- A examine discovered the common EV battery degrades 1.8% per yr
- Which means EV batteries might final over 20 years, or longer than the EV itself
- New strategies are being discovered to cut back degradation even additional
Battery degradation is usually a concern for potential electrical car homeowners, however new knowledge signifies most batteries will outlast the EVs they’re put in in.
The info comes from the “Taking Cost” report launched earlier this yr by Geotab, an organization that sells telematics programs and companies, primarily to fleet corporations. Geotab stated it primarily based its findings on knowledge from 10,000 EVs working in North America and Europe.
Evaluation of that knowledge confirmed common battery degradation of 1.8% per yr, in accordance with Geotab, which famous that batteries might final 20 years or extra at that charge. Some automobiles carried out even higher, with estimated battery degradation of lower than 1% per yr.
Noticed EV battery degradation (from 2024 Geotab
Each numbers are enhancements from only a few years in the past. In 2019, Geotab noticed common annual battery degradation charge of two.3% from its pattern, though that decreased to 1.6% underneath preferrred local weather situations and charging patterns.
The report underscores that increased EV use doesn’t suggest increased degradation, however extra fast-charging may. Geotab famous a correlation between higher DC fast-charging use and faster-than-average battery degradation—particularly for automobiles in hotter climates. House owners are sometimes cautioned about frequent quick charging for that reason, though 2023 evaluation by battery-data agency Recurrent confirmed Teslas carried out higher on this regard.
Equally, earlier evaluation from Recurrent confirmed that EV batteries degrade sooner in sizzling climate, however homeowners can take steps to forestall that, akin to parking in a storage or within the shade, in addition to leaving the battery half charged in sizzling climate. Any degradation from sizzling climate can also be unlikely to depart folks caught in EVs.
Chevrolet EVs at a Tesla Supercharger station
It is also doable that battery degradation may very well be decreased even additional with totally different practices. One examine discovered that preliminary high-power charging on the manufacturing unit might considerably prolong EV battery life.
The sluggish charge of battery degradation noticed in EVs already on the highway ought to give fleet managers extra confidence in electrification, Geotab says. In its report, the corporate estimates that 75% of sunshine industrial automobiles may very well be changed by comparable EVs right this moment, and an EV might present price financial savings of $15,900 per car over its life.