If you own an electric car and find that you’re not getting anywhere near the estimated range, that doesn’t necessarily mean the car’s battery pack is becoming seriously depleted.įor starters, driving at higher sustained speeds will tend to use more battery power than will stop-and-go around town use. However, as they say, your mileage may vary. The Environmental Protection Agency rates electric cars according to their energy efficiency and estimates each model’s average operating range on a full charge. Choosing an EV with a higher kWh rating is like buying a car that comes with a larger gas tank in that you’ll be able to drive for more miles before needing a “fill up.” At that, be aware that an electric car’s management system prevents the battery from either becoming 100 percent fully charged or 100 percent discharged to preserve its efficiency and extend its usable life. EV battery packs generally contain a series of connected individual cells, perhaps several hundred of them depending on the model, instead of a single massive unit.Īn electric car’s battery capacity is expressed in terms of kilowatt-hours, which is abbreviated as kWh. They’re also less prone than other battery types to lose their charge when not being used. They’re far different than the heavy lead-acid batteries used in conventional cars and have a higher energy density than rechargeable nickel-metal hydride batteries. The lithium-ion battery packs used in electric cars are similar to those used in cell phones and laptop computers, only they’re much larger. Nissan reports having to swap out only a relative handful of batteries in its Leaf EV, despite selling many thousands of units over the last eight years in production. At that, we’ve yet to see reports of older battery-driven vehicles headed to the junkyard because their power cells were depleted. However, while an electric car’s battery pack will eventually lose its ability to hold a full charge, rest assured that it’s not likely to fail altogether, but rather lose its capacity gradually over time. For example, a new battery pack for a Chevrolet Bolt EV is reportedly priced well in excess of $15,000, and that’s not including the cost of labor. To be sure, replacing an electric vehicle’s battery is an expensive proposition. In a recent study conducted by Cox Automotive, 46 percent of those considering an electric car fear the battery pack would only last for 65,000 miles or less. Yet one area of concern that keeps coming up in consumer surveys regards an electric car’s battery life. There are far less moving parts in an electric motor than a gasoline engine, an electric car uses only a single-speed transmission, and EVs avoid over two-dozen common automotive components that will eventually fail and need replacing. In many ways an electric car is mechanically simpler than a conventionally powered vehicle. Fortunately, it should be able to go the distance. It’s the vehicle’s most critical – and expensive – component.
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