EV Batteries Defy Expectations, Last Hundreds of Thousands of Miles
3 110247,000 miles on an EV battery? So says the owner of a U.K.-based used-car sales company that specializes in Evs, who tells the Wall Street Journal EV batteries keep performing well even after several hundred thousand miles. "They are proving themselves to be exceptionally reliable." After five years on the road, the average EV will still be able to drive up to 95% of its original range, according to Recurrent, a data-science company that provides a battery-monitoring tool for EVs — better than many in the auto industry expected...
Potential new car buyers' fear of having to pay for a battery replacement is the number one reason they choose to steer clear of EVs, according to a 2025 survey from industry research firm AutoPacific. When early EVs hit the market, buyers' concerns were well-founded. Roughly one in 12 EVs built from 2011 to 2016 have had to have battery replacements. But new data shows that more modern EVs are doing better so far. Among EVs built from 2022 on, 0.3% have had battery replacements, according to a 2025 study from Recurrent. As battery technology has advanced, EVs have avoided problems like the ones that plagued the original Nissan Leaf when it hit the market in 2010, for example. Those cars lacked the battery-cooling technology that is in newer EVs, and they made headlines for wearing down quickly. Buyer perception hasn't quite caught up, according to Scott Case, co-founder and chief executive of Recurrent...
The newest battery-powered EVs have lifespans comparable to internal-combustion-engine vehicles, even when driven more miles, according to Viet Nguyen-Tien, a research officer at the London School of Economics who focuses on Evs. Improvements in car batteries' chemical contents, battery-management systems and thermal regulation have been the difference in making batteries last longer and cost less, Nguyen-Tien said. Battery prices have fallen more than 90% since 2010, according to a BloombergNEF report from late last year. Industry analysts say battery-replacement costs are also improving as more EVs are designed for repairability in the long-haul. An out-of-warranty battery replacement can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $16,000, depending on the manufacturer, according to Recurrent. But many EV manufacturers have shifted to allow smaller components of their battery packs to be repaired, which can allow owners to avoid the full costs of a battery replacement, Case said.
EV batteries aren't without their challenges, though. A battery that is frequently fast-charged with high power loses its range, on average, at twice the rate of a battery charged at a lower power, according to telematics company Geotab. Frequently charging a battery to 100%, or letting it rest at 0% for extended periods, can also reduce range long-term. And EVs regularly deliver less range in extreme cold or heat.
The article also includes two new projections on EV adoption:
- "The share of new EVs sold is expected to nearly double to 11% of new-car sales in the U.S. by 2030, according to industry consulting firm AlixPartners."
- "Globally, EVs already make up 15% of new-car sales and are expected to form nearly a quarter of the global market by 2030, according to AlixPartners."
3 comments
Defy FUD, Meet Expectations (Score: 5, Insightful)
by crow ( 16139 ) on Sunday July 05, 2026 @10:16AM (#66223286)
I don't know what expectations these are defying unless they're from those created by anti-EV FUD. I thought it was pretty clear that EV batteries usually last longer than the cars themselves. If 250K is exceeding expectations, then the expectations are wrong and haven't been supported by the data for a long time.
Re: If this were true... (Score: 5, Interesting)
by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Sunday July 05, 2026 @10:30AM (#66223294)
>"Leaf were a special case. I think they were air cooled as didn't like fast charging"
The Leaf has been around a long, long time, so it used the oldest tech. The Ariya, and now the new (2026+) Leaf use a slightly different chemistry (high nickel), coupled with battery cooling (liquid to air AND liquid to active HVAC) and heating (standard). They are going to last a LOT longer (and charge faster).
One strange quirk is that the Ariya had no percent charge limiter, at all. Very annoying. I believe it was a marketing thing, trying to raise confidence that you can charge to 100% every time without worrying about battery wear. The reality is that it might not matter as much as in the past, but it is still a very valid factor. More annoying is they added the charge percent limiter in the new Leaf, but didn't software update the Ariya with that ability (yet, but nobody is holding their breath).
In any case the batteries will wear much less if:
1) Charge is limited to around 70-80% or so, max, when possible/convenient.
2) Charge is not allowed to go very low (like 20% or less).
3) Rapid DC charging is avoided. And if used, charge only to 80%
4) Frequent narrow charging is always better (like 45%-70% or 60%-80%) than less-frequent wider charging (like 30%-80%).
5) Never allow vehicle to sit in hot weather for many days at or near 100% charge (even Nissan does relay this info).
And that holds for all Lithium Ion batteries, in all devices. And most of it also applies to Lithium phosphate as well. Much of the above is not possible (or practical) unless you do at-home charging, which is why that is an important component in EV satisfaction. There is probably no need now to "baby" the batteries. But just some simple guidelines to consider/perform when convenient and when you don't need the range, can probably greatly extended the battery life.
As a side note, people were critical of the Aryia's maximum DC/fast charge amperage (130kW), only to find that the systems are so improved over older vehicles, that the actual charge time ended up being about the same or even faster (in some cases) than older vehicles with much higher maximum amperage.
Re:If this were true... (Score: 5, Insightful)
by Smidge204 ( 605297 ) on Sunday July 05, 2026 @11:15AM (#66223336)
Aside from the early LEAF packs being notoriously bad with degradation - both due to early tech AND bad thermal design - it's also worth noting that the main reasons EV batteries enter the secondary market is because the vehicle they were installed in got totaled.
=Smidge=