The battery is the most important and expensive part of an electric car. It is the battery that powers the car and determines its range. The lifespan of a battery electric car is about 8 to 10 years, but this can vary depending on use and conditions.
Therefore, it is of course logical that as an EV owner you want to know: how long will the battery last? Does an EV's battery need to be replaced periodically? What guarantees does the manufacturer give? And can batteries be repaired? On this page tips and information.
How long does an electric car battery last?
In general, you can expect a long service life. Confidence in expensive batteries and manufacturer reliability is necessary for the acceptance and sale of electric cars. After all, customers know from electronic devices such as mobile phones or laptops that batteries lose performance over time and intensity of use (degradation) and need to be replaced.
The good news is that electric cars, unlike lithium-ion batteries, have intelligent battery management. This measures the temperature and voltage of each individual cell in the battery. This ensures that they do not overheat or get too cold and thus lose performance. The aim is always to protect the cell chemistry in the battery.
The systems seem to prove themselves: several endurance tests show that the first electric cars on the market can actually achieve acceptable battery life. Example BMW i3, 2014 model year: after five years and 100,000 kilometres, the battery's energy capacity was still 86 per cent. Several specialists and test organisations cautiously assume that the capacity reduction to 70 per cent will only occur after about 200,000 kilometres.
As a result of continued development to date, manufacturers - with a few exceptions - have agreed on a battery warranty of eight years and 160,000 kilometres. Lexus even gives the new UX300e 10 years and 1 million kilometres - a promise that sets new standards.
Battery electric car warranty
Unlike legal liability for material defects during the first two years, the warranty is a contractual agreement between the manufacturer and the buyer. But can you rely on the manufacturer's warranty promises? What does the small print say?
Important to know: Manufacturers always only guarantee a minimum percentage of usable battery capacity within a certain period of use. For almost all electric models, manufacturers set this lower limit at 70 per cent after eight years of use or 160,000 kilometres. For example, if a battery no longer reaches this 70 per cent capacity after six years of use after a full charge, a warranty case can be filed. If the manufacturer accepts the warranty claim, it will replace individual battery modules or replace the entire battery at its own expense.
Rules of use must be followed
Most car owners are less aware that they need to know and follow the usage rules in their electric car's user manual and warranty conditions. Otherwise, there is a risk of losing any claims. Essentially, the conditions and rules mean that the electric car should be serviced on time and according to the manufacturer's instructions.
In addition, there are additional grounds for exclusion with regard to a warranty: for example, faulty work, incompetent repair or retrofitting in the car. This includes tow bars if no trailer load is entered on the registration certificate ex-factory.
Manufacturer's instructions to charge the battery with high charging power as little as possible or not to always fully charge the battery should be understood more as a recommendation for longer battery life. Not following these recommendations does not automatically lead to exclusion from the warranty, according to the manufacturer. So read the manual and conditions carefully.
Deep discharge can compromise warranty
More problematic is the deep discharge of the battery due to longer life, even though manufacturers do not address this problem uniformly. For some manufacturers like Nissan and BMW, deep discharge is a clear reason for warranty exclusion. Other manufacturers look at these situations on a case-by-case basis, and yet others - especially the VW group - say deep discharge is excluded from the design of their vehicles.
In normal daily life, deep discharge should really hardly play a role. However, this can become relevant if you go on holiday for several weeks or if an EV is stationary for a long time. For buyers of used cars, it is therefore wise to ask how long the vehicle has been stationary and you can ask the seller for a contractual guarantee that the vehicle has not been deeply discharged and has been charged regularly.
Software updates are usually mandatory
Problems can also arise if a manufacturer's software update has been missed. If a software update is announced as a result of a recall or as a service measure, it should be considered mandatory. Non-compliance could adversely affect a subsequent warranty claim. At Tesla, implementation of a SW update is a prerequisite for granting warranty claims. And Škoda also inevitably implements software updates as part of servicing.
