You can expect EV batteries to lose about 2.3 percent of their range per year, according to a study of 6,300 real-world EVs by Geotab, a transportation services firm in Oakville, Ontario.
For a Nissan Leaf starting with 149 miles of range, that would take the range down to about 133 miles after 5 years.
A Tesla Model 3 with 250 miles of range would have 221 miles maximum range after 5 years, or about 88 percent.
Even after 15 years, the EVs will have something close to 70 percent of their original range. Replacement batteries aren’t likely to be needed for most consumers.
Nissan has been charging more than $12,000 for new ones, but more recently has offered refurbished battery packs in Japan for under $3,000.
Our car experts think cheaper remanufactured battery packs are a sensible choice if your EV is between 10 and 15 years old.
Frequent use of DC fast chargers can degrade an EV’s range faster, Geotab says.
So too will draining the battery all the way to zero or frequently charging to 100 percent, it says.
The group recommends that EV owners keep their batteries between 20 and 80 percent charged.