Electric Car Battery Cost Replacement. Modern electric vehicles (EVs) can run for a long time on their stock battery pack, but they will eventually degrade and need to be replaced. The prospect of a replacement may make you reconsider purchasing an EV, so how much will a replacement cost you, and how can you avoid needing one?
What It Costs to Replace an EV Battery
The cost of replacing an electric car battery varies. If your battery is still under warranty, you may be able to have it replaced for free. If not, according to Bloomberg, the average cost of battery capacity in 2020 was around $137 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
So, on average, a vehicle like the Chevy Bolt with a 65 kWh battery pack would cost around $8905 for a new one. A number of other factors influence the price, including:
- What vehicle you’re driving
- What the battery that EV uses is made of (if it has more expensive metals, the cost is higher)
- How large the battery pack is
- Whether the battery is under warranty
According to Recurrent Auto, some EV batteries can be replaced for as little as $2,500, while others can cost up to $20,000. Even at the low end, that’s about the same as replacing the transmission in a gasoline vehicle. The good news is that those costs are likely to fall in the coming years.
Electric vehicle batteries are already less expensive to replace than they were when EVs first became popular. According to Bloomberg, the average price of a new EV battery pack in 2010 was more than $1,000/kwh. Prices could be around $100/kWh by 2023, with further reductions as battery technology improves.
Electric Car Battery:
Average EV battery pack costs occasionally exceed projections. McKinsey & Company, for example, published a report in 2017 predicting that the average price of an EV’s battery would be around $190/kWh by the end of 2020. The actual cost was around $53/kWh lower, at $137/kWh.
Keep in mind that, rather than failing catastrophically, an electric car’s battery will gradually lose capacity until it can no longer power the vehicle. Most EVs manufactured in recent years are still on the road, albeit with slightly reduced charge capacity, so there haven’t been enough battery replacements to collect a lot of data on replacement cost.
As newer batteries are built with less expensive metals, no liquid components, and faster charge times, the cost of replacing one may rise significantly. Owners of older electric vehicles, on the other hand, will almost certainly need to replace the battery at some point if they intend to keep them for several years.
How to Keep an EV’s Battery in Top Shape:
It’s a good idea to follow some simple guidelines for keeping your electric car’s battery in peak operating condition to avoid having to replace it too soon. Fast charging, for example, should be avoided unless it is absolutely necessary. Fast charging should be avoided in extremely cold weather because it depletes the lithium metal inside the battery and reduces overall charge capacity.
Maintain a battery charge of 20-80%. Allowing it to fall below that number or always keeping the battery at 100% can reduce charge capacity and shorten battery life. Instead, if possible, try shorter top-off charges or slower charging at home or work.
Pre-heat the battery before charging in cold weather. During the hot months, take precautions such as parking in the shade to reduce battery heat. To avoid sapping battery power, it’s also a good idea to pre-heat or cool the interior of the car while it’s still plugged into a charging station. Keep in mind that driving at high speeds and accelerating quickly will drain a charge faster. Battery maintenance differs depending on the manufacturer, so consult the owner’s manual for specific tips and guidelines.
Pricey, but lowering:
Battery replacement, like most other costs associated with electric vehicles, began high. It is still expensive today, but we should see a decrease in that cost over the next few years. If this happens, one of the most significant costs of EV ownership will be reduced.
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