This is excellent news for commercial EV operators.
CATL has claimed a 15-year battery lifespan but only offers 10-year warranty coverage. Similarly, Lexus in the EU used to provide a 10-year battery warranty. In the US, third-party battery vendors and insurers like Xcelerate also cap their extended warranties at 10 years from the in-service date.
To attract more late adopters, the EV industry needs to provide battery failure data for periods beyond eight years, offer extended warranties, or ensure reasonably priced battery replacements. This is a great step forward.
The extended battery life is partially due to slow, gentle charging at a maximum capacity of 150 kW. However, the new NMC4 battery chemistry is particularly suited for rapid charging at up to 300 kW while maintaining extended service life. Daimler Buses guarantees an eight-year lifespan for these batteries and offers an optional 12-year extended warranty.
Maria said: @emma
Hyundai offers an 8-year (or 200,000 km) battery warranty in Europe for the Ioniq 5, which charges at up to 240 kW.
That’s good to know, thanks! From available data, most BEVs with newer liquid-cooled batteries can easily reach 200,000–300,000 km or more. However, calendar degradation is often overlooked since it’s hard to replicate aging in labs.
@emma
Aging might not be as big of an issue as we think. Based on our experience building large battery arrays for PV plants, I’d say 20 years is entirely feasible.
Maria said: @emma
Aging might not be as big of an issue as we think. Based on our experience building large battery arrays for PV plants, I’d say 20 years is entirely feasible.
Are those batteries LFP or other chemistries? I don’t think they’ve been in service long enough to confirm 20 years, but it’s reassuring to hear that longevity could extend that far. Anything over 16 years would likely ease most concerns.
@emma
Mostly LFP, but we also use some NMC. While they haven’t been around for 15+ years yet, we can extrapolate from 7–8 years of data to get a good idea of how they’ll perform.
Maria said: @emma
Mostly LFP, but we also use some NMC. While they haven’t been around for 15+ years yet, we can extrapolate from 7–8 years of data to get a good idea of how they’ll perform.
Thanks for the insight! While lab graphs often show a sharp decline in voltage after many years (the so-called ‘valley of death’), I still believe extended warranties could be a big draw for EV customers.
I’d personally be willing to pay 25% of the battery replacement cost for a 16-year warranty. By then, even expensive EVs would feel like they’ve been fully utilized, giving owners their money’s worth.