Clearly identifiable: improper handling of the battery
But how does the manufacturer know about improper use? When in doubt, can he prove it? The answer is clear: manufacturers know very well the history of the battery. Critical states of the electric car's battery along with environmental data are stored in the battery management system or transmitted directly online to the manufacturer. So this is often insightful for the manufacturer by reading the data.
Guarantees remain legally unclear
Even if the manufacturer's warranty sounds generous: unfortunately, from a legal point of view, it remains unclear to what extent the information in the user manual should be understood only as recommendations or as provisions relevant to the warranty. Therefore, buyers should be careful and follow the user manual. Otherwise, in case of doubt, they might depend on the goodwill of the manufacturer or even get nothing.
Cost of replacing electric car battery
If an existing car's battery pack needs to be replaced, it can be costly. A battery on a Nissan Leaf, for instance, can easily cost €5,000 and that of a Renault Zoe just under €8,000. And for a Tesla, you'll easily spend more than €15,000. So 'just' replacing an electric car battery can be quite expensive. Fortunately, with normal use, most battery packs remain in good condition for a long time. This is proven by the experience of Tesla's Model S, which has covered many hundreds of thousands of kilometres as a taxi in Amsterdam, and the first Nissan Leafs, among others. They too have now covered the necessary kilometres.
Battery test report
The battery is the most expensive part of an EV and basically wears out over time and use. The more charging cycles, the stronger the ageing. It is therefore important, even in the case of a proposed sale, that the owner knows and can objectively demonstrate the battery's state of health as accurately as possible. During regular maintenance and checks in the manufacturer's workshop, drive batteries are checked for their condition. It is therefore advisable to ask for the battery test report when servicing. In practice, many workshops do not (or do not want to) do this as standard, but it is certainly advisable to ask for it at a future service.
What buyers of electric cars can do:
- Please read the information on warranty conditions carefully.
- Have the usable battery capacity certified when new.
- Observe the operating instructions for longer battery life.
- Comply with instructions for longer downtime (charging and risk of full discharge).
- Strictly adhere to all maintenance intervals.
- Submit warranty claims immediately.
- Make it clear in advance what the costs are for checking a warranty claim.
- Always have software updates carried out during recalls or service actions.
- When buying a used car, pay attention to the warranty conditions at the time of purchase.
Battery replacement/ refurbishment
Most manufacturers launching EVs are building repair services. This will mean training workshop staff in the use of high-voltage technology. The subject was in its infancy for a long time but with the rapidly increasing number of electric vehicles, manufacturers have to keep up with the times in this. Thus, Open has set up a "Battery Refurbishment Centre" at their headquarters. Specially trained technicians take care of those cases where dealers cannot help. Think of a control unit that stopped working properly or a battery cell that is faulty. In such a case, the battery can be simply repaired and refitted.
The mechanic begins the procedure with a comprehensive diagnosis, reading the existing data and taking measurements. If necessary, the battery pack is then removed from the car and the well-screwed and carefully sealed battery housing is carefully opened. Before you can work on the modules, the circuit within the connected battery modules must be interrupted and the capacitor must be de-energised. Only then can you start removing a single module.
In the Volkswagen ID.4, for example, the largest battery consists of 12 modules, the small one of nine. Each battery module in turn consists of several units, the cells. Individual cells are not repaired, but an entire module is always replaced if it is faulty or its energy capacity is severely limited.
Of course, repairing a module is much cheaper than replacing the battery completely. A module repair, including removal and installation of the entire battery housing and checks, takes about a day. A module repair is roughly comparable to engine damage repair in terms of effort and cost. Either way, this requires training of craftsmen/women who know everything there is to know about batteries, so there is a big challenge here for the automotive industry. Also, with the surge of many Asian brands in the European market, the question is to what extent (and how fast) reperations can be carried out.
Unfortunately, manufacturers still find it difficult to give specific prices for battery repairs after the warranty has expired, even though they should be able to estimate the material and time required very well. It is hoped that manufacturers will address customer concerns in the future with transparent information on repair costs.
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