How long do electric vehicle batteries last

The battery is one of the most expensive details in an electric vehicle. And that is why your concern about EV battery longevity is reasonable. So, how long do electric batteries last? In short, the estimated battery lifespan is 15-20 years and its real life is around 12-16 years on average.

But what if you want to know the battery life in mileage? Read further to get the answer.

Estimated battery life

The estimated battery life is battery longevity under ideal conditions. To clarify, ideal conditions are as follows:

• You do not discharge the battery close to 0% but always leave at least 20-25% of its capacity
• You do not charge the battery close to 100% but limit your charging session to 85% (which you can do with a smart residential car charging station easily)
• You drive your car in a mild climate, so it does not face hot outside temperatures

Moreover, the estimated battery life is based on estimated charge cycles, which are around 1,500 – 2,000 cycles. In other words, a charging session takes place every 3-4 days.

Thus, a mileage estimated battery life depends on the battery size and the exact range a car can cover on a single charge. For example, if the manufacturer declares their car range is 300 miles, expect its EV battery to last 450,000-600,000 miles. However, if the maximum range is only 150 miles, it is only 225,000-300,000 miles to expect.

Real battery life

In real life, EV battery longevity may be shorter. This is because the real weather conditions, driving and charging habits greatly differ from ideal ones. For example, you may:

• Leave a 25% charge level but do not use your car for long enough, so that it discharges in full
• Drive and charge your car under hot temperatures, which are harmful to the EV battery
• Practice frequent speed-ups

All this either facilitates the battery depletion or reduces the car real range and lead to more frequent charging sessions. Thus, in real life, an EV battery may last only 12-16 years, around 20 per cent lower than estimates say.

When it comes to the battery life in mileage, the gap between estimated and real figures may even be larger. For example, most of your route lies on a highway and you frequently use A/C or heating. Then, expect only around 200 miles on a single charge instead of 300 miles your car manufacturer declares. Thus, for this example, the real battery life is only around 240,000-320,000 miles. And when we consider the second example, 150 miles on a single charge can easily turn just to 100 miles. Thus, its battery can last only 120,000-160,000 miles.

To conclude, we have three more aspects to mention:

• First, yes, the real battery life may even be shorter if a driver exploits their EV under very poor conditions and neglect the basic EV charging rules
• Second, fortunately, at Auto-E, we expect the range to extend. So, the battery will last longer both in years and in mileage
• Third, we expect the battery prices to decrease as technology and production scale develops and grows

Therefore, we truly believe it will have a much lower impact on your decision to switch to an electric vehicle.