Geotab study reveals electric vehicle batteries lose 2.3% of their capacity yearly – how to minimise this

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The battery is just one of the components in an electric car, but just how long does a EV battery last? A new study by telematics firm Geotab attempts to answer it by supplying an insight to how batteries used by EVs degrade over time.

Primarily, battery degradation is a natural procedure which permanently lowers the quantity of energy that a battery will store, or the total quantity. Many EV batteries can provide more electricity than the drive components can handle, so power degradation is rarely visible in EVs and only the reduction of this battery’s capacity to store electricity matters.

The status of the battery is currently known as condition of health (SOH), which is a measure of just how much energy the battery can provide in kWh, and this generally starts at 100% before tripping over time. Even in case you don’t possess an EV, you’t probably encountered such a situation when utilizing your smartphone or notebook to get a few decades, just to find it may ’t “maintain its charge” for so long.

One thing to notice is that the battery’s SOH isn’t the same as vehicle array because this can fluctuate on a basis. A number of factors affect this, such as payload, temperature habits, charge level, and many others.

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Battery wellbeing is an important component of an EV, as it not only has an immediate impact on the most usable range over period — how many kWhs but the vehicle’s remaining value. Manufacturers supply customers with the confidence of a battery warranty, which varies by manufacturer and nation.

Geotab’s study analysed the battery wellbeing of 6,300 fleet and customers EVs, which reflects 1.8 million times of data. Depending on the data that was processed, the business gathered the average degradation data for 21 vehicle models, representing 64 makes, models, and years.

By its statistics, it is revealed that the average decline in battery capacity is relatively minor at 2.3% each year. According to the company, in the event you obtain an EV now with a selection of 241 kilometers, you’d shed about 27 kilometers of range after five decades, which is not likely to heavily impact your day-to-day needs.

The study also provides a few takeaways about the things that impact EV battery wellbeing. It’s no surprise that the older there is a car, the more likely its battery life has deteriorated, although this is dependant on the vehicle’s make and model season.

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Many EVs feature lithium ion batteries, which arrive with chemistry variations that react to the pressures of driving usage. Additionally, producers have their own temperature control methods, whether there is a battery package heated or cooled by air or from 26, be it.

Comparing the 2015 Tesla Model S, which employs a liquid cooling system to the 2015 Nissan Leaf which utilizes passive air cooling, the latter saw a higher average degradation rate of 4.2% compared to the Tesla’s 2.3%. Based on this result, it’therefore obvious that great control equates to greater defense against degradation.

Another reason for those differences in battery life involving producers is the way the battery’s condition of cost (SOC) has been controlled. We’re often advised not to fully charge or completely deplete the batteries and it is also applicable to EVs.

To put it differently, operating a battery near empty or full has implications on battery wellbeing. Most producers try to limit this effect by executing (or continuously revising) a buffer to prevent entry to the ends of this SOC variety, while advising owners to stop regular daily charging at a level below 100%. Cars that are certain even provide specific EV manners that allow a owner to maintain a battery powered ’s SOC at a level.

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Geotab points out that large car use doesn’t equal battery degradation that is higher, so long as they’re inside their driving range. However, vehicles driven in hot temperatures show decline in battery SOH.

The study also looked at the effects of different charging amounts used, mentioning the 3 common types used in North America — Level 1 (120 volt standard home socket ), Level 2 (240 volt house wallbox or fleet charging) along with DC quick charging.

While Level two is frequently mentioned as the best method to charge an EV, the difference in battery life involving cars which are often charged on Level two as compared to Level 1 appeared to be visible but wasn’t beyond the level of statistical significance, according to Geotab.



Level 1 and Level Two comparison (left), DC quickly charging (appropriate ); Click to enlarge

As for DC rapid charging, the study finds that utilizing this technique does appear to impact the speed that batteries degrade, as rapidly charging a battery signifies currents both proven to breed batteries.

It is thus advisable to minimise the use of DC rapid charging, and only to do this through high-use duty cycles at which a charge is essential. However, if your car or truck stays immediately, Level 2 ought to be sufficient for the majority of your charging needs.

Include keeping your car sitting using a charge. Ideally, the battery’s SOC ought to be held between 20-80% just, and when leaving it for longer periods to charge it fully for long distance trips. Since the local climate is outside an owner’s hands, the best you can do is to steer clear of extreme temperatures, such as choosing colour when parked on hot days.

The post Geotab study reveals electric car batteries shed 2.3% of the capacity yearly – how to minimise this appeared initially on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

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