Brief background
A recent study confirmed that battery replacement is a rare event. Only 1.5% of the 15,000 electric vehicles tested required battery replacement.
Even so, the battery in an electric car is a lasting investment. Although it represents a significant purchase price, it can last for many years. It's good to know that batteries are designed to maintain optimum efficiency for at least 1,000 full charge cycles (from 0 to 100% capacity).
Here is a non-exhaustive list of manufacturers with attractive warranty offers:
- Hyundai boasts the "best warranty" between 2012 and 2019 with a lifetime battery warranty, albeit non-transferable. From 2020, the battery is guaranteed to retain 70% of its capacity for 10 years or 160,000 km.
- BMW guarantees 70% of original capacity for 8 years or 160,000 km.
- Volkswagen guarantees 70% of the battery's initial capacity for 8 years or 160,000 km.
- Tesla says that the Tesla Model 3 (excluding rear-wheel drive) guarantees 70% of the battery's original capacity for 8 years or 192,000 km.
Our article "Electric car battery: why 8-year warranty?"may be of interest to you.
When should I replace the battery in my electric vehicle?
As a general rule, it's a good idea to have your electric vehicle's battery inspected by a professional if you have any concerns about its performance. They'll be able to assess its condition and determine whether it needs replacing.
In fact, the battery capacity is one of the most important parameters. It determines the amount of energy the battery can store, expressed in ampere-hours or kilowatt-hours. When the battery's capacity becomes insufficient for the car's operation, it needs to be replaced.
Replacing an electric car battery: warning signs
To find out if your car battery is out of service, you can perform an electrical test or observe your car's behavior.
To do this, connect the tester's probes to the battery terminals, respecting the colors. The tester should display a voltage of at least 12 V. If the voltage is below 12 V, the battery must be replaced.
On the one hand, if the car won't start, even after checking the connections, the battery may be dead. On the other hand, if the car starts with difficulty, an electrical test is recommended. If the electric car takes a long time to start, the battery may also be at the end of its life.
That's why it's so important to test your car's battery regularly, to detect any problems before it's too late and you incur unanticipated additional costs.
Where to replace your battery?
If you think it's time to replace the battery in your electric car, it's a good idea to make an appointment with your nearest dealer. The replacement will not be automatic, as the dealer must first check the condition of your battery and the conditions for replacement.
This replacement operation can take over an hour, or up to five hours for more complex vehicles.
Can an electric car battery be recycled?
Battery recycling is strictly regulated in Europe. There is a national register of batteries and accumulators, maintained by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME). This register lists all approved recycling operations. What's more, European electric vehicle manufacturers are also obliged to recycle their batteries, in accordance with European Directive 2006/66/EC.
Because yes! Contrary to popular belief, electric car batteries are 95% recyclable thanks to advanced techniques compared with combustion-powered vehicles. In fact, the recycling of lithium-ion batteries is booming in Europe. Currently, 15,000 tonnes of used batteries are processed each year. As well as being recycled, these batteries can be reused or reconditioned after their first life in a car.
More information on our article electric car battery recycling.
Is renting a battery a feasible alternative?
The question of whether to lease or buy the battery for an electric car is a moot point, as this option has been abandoned. Battery leasing would have covered battery replacement in the event of failure or loss of capacity, but would have been more expensive than battery purchase in the long term.
Renault was the first manufacturer to launch this initiative for its Renault Zoé. The main drawback is that this is a fixed cost, whether or not the user drives a lot. In other words, the lessee has to pay a monthly or annual subscription for the battery, regardless of mileage.
In particular, it has been abandoned because car manufacturers offer long-term leasing (LDD) or lease with purchase option (LOA) for electric vehicles. This allows customers to lease the entire vehicle, including the electric battery, and benefit from a comprehensive maintenance package.
How much does it cost to replace the battery in your electric car?
To briefly introduce, low-emission electric cars mainly use lithium-ion batteries. To recharge, these batteries exchange lithium ions between two electrodes (positive and negative) immersed in a conductive electrolyte. In short, this process transforms chemical energy into electrical energy, which then powers the electric vehicle's battery.
The price of an electric car battery is essentially determined by the cost of lithium and cobalt. cost of lithium and cobalttwo rare and sought-after minerals. The price of cobalt remains high, but the price of nickel has been falling steadily since 2015, thanks to the opening of numerous dedicated mines, notably in Latin America.
