Many electric vehicle owners wonder about the longevity of EV batteries in their cars. And we’re not just talking about range. The lithium-ion batteries that run EVs can make up 50%-70% of an EV’s value — and if the battery dies, so does the car. While lithium-ion batteries have been studied a lot over the years, Recurrent Auto reports that EVs haven’t been around long enough for studies to know for sure how long an EV battery will last.
The lithium-ion battery in an EV typically has a manufacturer warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles, which is also the federal minimum warranty. Warranties vary a bit, in that manufacturers determine what percentage of original battery capacity is ensured over that time.
But do they really last that long?
Recurrent Auto is finding that EV batteries have much longer lifespans than anyone expected. In fact, very few EV batteries have been replaced. Its data shows that EV battery replacements are rare, outside of a big battery recall such as the Chevy Bolt battery recall in 2017. In the cases where a battery was replaced due to degradation, most of those occurred under warranty.