Question for EV owners: anyone own one long term? Battery degradation?

[BigBlock]

Sooo, I'm the type of guy that likes to keep cars. If I buy car that I really like and I have room for it, I'll keep it for a loooong time (I have high expectations for the Scout). Does anyone own an EV thats over 10 years old and or has over 100,000 miles? If so, please tell me about your experience and the current condition of your car.

 

[4sallypat]

Only EVs that old are Tesla drivers.

Most of my Tesla friends and family have either sold, turned in (lease), or exchanged for newer models.

Being EVs are very new to me (1st gen Ford Mach E), I don't plan on keeping her past the 3yr/36 month warranty.

These are beta vehicles meant for data collection by the manufacturer.
Reliability is questionable - especially for the first gen, first model year EV.

Using NCM batteries is also becoming old - waiting for the Scout to build them with newer gen batteries (solid state, sodium)....

 

[Jrgunn5150]

My Bolt went 210,000 miles, my ID4 has 112,000 miles, my Tesla went 190,000 miles.

There's nothing to wear out on them, they got tires, that's it.

 

[Lucky Logan]

My Bolt went 210,000 miles, my ID4 has 112,000 miles, my Tesla went 190,000 miles.

There's nothing to wear out on them, they got tires, that's it.

Yea and hardly even much brake wear or brake dust to deal with due to brake regen.

 

[VolInGa]

Only EVs that old are Tesla drivers.

Most of my Tesla friends and family have either sold, turned in (lease), or exchanged for newer models.

Being EVs are very new to me (1st gen Ford Mach E), I don't plan on keeping her past the 3yr/36 month warranty.

These are beta vehicles meant for data collection by the manufacturer.
Reliability is questionable - especially for the first gen, first model year EV.

Using NCM batteries is also becoming old - waiting for the Scout to build them with newer gen batteries (solid state, sodium)....

Further to this, about 80% of new EVs are leased (per Edmunds data). Part of that is the rapdily changing technology as mentioned above, part is leasing was more attractive due to the way the fed/state incentives applied directly to the sale rather than as a tax credit.

The data I’ve seen seems to show battery degradation isn’t a huge problem if the battery is cared for properly. Bad battery cells, while not common, can be replaced without needing to replace the entire battery. Most EVs have 8-10 year battery warranties and 8 is required by law for the 2027 model year, if I remember correctly.

I leased my ID.4, but will buy the Scout since the range extender solves the biggest challenge for me, which is charger availability and reliability. As a daily driver though, hard to beat an EV, but I still take one of my ICE cars for longer trips, it’s just easier.

 

[Scooby24]

We have some Mach-E owners with over 100k miles (one with 150k) and their experiences were reported as well. Their battery state of health was still very good (above 85% if not mistaken)

 

[Stumpy]

We have some Mach-E owners with over 100k miles (one with 150k) and their experiences were reported as well. Their battery state of health was still very good (above 85% if not mistaken)

Yea great thing is that EVs have shown that battery degradation isn't really been a problem. Tesla's batteries have shown to degrade about 10% over 100k miles.

 

[tkm7501]

I’ve had my Tesla for 2 years. Which is a record for me. I typically trade every 6-12 months. I get bored easy. I’m at almost 80k miles and no issues. Battery is holding up fine. I drive a lot. Fast charge often(not as much in the last 6 months) Just new tires and windshield washer fluid is all I’ve done. Did wrap it but that was to change the color lol.

 

[M3_R2]

Due to faster evolving technology these days, buyers are more likely to be upgrading so more difficult to find a lot of long term owners, not to mention how few EV's have been around a long time.

An older model S has racked up over 1.2M miles using 4 battery packs. So about 300k miles per battery pack.

Current batteries with newer BMS would likely fare better. Solid State will outlive the body of the car according to some.