The price of a battery also varies according to its energy capacityexpressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh), which determines its autonomy. It also depends on the power of the motor that the battery is to power: a battery for a small electric car will naturally be less expensive than one for a sedan or an electric SUV.
In short, the cost of replacing an electric car battery varies according to a number of factors, including the make and model of vehicle, battery capacity and year of manufacture.
Electric battery prices
To give you an idea, here's the price of a battery per kilowatt-hour for some electric vehicle models:
- Tesla Model 3 price : 269 €/kWh
- Renault Zoe price : €163/kWh
- Peugeot e-208 price : 338 €/kWh
In short, the battery can be expensive. For example, the Renault ZOE cost around €8,100 in 2020, while those of the Smart Fortwo and Smart EQ Forfour cost over €10,000. In 2021, batteries for the Mustang Mach-e cost €17,400 or €22,700 depending on the version (68 kWh or 88 kWh).
For more information, see our article on the price of an electric car battery may be of interest to you.
Top 5 tips for optimizing your electric vehicle battery
SoH (State of Health) refers to the state of health of an electric vehicle battery. In other words, it's an indicator of the battery's ability to deliver energy. It is expressed as a percentage and varies from 100% for a new battery to around 90% after five years, then continues to deteriorate.
The calculation is as follows = maximum battery capacity in production - current capacity. For example, if the SoH of the battery reaches 75%, you'll probably need to replace the battery in your electric car.
💡 Good to know: it is possible to check the SoH of your battery before buying a used electric vehicle.
The durability of an electric car battery is influenced by a number of factors. Fortunately, there are ways of preserving it so that it remains efficient for as long as possible. Here are our tips for optimizing battery life.
Avoid extreme temperatures
Electric car batteries need optimum operating temperature. That's why we recommend parking your electric vehicle in a sheltered area.
On the one hand, the battery of an electric vehicle is sensitive to heatwhich can lead to premature degradation. Excessive recharging or prolonged driving can raise the battery's temperature, as can parking in direct sunlight or in a hot environment. In this case, the battery will be under greater strain and will have difficulty in reaching normal temperature. To avoid this, we recommend parking your car in a garage or in a shady spot.
On the other hand, in cold weather, batteries lose autonomy. Unlike heat, cold does not damage the battery of an electric car, but it does reduce its capacity to supply energy. So if you can't park your car in a garage, try to find a place in the shade, and opt for frequent, short recharges.
In addition, to prolong the life of your battery and preserve its autonomy, we advise you toavoid driving immediately before or after recharging. The battery is already hot after driving, and recharging can heat it up even more, accelerating wear and tear. Similarly, the battery can become overheated after recharging. To avoid this, it's best to let the battery cool down to room temperature before and after recharging.
Use slow charging as much as possible
Fast charging an electric car battery is more convenient, but it's also more stressful for the battery, as it subjects it to high charging power and high temperature.
To preserve the life of an electric car battery, it is advisable toavoid frequent rapid recharging. Instead, recharge more slowly at home or at public AC charging stations.
A slow charge keeps the battery cool, reducing wear and tear. It is therefore preferable to recharge your electric car at night at home or at work, rather than using ultra-fast charging stations.
Keep your battery level between 20% and 80%.
The battery cells of an electric car last longer if they are not over-discharged. It's therefore advisable to use no more than 70% of the battery before recharging it. for longer life.
Smaller, more frequent refills are preferable. In addition, it is preferable to maintain a battery's charge level between 20% and 80as full charging and discharging can damage the battery.
It is possible to fully charge the battery and let it drop to 10% on long journeys, but this should only be done occasionally. For this reason, it is imperative to avoid dropping below 5%, as this could shorten battery life.
Drive smoothly
The driving heats up the battery, discharges it and makes it tired.. A more flexible driving style avoids sharp temperature rises and preserves the battery's range and performance.
Use your electric vehicle frequently
In fact, electric car batteries don't take well to not being used regularly. In fact leaving your electric vehicle idle for long periods can accelerate its ageing process. For this reason, the ideal solution is to use them frequently, in order to optimize the health of the electric vehicle in question.
Conclusion
Replacing the battery in an electric car is an important operation, but one that is becoming increasingly common. Electric car batteries have a limited lifespan, and need to be replaced when they can no longer guarantee sufficient autonomy.
To do this, you need to replace the battery in your electric car, and it's important to contact an authorized professional. Replacing the battery in an electric car is a complex operation that needs to be carried out with care.
If you would like to find out more aboutaid for the installation of charging stations for businesses in 2024please consult our article on the subject.
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