A workshop specializing in electric and hybrid cars doesn't cut corners when it comes to the latter. The batteries are trash after 100,000 kilometers.
Batteries in plug-in hybrids end up as garbage after just 100,000 kilometers, claims the Croatian repair shop EV Clinic.
According to the workshop, the problem is widespread across car brands, and repairs to the battery packs are expensive. EV Clinic specializes in electric motors and batteries.
The Croatians have previously made headlines when they managed to save the battery pack in a Tesla with over 1 million kilometers on the clock.
Recently, EV Clinic has noted an increase in the number of plug-in hybrids with defective battery packs.
– Every kilometer driven on electricity alone damages the battery pack four times faster than the larger battery packs found in regular electric cars,writes EV Clinic.
An example is a BMW X5, where replacing the battery cells would cost over 120,000 kroner. EV Clinic repaired the car at a lower price. Even so, the Croatians do not believe that the solution will last more than 160,000 kilometers.
– The cars are theoretically a bit junk at 150,000 km, writes EV Clinic.
The workshop points out that the problem with the batteries in hybrids applies to all car manufacturers. In any case, the Croatians claim to have fixed plug-in hybrids from Mercedes, Porsche, Kia, Toyota and Volkswagen with similar problems, among others.
EV Clinic criticizes the design of plug-in hybrids with small batteries that are exposed to high loads and wear out faster.
– Plug-in hybrids are not sustainable and never will be as long as they are designed with small batteries, the workshop writes.
The Croatian repair shop expresses frustration that many of the used plug-in hybrids end up in Eastern Europe.
– And then Europe wonders why drivers are losing confidence in cars and the West's global dominance in the automotive industry, writes EV Clinic.
