EV batteries could last longer than expected because they've not been tested right

EV batteries could perform much better and last longer than motorists expected because they haven’t been tested correctly, a new study claims. 

The study from the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center claims that tests for EV battery degradation could be completely wrong. 

It all comes down to how they were tested. 

This means that EV owners may not have to replace their car’s battery as frequently as they thought. 

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It turns out we’ve been testing EV batteries all wrong

While EV owners are quick to sing the praises of their new vehicles, some are shocked by how much they’re saving, and others question why you’d ever buy a gas-powered car again. 

However, one issue that could potentially put motorists off ditching their gas cars in favor of EVs is battery degradation and the price of replacing a battery. 

But, according to Simona Onori an associate professor of energy science and engineering at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability – and lead author on the newly published ‘dynamic cycling enhances battery lifetime’ study – everything we think we know about the life span of EV batteries could be wrong. 

“We’ve not been testing EV batteries the right way,” Onori said. 

Awkward.

Batteries could provide a lot more milage than previously thought

In the lab, an EV battery’s life cycle is determined based on a constant rate of discharge followed by recharging – this continues until the battery eventually dies. 

But this isn’t quite how EV batteries are used in real life – and it turns out that the way they’re actually used is beneficial to the overall battery life.

“Real driving with frequent acceleration, braking that charges the batteries a bit, stopping to pop into a store, and letting the batteries rest for hours at a time, helps batteries last longer than we had thought based on industry-standard lab tests,” Onori said in a statement. 

The researchers say this means many of the lab studies, such as those conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, may not be as reliable as previously thought.

The study showed that the life of an EV battery that was used under these real-life conditions – including stop-and-go traffic, driving on the highway, and time spent parked – meant that they could last up to 38% longer than previously thought. 

Good to know, right?