Dead Batteries – My EV Journey
EV – It’s Evolution not Instantaneous
The Electric Vehicle (EV) market continuously evolved for decades, mostly with experimental and concept cars. The modern EV market began to take shape in the early 2000s with the introduction of the Toyota Prius hybrid and the Tesla Roadster. These vehicles demonstrated the potential of EV’s and helped pave the way for the future.
Since these early EV models there has been a significant increase in the popularity of EV’s, driven by advancements in battery technology, government incentives, and growing environmental awareness. Major automakers have invested heavily in electric vehicle development, and every other super bowl ad is now for a new EV Model.
The EV market will continue to evolve for the good. That’s the way of progress.
It’s not like the rotary phone became the iPhone overnight. We all had to endure the endless iterations, from the car phone, bag phone, flip phone, and the blackberry before we got our hands on an iPhone.
A lot of waiting
For me, it has now been almost three years since I purchased my first EV, a Volkswagen (VW) ID4. I documented my experience in a series of articles about the life of a new EV owner. From range anxiety to the elusive search for a charger to waiting for the car to charge, there are many things to consider if an EV is for you. And even with all the advancements in EV technology, for many people the answer will be “No.”
Over the past three years I have gotten familiar with the VW dealership waiting room.
Even as I write this installment, I am sitting in the waiting room of my VW dealership. Yep, another recall to the vehicle but maybe to be expected for early adoption.
This recall only took 6 hours of my life while sitting around waiting for VW to correct the issue. That’s good news because the first recall took the dealership a couple months to get a technician trained on ID4 and enough practice to get to the point where they could apply the fix.
Reboot should fix the problem!
I think all this service waiting has a lot to do with VW pushing to get EV’s out the door before they were ready to operationally support them. I don’t have insight into VW’s post-EV sales support plan, but a key indicator for me was when I first brought the car back to the dealer for a small issue.
The service manager simply said we do not have anybody on staff trained on these new electric vehicles. Their resolution reminded me of a few computer technicians in my past. Reboot and hope it fixes the problem. It is just a computer on wheels, right!
The Next Wait
Over twenty thousand dollars! That is what I have been told a battery replacement could cost for the VW ID4. The batter pack alone costs $13,000, And then it takes a lot of labor. Regardless, that is a lot of money I would need to pay for a battery replacement. Fingers crossed that doesn’t come soon.
For now, I drive and wait to see what happens to my EV’s battery.
Now for some battery math
After three years my estimate for battery degradation is roughly 7.5%. I don’t want to bore you by going into the specifics around how many Kwh’s are stored and used within the battery pack. Here’s the math that I use to gauge battery health…
On day one when I charged to 80% capacity the gauge would indicate that I had about 255 miles of range. Today I regularly get a range rating of 235 for that same 80% capacity. That is roughly a 7.5% capacity loss over that 36-month period (or about 2.5% per year)
If I extrapolate that 2.5% per year loss out to year eight, then my 80% battery range would be around 208 miles or roughly 19% degradation. That is 47 more range anxiety miles I will need to suffer. (This assumes a linear degradation)
But there is a warranty!
When you go to buy an EV go ahead and ask about battery life and degradation. Pretty sure the response is universal across all car makers sales staff… “Ah, you don’t have to worry the battery is fully covered under our warranty.”
But you better read the fine print. The manufacture will not be replacing your batter pack under the warranty for degradation.
VW’s warranty is as follows, “The high-voltage battery is warranted for 8 years or 100,000 miles”. But what is important is the fine print which states that the warranty only applies if the net capacity goes below 70%. And they are only responsible for returning the battery capacity to that 70% level.
All these companies did their research. The EV companies are not in the business of replacing battery packs, they are in the business of selling new EV’s. Come end of battery life you must decide whether to shell out $20k for new batteries or just get another new car.
Timed technical obsolescence is why we continue to buy new iPhones.
When’s the next phone?
On the plus side, the technology is changing fast. The battery concerns for the next generation of EV’s may not exist. New EV battery technology is expected to offer several advancements that can help mitigate battery degradation and improve overall performance.
For example, the use of sodium-ion batteries or solid-state batteries are both promising technologies for powering EV’s. We recently wrote about them both in The Grove, “Look Out Lithium” and “Want My Range.” The emergence of these new technologies should be good for the EV market. It offers competition to the existing lithium battery.
And the verdict is?
If you read through all the articles about my EV journey you first impression would probably be to never buy an EV. Truth be told there are still a lot of things that need to be fixed.
For me, and even with all the time waiting, I am happy with my decision to go with an EV. I do like the car and the technology but more importantly it fits into my lifestyle. I drive it primarily for local and short haul trips. The car is quiet and clean. And if I am charging on my home charger it is cheaper to power than my gas counterpart.
You read that right, my gas counterpart. My caveat on my EV is that I will not put the family through a long-haul trip to grandma’s house. I would not have a problem doing a long trip alone, I have the time and patients to zig zag from charger to charger across the country. But to put the family and kids through this would be unbearable. So, I still use my trusty old gas guzzler for these trips.
Ultimately, the decision to buy an electric vehicle depends on your individual priorities, lifestyle, and budget. It’s essential to research thoroughly and consider your specific needs to determine if an EV is the right choice for you.
For the Good
Michael Nichols
Numbers You Need to Know
65%
January 5, 2024
620 Miles
The number of miles Chinese car company IM Motors will get out if is newly available L7 Model. Using a semi-solid layout that includes solid material suspended in a liquid electrolyte. It’s a step toward the solid-state future. (New Atlas)
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This NEW Chinese EV Just STUNNED The Entire Auto Industry!
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