If you’re like many folks eyeing an electric car, you’ve probably heard the whispers. The biggest one? That the expensive battery will die young, leaving you with a massive replacement bill. It’s a common worry, making people hesitant to jump into the EV world. But what if those worries are mostly hot air? A new study suggests electric car batteries can easily last 20 years, maybe even longer.
This isn’t just guesswork. Geotab, a company known for connected transport solutions, dug deep into the data. They looked at nearly 5,000 electric cars, both commercial and personal, gathering information over a whopping 1.5 million days. Their findings, which came out in September 2024, painted a much rosier picture than many might expect.
It turns out that electric car batteries lose very little of their power each year. On average, they degrade by just 1.8% annually. That’s even better than the 2.3% rate Geotab found when they last checked in 2019. To put it simply, these batteries tend to hold up better over time than the parts of a traditional gas engine.
David Savage, who heads up Geotab for the UK and Ireland, believes this is a game-changer. He says newer electric car batteries will easily last longer than the car itself. This means drivers likely won’t ever need to replace them. “People still use battery reliability to criticize electric cars,” Savage noted. “We hope our data can finally clear up those myths.”
He added that a small 1.8% drop in battery health won’t even matter for most daily driving needs. And with new EV models and improved battery tech, that number will likely get even lower. Savage feels confident that many electric cars today are smart and affordable choices to replace all kinds of gas vehicles.
Understanding Battery Aging
So, what exactly is “battery degradation”? Geotab explains it simply: It’s a normal process where a battery slowly loses its ability to store or deliver energy. For electric cars, losing “power” isn’t usually an issue. Batteries can often deliver more power than the car’s motor can use. So, we really just care about how much energy the battery can hold.
Think of it like this: A battery’s condition is called its “State of Health,” or SOH. A new battery starts at 100% SOH. As time goes on, this percentage drops. For example, a 60 kWh battery with a 90% SOH acts like a 54 kWh battery. It just won’t go quite as far on a full charge.
Some EV models performed even better in Geotab’s study, showing only a 1.0% battery degradation rate. A few things can make some car models age faster than others:
- The specific type of chemicals inside the battery cells.
- How well the battery pack manages its temperature.
Why Batteries Vary
Most electric cars use lithium-ion batteries. But there are different types of lithium-ion chemistries. These variations affect how the battery handles stress from charging and discharging.
Also, how car makers cool or heat their battery packs can make a big difference. Some use air to control temperature, while others use liquid. This thermal management plays a huge role in how long a battery lasts.
Here’s a fun fact from Geotab’s study that might surprise you: Electric cars that get driven a lot, even those used heavily for work, didn’t show significantly more battery degradation. That means using your EV frequently won’t necessarily wear out its battery faster. This is great news for busy drivers and businesses.