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Video: EV 101: Preserving Your EV's Battery

03:34 min
By Cars.com Editors
September 15, 2023

Transcript

(upbeat music) You might have heard that the battery packs in electric cars are both expensive to make and expensive to replace, but there's a misconception that they're likely to fail someday.
Outside of large recalls, complete battery replacement is actually rare. Here are some EV battery facts that can help you understand their realistic life expectancy and some tips to keep the battery pack in your EV in top condition. Bear with us here, this isn't the most exciting or interesting bit, but it is important. First, let's talk about capacity loss. All rechargeable batteries lose capacity with use and time, even if you do everything right. Since it's inevitable that a battery's capacity and thus the car's range is going to diminish over time. Shoppers considering an EV should determine how much range they will need, and account for this normal loss. According to Geotab, a company that tracks battery health in many EVs, average battery degradation is a little more than 2% a year. Another factor that affects batteries and range is Mother Nature. According to studies, EVs can lose about 40% of their range when the outside temperature drops from 75 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit due to temporary battery capacity loss and the energy consumption needed to heat the cabin. Remember, there's no gas engine under hood that's making heat for the passengers. All that energy now has to come from the battery. If you live in places where it gets cold your range will be affected, for example, an EV with a rated range of 250 miles could have only 150 miles of range when it's 20 degrees outside. Where is the sweet spot where the battery is happiest? An ambient outside temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. So what can you do to get the most out of your battery? First, limit the amount of powerful public DC fast charging that you do, well, why? Well, it's hard on the battery. Frequent DC fast charging will diminish the battery pack's longevity, for example, Kia attributes a 10% battery degradation over eight years if exclusively charged using DC fast charging. Next, don't fully charge or discharge your battery. One key to long battery life is to not use its full capacity, at least not all the time. What you can do is not run your battery below 10% state of charge unless you have to, and don't charge it above 80 or 90% on a regular basis. Most EVs let you set a level at which the car will stop charging for this reason. For the occasional longer trip simply override the limit and charge fully. But also know that there are some new batteries from Tesla and Ford where it's acceptable to charge to 100% at home, so be sure to check your owner's manual for best practices. Third, keep it plugged in, keeping an EV plugged in doesn't have to mean charging it to 100%. Instead, it allows the vehicle to protect its battery from excessive heat or cold and precondition the cabin for comfort without compromising range. This also prevents deep discharging from lack of use which can be more damaging to battery life than routinely driving it empty before recharging. Lastly, learn about your EV's battery warranty. EVs have powertrain warranties of at least 100,000 miles or eight years as required by law. In the event of failure, the battery should be covered for the original owner and used EV buyers should always make sure the warranty transfers to them before buying. Like all things, an EV battery will age but knowing how to keep it healthy will prolong its life. And understanding what to expect over the battery's lifespan should give you some better peace of mind. So how long does it take to charge an EV? Whether you're at a public station or your home charger, it depends. So let's start at our house in the next episode of ev101. Or, if you're ready, you can learn all about electric vehicles at cars.com /EV. (upbeat music continues)