Not Tesla became the leader in battery longevity - study
Kyiv • UNN
A new study crowned the Kia EV6 for battery longevity, while the Tesla Model Y also ranked high. 80% of used electric vehicles and hybrids retained 90% or more of their useful battery capacity.
A new study crowned the Kia EV6 for battery durability, while the Tesla Model Y did not take the lead but also ranked high, UNN reports with reference to InsideEVs.
Details
Swedish used car broker Kvdbil analyzed data from 1,300 used electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to determine how much the cars' batteries had aged. This study not only provided interesting insights into how old battery-powered cars perform over the years but also helped crown one of the electric vehicles in terms of battery life: the Kia EV6. It is immediately followed by the electric Kia Niro.
Kvdbil's study focuses on the state of health (SoH) - a way to measure the loss of useful capacity of an EV battery over time.
Of the entire sample of 1,366 vehicles - 723 electric vehicles and 643 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles - eight out of 10 vehicles studied retained 90% or more of their original battery capacity.
In the case of the Kia EV6, it showed the smallest decrease in capacity among all tested models. Thus, after many years of operation and huge mileage, this model consistently held its charge better than other electric vehicles studied.
"We were a little surprised that so many electric cars performed so well," said Martin Reinholdsson, head of testing at Kvdbil, according to the Sweden Herald. He added that, despite Kia taking first place in the study, the company concluded that battery charge level depends more on overall use and environmental factors than on the manufacturer.
"It's not tied to a typical car or a typical manufacturer. Rather, it's related to wear and tear, that's our analysis," Reinholdsson said. "Age, climate, driving style, and charging habits all have a pretty strong impact on wear and tear."
In the study of the top 10 EV and PHEV brands, Kia was placed first, while Tesla received 4th.
Kvdbil's conclusion about an average SoH loss of 10% is said to coincide with the results of another study by British EV dealer RSEV.