I’ve often heard that the liquid-cooled batteries in EVs could actually outlast the car itself, maybe even last 20 years. I’m curious if anyone on this forum has an EV—maybe bought new or used—from around 2010-2015, still running on its original battery? Would love to hear your experience!
For context, a friend of mine has a 2016 Model S. He’s the first owner, and since Tesla only offered him $15,000 trade-in, he’s planning on driving it until it’s done. He also has lifetime free Supercharging, which is nice.
Please share your car’s model year, make, current mileage, and any battery repairs or issues. With so many EV drivers here, I’d think some of you could help convince folks that these batteries are built to last!
My dad bought a Model S back in 2012 and is still using it. He’s had to replace the drive unit under warranty a few times, but the original 85 battery is still going strong with about 90% of the original range at 120k miles.
@Thomas
120k miles isn’t a huge amount. I’d be a bit worried about those drive unit replacements. If I bought a used Model S, would I be on the hook for these repairs?
Howard said: @Thomas
120k miles isn’t a huge amount. I’d be a bit worried about those drive unit replacements. If I bought a used Model S, would I be on the hook for these repairs?
I read somewhere that the early Model S drive units had a lot of issues because they kept using rebuilt ones, which would eventually fail too. Tesla supposedly redesigned them to be more durable, but we’ll see in the long term.
@diallo
Is that the one with the brush bearing issue that caused a short? I know a mechanic shop here in Finland came up with a way to fix it. Pretty clever solution.
Howard said: @Thomas
120k miles isn’t a huge amount. I’d be a bit worried about those drive unit replacements. If I bought a used Model S, would I be on the hook for these repairs?
Drive unit failures became much less common after Tesla switched to ceramic bearings. If the Model S you’re looking at has those, it should last longer.
Howard said: @Thomas
120k miles isn’t a huge amount. I’d be a bit worried about those drive unit replacements. If I bought a used Model S, would I be on the hook for these repairs?
It’s mostly an early design flaw with Teslas from that time. Newer drive units don’t have this issue as often.
Howard said: @Thomas
120k miles isn’t a huge amount. I’d be a bit worried about those drive unit replacements. If I bought a used Model S, would I be on the hook for these repairs?
Buying a 12-year-old first-gen car does come with risks, which is probably why they’re priced lower.
Howard said: @Thomas
120k miles isn’t a huge amount. I’d be a bit worried about those drive unit replacements. If I bought a used Model S, would I be on the hook for these repairs?
I’ve got a 2014 Model S. My main issues have been door handles and the screens leaking fluid.
@Kenneth
There’s an aftermarket door handle for the older S and X models that fixes the breakage issue. My boss got it for his X after going through a couple of Tesla handles, and no issues since.
Howard said: @Thomas
120k miles isn’t a huge amount. I’d be a bit worried about those drive unit replacements. If I bought a used Model S, would I be on the hook for these repairs?
Older Model S cars are a bit risky, but maybe not so much for the drive units anymore. The bigger worry is the battery—sometimes, they suddenly fail. The car could keep going strong, or it could go into limp mode unexpectedly.