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For quite a while there was a lot of concern the Li-on batteries in these cars wouldn't last more than a few years (3000 cycles) and that battery replacements w

For quite a while there was a lot of concern the Li-on batteries in these cars wouldn't last more than a few years (3000 cycles) and that battery replacements would become really common. However so far the batteries have outperformed those estimates by quite some margin and have tended to last as long as the cars do and there is a growing second hand market for the used batteries in power storage where the top charge/discharge/capacity performance of the batteries is less important and their price is good. There are now a few companies either ripping them apart and building powerwalls for residential uses from them and a commercial company that is simply racking old tesla batteries for grid storage. There is quite a lot of demand for cheap power storage and just because 20% capacity has been lost hasn't made them useless and most of these uses don't need 1C charge/discharge. Solar and Wind is now a lot cheaper than using fossil fuels and its taking over at an increasing rate and a lot of the charging of EVs happens overnight too. Power needs are otherwise at their minimum overnight and this usually means less carbon dense sources as peak power tends to be the dirtiest.

fsh 3y ago
People forget how large car batteries are. With a typical range of 300 km per charge, 3000 cycles correspond to a battery lifetime of 900000 km. The rest of the car will wear out long before this. In addition, electric cars are usually configured to only charge to 80%, except for long road trips. This further reduces battery wear by a lot.
jillesvangurp 3y ago
3000 cycles in an EV with a range of 300 miles is 900,000 miles. That's a lot. Early EV batteries weren't that good; probably closer to 1000 cycles. At best. Which is still 300,000 miles. And of course some of the earlier ones were actually not that good even and had more primitive cooling and battery management systems. Most recent EVs have warranties of eight years or 100,000 miles. Reason: manufacturers know it is extremely unlikely for any issues to emerge with the drive train during this time. Tesla was talking about the million mile battery during battery day a few years ago. A bit over 3000 cycles would get you there. It's a very realistic target. What that means practically is that the drive train survives the car typically.

fsh 3y ago

People forget how large car batteries are. With a typical range of 300 km per charge, 3000 cycles correspond to a battery lifetime of 900000 km. The rest of the car will wear out long before this. In addition, electric cars are usually configured to only charge to 80%, except for long road trips. This further reduces battery wear by a lot.

jillesvangurp 3y ago

3000 cycles in an EV with a range of 300 miles is 900,000 miles. That's a lot. Early EV batteries weren't that good; probably closer to 1000 cycles. At best. Which is still 300,000 miles. And of course some of the earlier ones were actually not that good even and had more primitive cooling and battery management systems. Most recent EVs have warranties of eight years or 100,000 miles. Reason: manufacturers know it is extremely unlikely for any issues to emerge with the drive train during this time. Tesla was talking about the million mile battery during battery day a few years ago. A bit over 3000 cycles would get you there. It's a very realistic target. What that means practically is that the drive train survives the car typically.