Electric vehicles are currently seeing major interest from drivers these days. The increased interest can be attributed to the immense amount of torque, the lower cost of ownership, ecological friendliness and much more. India in the past few years has seen a surge in demand for EVs, despite the number of challenges like range anxiety, high upfront cost, lack of public charging infrastructure and lack of options to name a few. Also Read – Xiaomi electric cars are coming in first half of 2024, confirms company: Check details
One of the major concerns that dawn over buyers is the range of batteries. While the average range of EV two-wheelers is around 70km and four-wheelers is 200+ km. The number continues to degrade with usage. All EV batteries come with a lifespan similar to phone batteries. This degradation of batteries impacts the performance and range of EV powertrains. Also Read – Honda shows two new production EVs, three concept models under e:N series: Check details
Here we will be taking a look at some of the top reasons, which lead to the degradation of EV batteries. Also Read – Best electric scooter or bike to buy in India: Ola S1, Revolt RV 400, Ather 450X, more
Time
From the moment you start using an EV, its battery starts degradation with it only having a set number of charge cycles. So basically, the older the battery, the higher the amount of degradation. Newer liquid-cooled next-gen batteries have a lower percentage of degradation, but still have an impact, which starts showing after a certain time of driving.
Climate
The climate in which an EV operates plays a key role in battery performance. Temperatures are a key factor in battery degradation, with colder temperatures slowing down the charging rate and reducing the range, and warm temperatures help with rapid battery charging. However, prolonged usage in hot and humid climates damage battery cells impacting performance and range.
Fast Charging
While fast charging in EVs is a lifesaver at times, it also degrades your battery much faster. The increased thermal load and the excessive heat that is generated damages the battery cells, thus affecting the performance and range capacity.
Charging habits
Charging is one of the major aspects that you should focus on to increase the life of your vehicle’s battery. You should maintain good charging habits to extend the battery life of your EVs battery, and not be abusing the battery like completely draining out the battery regularly, fast charging frequently and more.
