The batteries of electric vehicles subject to the normal use of real-world drivers – like heavy traffic, long highway trips, short city trips, and mostly being parked – could last about a third longer than researchers have generally forecast, according to a new study by scientists working in the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center, a joint center between Stanford University’s Precourt Institute for Energy and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
The batteries of electric vehicles subject to the normal use of real-world drivers – like heavy traffic, long highway trips, short city trips, and mostly being parked – could last about a third longer than researchers have generally forecast, according to a new study by scientists working in the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center, a joint center between Stanford University’s Precourt Institute for Energy and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This suggests that the owner of a typical EV may not need to replace the expensive battery pack or buy a new car for several additional years.
Almost always, battery scientists and engineers have tested the cycle lives of new battery designs in laboratories using a constant rate of discharge followed by recharging. They repeat this cycle rapidly many times to learn quickly if a new design is good or not for life expectancy, among other qualities.
This is not a good way to predict the life expectancy of EV batteries, especially for people who own EVs for everyday commuting, according to the study published Dec. 9 in Nature Energy. While battery prices have plummeted about 90% over the past 15 years, batteries still account for almost a third of the price of a new EV. So, current and future EV commuters may be happy to learn that many extra miles await them.
Read More: Stanford University
From left, Simona Onori, Devi Ganapathi, Alexis Geslin, Le Xu, and William Chueh in the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center. (Photo Credit: Jim Gensheimer / SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
