Electric car batteries
The diffusion of electric cars on the market is still slowed down by various limits of technology and the feeling that the mileage ranges offered by these cars are not sufficient to meet the needs of the average driver, but there are still those who worries about long-term battery life; according to a recent study published by Recurrent Auto, most of the electric cars circulating today still use the original battery pack, even the older ones!
The Recurrent Auto study involved 15,000 electric cars: of these, made excluding those that have been involved in a recall campaign, only 1.5% have needed a complete battery pack replacement. In particular, the research refers to two models that have had various technical problems, such as the Chevrolet Bolt and the Hyundai Kona EV, both recalled due to a problem with the battery supplied by LG.
Furthermore, it report several examples of Tesla Model S produced between 2013 and 2015, and Nissan Lea f produced between 2011 and 2012.
-->
Federicovecchio.com On the other hand, models such as Tesla Model Y, Model 3, Model X and Audi e-tron have seen a very low percentage of interventions on the batteries, even if it must be emphasized that some models, such as the Model X, have only been on the market for a few years. However, the same cannot be said of the Model 3, which arrived on the market in 2017 and is capable of spreading at a truly frenetic pace.
--> To date, replacing an entire battery pack can cost between $5,000 and $20,000, according to Recurrent Auto, so it's no surprise that the market is hesitant: automakers are actually offering warranties longer and longer on the batteries they sell, sufficient to cover at least 8 years or 100,000 km travelled. Furthermore, in the event of an obvious and full-blown problem, the manufacturer itself will organize the recall campaign, at no cost to the owner.
Finally, there is the aspect of battery degradation, which you mentioned Liz Najman, researcher in the sector:
“Anyone who thinks of buying a used electric car is certainly concerned about the state of the battery, which could degrade rapidly as happens with the battery of a smartphone. In reality, this is a wrong comparison, since electric car batteries use much more complex and delicate management technologies to better regulate charging and internal temperature. The research shows us that the batteries are holding out longer than expected, well beyond the 100,000km mark.”