Precious Anga
Lagos — Electric vehicle batteries are increasingly challenging one of the biggest concerns about EV ownership, with evidence showing that modern battery packs can remain highly usable for years while their replacement costs continue to fall.
Although the high-voltage traction battery is the most expensive component of an electric vehicle, manufacturers generally provide longer warranties for batteries than for the engines fitted to comparable petrol and diesel vehicles.
In South Africa, engine warranties typically range between five and seven years, while many electric vehicles come with battery warranties of at least eight years or 150,000km. Depending on the manufacturer, the warranty may cover repairs or replacement if battery capacity falls below 70 or 80 per cent of its original level.
Real-world data also suggests that battery degradation may be less severe than many motorists fear. Battery analytics company Recurrent found that only about eight per cent of EVs from model years 2011 to 2016 in its database had undergone battery replacement.
Recurrent’s data showed that battery capacity generally declines by about one to two per cent annually during the early years before the rate of degradation flattens. For most vehicles in its database, battery health remained above 95 per cent after five years.
Testing of a GWM Ora 03 in South Africa provided another indication of battery durability. After three years and 33,000km, the vehicle’s battery retained 97.7 per cent of its original capacity, translating to average degradation of less than 0.8 per cent annually.
Battery chemistry and charging habits can affect degradation. Frequent rapid DC charging and repeatedly running a battery close to empty can accelerate wear, although the impact is generally not expected to significantly reduce battery life within the warranty period when the vehicle is used within its designed parameters.
At the same time, falling lithium prices are reducing the cost of EV batteries. Recurrent estimates that battery replacement, which was close to the price of a new vehicle in 2020, had fallen to about 75 per cent of a new vehicle’s price by 2024 and could decline to roughly 30 per cent by 2030.
If that projection materialises, the battery could eventually cost less to replace than the engine of a comparable petrol or diesel vehicle, further weakening one of the major arguments against long-term EV ownership.
Older batteries could also retain practical value even after their automotive range has declined. Used EV cells are increasingly being repurposed for stationary energy storage, creating a second-life market for battery packs that are no longer suitable for demanding vehicle applications.