My first Tesla M3's battery had over 80k miles on it and was in perfect health with minimal degradation. It was well cared for and enjoyed a fairly optimal (cool) climate. No servicing at all except (very common at the time) body panel issues at delivery which were resolved.

You could also buy 1 or 2 years used and probably upgrade every 5-6 years.

 

[Treebeard]

Sooo, I'm the type of guy that likes to keep cars. If I buy car that I really like and I have room for it, I'll keep it for a loooong time (I have high expectations for the Scout). Does anyone own an EV thats over 10 years old and or has over 100,000 miles? If so, please tell me about your experience and the current condition of your car.

My Rivian is two years old, 41000 miles and still drives like new. I plan a minimum of 100,000 miles. I’ll keep it longer than normal because I can’t afford anything that replaces it one for one. I got lucky with the introductory pricing on a quad R1T. I love the truck. I might move to the Scout in the future. I like a bench seat.

 

[KarlT]

Do batteries degrade with time, or only with use? Would a low mileage vehicle not need replacement batteries? Isn’t replacing batteries cost prohibitive?

 

[M3_R2]

There's a few different battery chemistries and sizes out there these days but as a rough guess, I'd say you would be good for up to 500k miles and/or 15 years, whichever comes first. No worries about low mileage. If you fear replacing batteries, just sell within 8 years.

I can't imagine the improvements that will be made even 5 years from now though.

CATL has a battery pack for busses that has zero degradation after the first 1,000 cycles and has a 932,000 mile / 15 year warranty. Another of their batteries has a 10 year, 621,000 mile warranty.

If you don't drive much, just keep the state of charge at a reasonable level (~50%) and leave plugged in.

Modern batteries and the software that manages them leaves virtually zero worry if following best practices.

 

[Efthreeoh]

Due to faster evolving technology these days, buyers are more likely to be upgrading so more difficult to find a lot of long term owners, not to mention how few EV's have been around a long time.

An older model S has racked up over 1.2M miles using 4 battery packs. So about 300k miles per battery pack.

Current batteries with newer BMS would likely fare better. Solid State will outlive the body of the car according to some.

My first Tesla M3's battery had over 80k miles on it and was in perfect health with minimal degradation. It was well cared for and enjoyed a fairly optimal (cool) climate. No servicing at all except (very common at the time) body panel issues at delivery which were resolved.

You could also buy 1 or 2 years used and probably upgrade every 5-6 years.

IIRC that 1.2M mile Tesla required 13 motor replacements.

 

[4sallypat]

.....
I leased my ID.4, but will buy the Scout since the range extender solves the biggest challenge for me, which is charger availability and reliability. As a daily driver though, hard to beat an EV, but I still take one of my ICE cars for longer trips, it’s just easier.

Any word on when VW will have access to Tesla Superchargers ?

When Ford was the first brand to access Tesla SC, that was what made me keep the Mach E instead of trading it in because finding CCS1 fast chargers were a pain.

So many brands started giving away free charging sessions at EA and the lines got very long on the very few working charge towers.

I was about to give up and then Ford announced access using a NACS-CCS1 adapter.

Ever since past April, I have really enjoyed charging at Tesla - no more lines, no waiting, faster charges on V3 towers and they are located in nicer areas with shopping opportunities...

64 station Mega Tesla SC opened up near my home:

 

[VolInGa]

Any word on when VW will have access to Tesla Superchargers ?

When Ford was the first brand to access Tesla SC, that was what made me keep the Mach E instead of trading it in because finding CCS1 fast chargers were a pain.

So many brands started giving away free charging sessions at EA and the lines got very long on the very few working charge towers.

I was about to give up and then Ford announced access using a NACS-CCS1 adapter.

Ever since past April, I have really enjoyed charging at Tesla - no more lines, no waiting, faster charges on V3 towers and they are located in nicer areas with shopping opportunities...

64 station Mega Tesla SC opened up near my home:

Supposed to be sometime in 2025, but I haven’t seen a firm date.