One of the biggest concerns when buying an electric car It’s your battery. As with mobile phones, these components are the key to operation and are used more intensively than other parts. In the end there are many charge and discharge cycles so that the vehicle can be in motion for years. Not to mention that it is, without a doubt, the most expensive part… A study has recently been done to verify how batteries degrade of electrics and debunk some myths.
Battery life of an electric car
It is the eternal debate in a vehicle with this category. This is what worries the customer the most, since a battery with marked wear will offer a autonomy less than expected and their capabilities will be lower. Currently, manufacturers are offering higher warranties on batteries than on the cars themselves. If they are not in good condition, they will cover them for at least eight years and 160,000 kilometersalthough some even offer a decade. The study claims that it may even last longer…
The people of Geotab has spent several years studying the wear and tear of more than 10,000 electric cars and has reached several interesting conclusions. The first thing is that the Current batteries have better endurance than those of a long time ago. Technology has evolved and they present, on average, an annual wear of 1.8%. That is less than the 2.3% they had previously recorded and means that could last 20 years or more with that rate of degradation. This is a key piece of information that could make many users take the step.
It justifies the reduction of CO2 emissions and also pushes companies to electrify their fleets. According to this data, the cost savings of an electric vehicle throughout its useful life could be around $15,900 with respect to a combustion model. Also focused on businesses, it is estimated that 75% of light commercial vehicles could be replaced by comparable electric vehicles.
What is the degradation of an electric battery?
As with most components, electric car batteries experience a natural process which reduces the amount of energy they can store or the power they can deliver. In electric vehicles, the loss of capacity is much more pronounced, which is what affects autonomy. Your health status It is measured in percentagemeaning that at 100% it is at maximum capacity.
Degradation can be due to many factors and can be non-linear, although over time has proven to be quite linear in electric cars. Using the data from the Geotab study, it is calculated that a battery would maintain more than 80% capacity after 12 years of use. Therefore, it is feasible for this component to last the entire useful life of the vehicle.
Why do electric car batteries degrade?
There is several factors that influence battery degradation:
- Age you have
- Temperatures to which they are subjected: batteries last less in places with very hot climates
- State of charge: charging a fully discharged battery is not the same as charging another with half a charge, as is filling it to the maximum or leaving it at 80%. It is better not to charge it completely and not let it run out.
- Alternating current vs direct current charges: fast direct current charges degrade the battery more than lower power alternating current charges.
- Total load cycles: it is not a differential factor, since it has been discovered that there are very few differences between cars with moderate use and others with intensive use.
- Type of battery chemistry: traditional lithium batteries do not last the same as LFP, NMC or sodium batteries, each one has particular characteristics
- System components and thermal management: A well-liquid-cooled battery degrades less than one that is air-cooled.
