at the junkyard, car and truck lifespan has been increasing. Notwithstanding a few outliers, such as Irv Gordons 3.2-million-mile 1966 Volvo P1800S and Matt Farahs million-mile 1996 Lexus LS400, the increasing life of the typical car is encouraging. In 1977, the average American car was just 5.5 years old. By 1995, it was 8.4 years, and in 2020, the average reached 11.9 years.
That says a lot about todays typical driver expectations and the technical advances implemented to meet them: People want cars that last. EV or gasoline-powered, they expect any car they buy today to be safe, efficient, and reliable years down the road.
Still, where and how any vehicle is driven and maintained has a significant impact on lifespan, regardless of how well an auto might be built. Harsh driving, overloading, corrosion, and neglect will destroy any vehicle before its prime, but well-maintained vehicles are no longer considered worn-out until theyve reached at least 150,000 miles.
No vehicle is infallible but there are some things that tend to give EVs a better shot at a longer lifespan.
What Happens To Old Ev Batteries
EV manufacturers are working on ways to both repurpose and recycle old batteries once theyve died or lost the capacity to power a vehicle. Completely dead batteries are usually recycled by being separated into their component metals, which are then used to rebuild new batteries. Only about half of a batterys components can be recycled as of this writing, but new methods are being developed to glean more valuable metals from an EVs battery at the end of its life.
Batteries with some capacity left can be repurposed to provide power in other ways. As backup batteries for homes, for example, or used to store energy from solar panels.
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What Happens To Old Electric Car Batteries
15th July 2022 – Journey to net zero
While electric vehicles are recognised as reducing carbon emissions especially when powered by renewable energy we still get lots of questions about the life of electric car batteries and whether they will end up in landfill, potentially knocking electric cars green credentials. Here we answer those concerns.
Electric vehicles arent the future any more, theyre the present.
The transition to EVs has been accelerated on both sides of the Atlantic, with a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 20301, and a goal set for half of all new vehicle sales in the US to be electric by 20302.
‘Range anxiety’ has been recognised as a concern for potential EV drivers, with £950m of UK government funding now earmarked for rapid charging at service stations and £1.3bn for EV charging infrastructure, including homes and streets.
Similarly, the US has declared that there will be 500,000 EV charging stations nationwide by 2030. The White House has introduced a plan to distribute $5 billion to states across the nation3, which should help to eliminate range anxiety amongst drivers.
That leaves one remaining issue for would-be electric car buyers what happens to electric car batteries at the end of their working life?
Its The Vehicles Most Critical And Expensive Component Fortunately It Should Be Able To Go The Distance
In many ways an electric car is mechanically simpler than a conventionally powered vehicle. There are far less moving parts in an electric motor than a gasoline engine, an electric car uses only a single-speed transmission, and EVs avoid over two-dozen common automotive components that will eventually fail and need replacing.
Yet one area of concern that keeps coming up in consumer surveys regards an electric cars battery life. In a recent study conducted by Cox Automotive, 46 percent of those considering an electric car fear the battery pack would only last for 65,000 miles or less. To be sure, replacing an electric vehicles battery is an expensive proposition. For example, a new battery pack for a Chevrolet Bolt EV is reportedly priced well in excess of $15,000, and thats not including the cost of labor.
However, while an electric cars battery pack will eventually lose its ability to hold a full charge, rest assured that its not likely to fail altogether, but rather lose its capacity gradually over time. At that, weve yet to see reports of older battery-driven vehicles headed to the junkyard because their power cells were depleted. Nissan reports having to swap out only a relative handful of batteries in its Leaf EV, despite selling many thousands of units over the last eight years in production.
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Your Power Source For Charging
Start with your home power source to get a sense of how long it will take to charge your car. A Level 1 power outlet charges at the least amount of power, while Level 2 chargers can plug into outlets like the ones dryers use and charge at twice the power.
Unlike Level 1 chargers, however, youll need an electrician and a compatible circuit to install a Level 2 charger at home. Companies like California-based startup Splitvolt have also developed splitters that let EV drivers use a standard household garage outlet without unique installations.
Level 3 chargers use a high-voltage direct current that goes straight to the cars battery. However, these chargers arent compatible with every electric vehicle.
Also, they are both expensive and hard to find beyond public spaces like malls and parking garages. Automakers like Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Tesla offer Level 3 charging systems for their vehicles.
At the same time, third-party manufacturers like Electrify America and SparkCharge have also produced DCFCs for cars that can use them. Beyond that, many drivers who cant use DCFCs opt for the combined charging system . CCS supercharges its power sources by conjoining Level 1 and Level 2 chargers.
Are Evs More Expensive Than Ice Cars To Maintain
First of all, you should understand that electric vehicles are cheaper to charge if you do it at home, not on a paid charging station. This will save you up some money which you then can spend on maintaining your EV.
And we should also say that the average yearly maintenance cost doesn’t differ much for an electric vehicle and the same-class ICE car.
Here are two examples:
- A Tesla Model 3 will cost you about $150 a year in the first three years. Then, the insurance, price depreciation, and some other things will be quite the same as in a gasoline car. The charging will cost you about $500 a year if you charge your car at home.
- A Mazda 3 will cost you about $250 a year to maintain in the first three years. Also, you will spend at least $1500 a year on gasoline which is three times more expensive than charging a Tesla car.
Now you see that maintaining a new Tesla is three times cheaper than maintaining a new gasoline-powered Mazda 3, for example.
In some years, the situation will change and your Tesla will need as much money as the Mazda. But the Tesla will also show greater longevity, so financially the EV will be a more rational decision.
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How To Prolong The Life Of Your Electric Vehicle Battery
Just like there are preventative maintenance measures to extend the life of your gasoline vehicle, there are EV charging measures you can take to prolong your EVs battery life.
1. Avoid parking in extreme temperatures
Lithium batteries have thermal management systems that will heat or cool themselves, which in turn uses energy and drains EV battery packs. Try to park in the shade if possible on hot days and inside in extreme cold temperatures to assist battery longevity.
2. Dont Charge Your Car Too Much or Too Little
Modern electric cars are equipped with management systems that avoid charging and discharging at the maximum and minimum charging levels. You should avoid charging your vehicle above 80 percent or below 20 percent to extend EV battery life.
3. Minimize Use of Fast Charging Stations
DC fast charging stations can bring your battery level up to 80 percent in as little as 30 minutes. With this convenience comes a strain on your EV battery. For optimal battery life, you should limit how often you plug in to these fast charging stations for occasional scenarios, like road trips.
4. Maintain Optimal State of Charge While Vehicle is Stored
If you are planning on storing your vehicle for a long time, make sure that your battery does not have an empty or full charge. With a timed charger, you can set it to maintain the charging level between 25 and 75 percent.
How Do I Replace The Battery In My Car
How to Take Out a Car Battery Remove the battery from its tray and set aside the clamps and fasteners. Replace a vehicle battery while wearing work gloves. A battery terminal puller may be used if the battery is difficult to remove. When replacing a vehicle battery, use a bowl or a magnetic plate to catch all the stray components.
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