Electric vehicles are gaining market share around the world, and more and more people are switching to this more environmentally friendly mode of transportation. But the question of how long can electric vehicle batteries last remains. Now, however, there is an answer.
The Canadian company Geotab, which develops fleet management software for logistics companies, government agencies and smart cities, has analyzed the degradation of batteries in electric vehicles since 2020. In its latest study, it examined data on the battery health of more than 22,700 electric vehicles from 21 makes and models in real-world conditions. Thus, the study has definitively shown how long electric vehicle batteries can actually last, writes New Atlas .
A new study by Geotab found a moderate average battery degradation rate of 2.3% per year, which is not bad at all
The company claims that this corresponds to a battery life of 13 years or more, which in turn means that after a significant period of operation of an electric vehicle, i.e. over 10 years, you can expect its battery to retain almost 75% of its capacity.
Considering that a 2024 study by insurance company The Zebra found that people own their cars the longest, on average, about eight years, it can be concluded that this makes electric vehicles a great option for fleets and individual owners. However, this is not the case in Bulgaria.
According to a statement from Geotab, new research data shows that the rate of wear on an electric vehicle battery varies depending on the model, charging method, climate and nature of the vehicle's use.
Using fast chargers to increase range by hundreds of kilometers in a matter of minutes tends to accelerate battery degradation faster than slower charging, as the former increases the battery's temperature during the charging process.
Interestingly, the same company's 2024 study found a lower average rate of wear on electric vehicle batteries – 1.8% per year. Geotab attributes this to the increase in data volume, as well as the increasing use of fast charging in the vehicles studied.