The Truth About Tesla Battery Degradation – and Other EVs
Josh Charles・22 minutes read
Understanding key factors affecting battery life in electric vehicles is crucial for prospective buyers, as battery replacement costs can be high and significantly impact the overall value of the vehicle. Factors such as temperature, depth of discharge, and charging rates play a significant role in battery degradation, with proper management and thermal control systems contributing to better long-term battery health and performance, as demonstrated by real-world data on Tesla and Nissan Leaf batteries.
Insights
- Battery replacement costs in electric cars can be a significant portion of the vehicle's value, with some models requiring over two-thirds of the car's price for a new battery, highlighting the importance of understanding battery longevity when considering purchasing a used electric vehicle.
- Proper battery management, including factors like temperature control, depth of discharge, and charging rates, significantly impacts battery degradation in electric cars, with real-world data showcasing that active thermal management systems, like those in Tesla vehicles, can lead to better battery longevity compared to vehicles lacking such systems, like the Nissan Leaf.
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Recent questions
How do lithium-ion batteries work?
Lithium-ion batteries have a cathode and anode made of different materials, allowing for electron flow to power electric motors.
What factors affect battery degradation in electric cars?
Battery degradation in electric cars is influenced by charging cycles, time, temperature, and depth of discharge, impacting capacity and performance.
How do high temperatures impact electric car batteries?
High temperatures can lead to capacity loss in electric car batteries, even when not in use, affecting battery longevity and performance.
What is the relationship between depth of discharge and battery performance?
Partial cycles with a depth of discharge between 75% and 65% show the best battery performance over cycles, improving longevity.
How do fast charging rates affect battery life in electric vehicles?
Fast charging rates can potentially lead to lithium plating and damage to the battery's SEI layer, but proper cooling during fast charging can mitigate degradation, impacting battery longevity.
Related videos
Summary
00:00
"Electric Vehicle Battery Aging and Replacement Costs"
- The speaker drives a 2002 Subaru WRX with 300,000 miles and is interested in how an EV will age.
- The battery is a crucial component in electric cars, with high replacement costs.
- The battery cost in new Tesla Model 3's and Model Y's is estimated to be 21-24% of the car's base price.
- First-generation Nissan Leafs have a median price of $8000, but a battery replacement costs $5,500, over 68% of the car's value.
- Understanding battery life is vital when purchasing a used electric vehicle.
- The video will cover how lithium-ion batteries work, factors causing degradation, and real-world data on popular EVs.
- An electric motor is powered by a flow of negatively charged electrons, similar to a water wheel.
- Different materials have varying electrical potentials, leading to electron flow in batteries.
- Lithium Cobalt Oxide batteries have a cathode made of Lithium Cobalt Oxide and an anode made of graphite.
- Battery aging mechanisms include cyclic aging from charging cycles and calendar aging from time, affecting battery capacity and performance.
14:25
Factors Affecting Electric Car Battery Degradation
- Battery degradation in electric cars is significantly influenced by how the battery is operated and stored, with temperature being a crucial factor.
- High temperatures can lead to capacity loss in batteries, even when not in active use, posing a challenge for electric cars parked in sunny locations.
- Cold weather can also impact battery capacity temporarily, especially during charging, where charging a cold battery can cause irreversible damage.
- The relationship between high temperatures and capacity loss is well-documented, with higher temperatures leading to more significant capacity loss over cycles.
- Partial cycles, where the battery is not fully discharged, result in less degradation compared to full cycles, with the depth of discharge playing a key role in battery performance.
- Manufacturers of electric vehicles restrict access to the full battery capacity to improve battery longevity, with depth of discharge between 75% and 65% showing the best performance over cycles.
- Fast charging rates can impact battery life, potentially leading to lithium plating and damage to the battery's SEI layer, although proper cooling during fast charging can mitigate degradation.
- Real-world data from long-term electric vehicle use shows that Tesla batteries with active liquid thermal management outperform Nissan Leaf batteries, which lack active thermal management, with Tesla batteries maintaining over 90% of their original capacity after 6 to 8 years.
