Electric cars have come to stay. Driven by the need to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality. Why don’t we bet on them? They are more expensive, to start. Loading them takes more time to fill a fuel tank. And people fear that they don’t last so long, especially batteries. But be careful that a study published in Nature Energy ensures that electric cars last as much as internal combustion
After analyzing a huge amount of data, almost 300 million Mot test records (The equivalent of the ITV in Spain, but in the United Kingdom) between 2005 and 2022, the researchers evaluated the state of health »of vehicles on British roads, comparing the survival rates of different types of propulsion and predicting their longevity.
The data, at a glance
The results are revealing:
- Electric cars can travel an average of 124,000 miles (199,500 km) throughout its useful life. They overcome gasoline cars from the same generation.
- His half life is 18.4 yearsvery close to 18.7 years of gasoline cars … and above the 16.8 years of diesel.
- The Failure rate Of the BEV has decreased by 12% per year, compared to 6.7% of gasoline vehicles and 1.9% of diesel.
Although the first electric cars were less reliable, technological advances have allowed the most recent models not only to match, but in some aspects they exceed internal combustion in terms of durability.
Why does longevity matter?
The longevity of vehicles is a key factor to evaluate their environmental and economic impact. Produce an electric car is more expensive in terms of resources: it requires six times more critical minerals that a combustion car and has a 50% more environmental impact during its manufacture. However, these initial costs are compensated if the vehicle has a long useful life and feeds on electricity generated from renewable sources.
The study indicates that electric cars have lower maintenance costs: $ 0.06 per mile facing $ 0.10 per mile of combustion vehicles, according to the Argonne National Laboratory. In addition to government incentives (in the form of purchase aid or tax exemptions), it makes electric cars an increasingly attractive option in the long term, according to researchers.
Factors that influence the durability of a car
The study identified several factors that affect the longevity of vehicles:
- Intensive use: The more a car is used, the lower its longevity. Eye, the electric ones have proven to be more resistant to intensive use than internal combustion cars.
- Technology: Electric cars have experienced technological improvements faster than traditional ones, which explains their greatest reliability in recent models.
- Brand: Some brands stand out for their reliability. The study indicates Tesla as leader of electric cars, while Skoda and Audi They do it in diesel and gasoline, respectively.
- Location and climate: Driving conditions and climate influence longevity.
Challenges for the future of electric cars
Although these results are promising, the study warns of some challenges:
- Batteries: The longevity of lithium -ion batteries remains an unknown. Although some manufacturers, such as Tesla and Nissanthey affirm that their batteries are designed to last more than the vehicle … but the cost of replacing them (between 4,000 and 10,000 euros) still deter some owners.
- Infrastructure: The lack of an adequate load network and the high repair costs are slowing down the adoption of electric cars.
- Government policies: Drawing programs and tax incentives could alter vehicle withdrawal patterns.
The study concludes that electric cars have reached a turning point in terms of reliability and longevity. Although there are still challenges to overcome, such as the management of batteries at the end of their useful life and the improvement of the load infrastructure, technological advances and support policies are raising the way to a more sustainable future.
“Electric cars not only offer environmental benefits, but they are also demonstrating to be a viable and lasting option for drivers,” he explains Robert ElliottCo -author of the study and professor of economy at the University of Birmingham. “We are at a time when electric cars could overcome combustion in all aspects.”
