German P3 Group now claims to have shattered a persistent myth about electric cars – namely that the batteries in the cars do not last very much or particularly long. It's nonsense, it says.
The German company P3 Group claims to have dispelled a widespread myth about electric cars and their batteries.
In a new study, which P3 Group is behind, data from 7,000 electric cars has been analysed. And the result shows that the capacity of the batteries decreases significantly more slowly than many previous assumptions about wear and tear of batteries.
According to the survey, the greatest reduction in battery capacity occurs early in the battery's lifetime. The battery's capacity typically drops from 100 percent to 95 percent within the first 5,000 kilometers.
After that, the battery pack's capacity still degrades, but it goes slower, say the Germans. At 10,000 miles, most batteries analyzed still had about 90 percent of their original capacity remaining.
After this level, the capacity decreases at an even slower pace, and between 32,000 and 48,000 kilometers the capacity remained largely stable.
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The investigation explains this development with the formation of a specific coating on the battery's anode during the first charging and discharging cycles. This layer causes an early reduction in capacity. But the degradation stabilizes, which slows down the development.
P3 Group notes that their data is primarily based on used EVs that are between three and five years old.
The report also highlights that battery life depends on how the car is used and charged. For example, the battery should not be constantly strained to the limit, either during charging or when driving. It is recommended to keep the charge level between 20 and 80 percent to optimize battery life.
However, according to the investigation, charging above this level on individual occasions only has a limited effect on capacity.
However, P3 Group emphasizes that their analysis has certain limitations. The database includes only a small number of electric cars that have more than 32,000 kilometers on their cards. And cars that have already been scrapped are not included in the statistics at all. This means that the survey is only able to provide a snapshot of the batteries' performance and condition.
Back in September, an Irish company claims to have arrived at a similar result. Here, too, the number of electric cars was and is relatively modest. Read more about the investigation here .
