Data reveals Tesla Model S batteries aren't losing much capacity with age

[Shawn Knight]

All-electric vehicles may very well be the wave of the future but right now, they’re just a niche product with extremely limited support as it relates to public charging facilities. This of course leads to range anxiety, or the concern that one may end up stranded on the side of the road with a depleted battery.

Another concern that isn’t discussed nearly as often is lithium battery capacity degeneration, or how a battery fares over multiple years and recharge cycles.

In a survey of Tesla Model S owners conducted by electric vehicle advocacy group Plug-in America, data reveals that the Model S on average lost about five percent of its capacity within the first 50,000 miles. From that point, degradation slowed significantly as more miles were accumulated.

Long-term data isn’t yet known due to the fact that the Model S has only been around for four years but the results thus far look promising. Tesla’s Model S includes a transferrable eight year / infinite mile warranty although it doesn’t cover degradation as a result of normal use.

Plug-in America’s survey included data from 496 vehicles that have driven a combined 12,599,479 miles. It's a respectable sample size but of course, more data would always be welcomed.

Assuming electric cars are the next big thing, capacity degeneration will likely improve in new models courtesy of enhanced battery technology (fingers crossed, anyway).

Lead image courtesy Inside EVs

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https://www.techspot.com/news/65138-data-reveals-tesla-model-s-batteries-arent-losing.html

 

[VitalyT]

I would jump on the wagon, if the range was 2x of what it is now with Model S. The current range is just not good enough for a daily driver.

 

[davislane1]

I would jump on the wagon, if the range was 2x of what it is now with Model S. The current range is just not good enough for a daily driver.

I take it you don't live in the suburbs.

 

[VitalyT]

I take it you don't live in the suburbs.

I live 30 mins from the city, driving back and forth a lot. We do have a few charging spots now, but parking near them isn't always possible.

 

[Greg S]

I would jump on the wagon, if the range was 2x of what it is now with Model S. The current range is just not good enough for a daily driver.

I take it you don't live in the suburbs.

I live in a suburb and 300 miles still isn't enough for me. I can't do a decent length day trip without having to recharge, and that would be a massive pain because there aren't enough supercharge stations yet. If supercharge stations were as ubiquitous as gas stations, I wouldn't really have a problem.

 

[davislane1]

I live in a suburb and 300 miles still isn't enough for me. I can't do a decent length day trip without having to recharge, and that would be a massive pain because there aren't enough supercharge stations yet. If supercharge stations were as ubiquitous as gas stations, I wouldn't really have a problem.

You do 300+ daily? That's a lot of driving.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

A full charge in that battery should last me close to a month so the battery may even outlive the vehicle.

 

[Mythris9]

I would jump on the wagon, if the range was 2x of what it is now with Model S. The current range is just not good enough for a daily driver.

I take it you don't live in the suburbs.

I live in a suburb and 300 miles still isn't enough for me. I can't do a decent length day trip without having to recharge, and that would be a massive pain because there aren't enough supercharge stations yet. If supercharge stations were as ubiquitous as gas stations, I wouldn't really have a problem.

At an average of 65 Mph highway driving that would be more than 4.5 hours of driving a day....holy crap man! If you actually drive that much on average you are right that a 300 mile range EV wouldn't work....but dang that is a ton of driving!

 

[deemon]

I would jump the wagon if the model S price was 25% of it's current price or 50% of their new "cheap" model. Right now it's just absurd for common people.

 

[tonylukac]

Why don't they put the mac battery in there. It lasts about 14 hours on one charge. You heard of dilithium to power star trek star ships? This might be lithium ion.

 

[captaincranky]

Why don't they put the mac battery in there. It lasts about 14 hours on one charge. You heard of dilithium to power star trek star ships? This might be lithium ion.

Dude those are "Dilithium crystals" in the "Enterprise". It isn't the double lithium molecule that gives it its power, it's the magic contained in the crystalline structure itself..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_healing

Did you know if you build a pyramid over the battery in a Tesla, it will never go bad. Dead maybe, but not bad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_power

 

[davislane1]

Did you know if you build a pyramid over the battery in a Tesla, it will never go bad. Dead maybe, but not bad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_power

Introducing the IBM Watson Z. When resting on a Tesla, enables range overclocking to 315.44521 miles (warning: voids warrantee):
)

 

[captaincranky]

Introducing the IBM Watson Z. When resting on a Tesla, enables range overclocking to 315.44521 miles (warning: voids warrantee):
)

Wouldn't it be super to have a miniature one of those which you could hang from the rear view mirror, and it doubled as a pyramid powered air freshener? Those pine tree things are so tacky. Although, the police might stop you thinking it was some sort of drug paraphernalia.

 

[DaveBG]

The myths trolls post that batteries will degrade and will cost a fortune to replace thus making the free electricity irrelevant are going down one by one.

 

[tonylukac]

Dude those are "Dilithium crystals" in the "Enterprise". It isn't the double lithium molecule that gives it its power, it's the magic contained in the crystalline structure itself..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_healing

Did you know if you build a pyramid over the battery in a Tesla, it will never go bad. Dead maybe, but not bad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_power

I think you're talking about a different kind of crystal. But to talk about my kind of crystals, I like msg crystals like accent. They do wonders for the mind like the chinese know (caffeine is a form of glutamate), and are an aphrodisiac, as the overpopulation of china proves. My boss tom at littelfuse used to put oranges under pyramids and claimed they stayed fresh. Never got into that. Tried staying at the luxor in vegas which is in the shape of a pyramid, but wasn't actually in the pyramid part. Only thing it brought me was involvement in a pyramid scheme, which I never took part in. My brothers x wife carolyn was offered the same life insurance selling scheme quitting her job as an accountant (cpa), and they got divorced because of her obsession with it, never wanting to do anything else, never earning any money.

 

[Raoul Duke]

I think you're talking about a different kind of......caffeine is a form of glutamate

I think you are talking about a different type of caffeine, not related to glutamate in any way I can think of except they are both organic, have an effect on the human body

 

[Raoul Duke]

The myths trolls post that batteries will degrade and will cost a fortune to replace thus making the free electricity irrelevant are going down one by one.

hmmm, batteries do degrade, making them degrade less is called progress, but they still degrade, it's a matter of degree.
Free electricity?

 

[captaincranky]

The myths trolls post that batteries will degrade and will cost a fortune to replace thus making the free electricity irrelevant are going down one by one.

Perhaps trolls have never used nickel cadmium batteries when they casually say, "batteries don't degrade". You know what a "ni-cad is right"? If not, look it up in your 5th grade history book.

 

[captaincranky]

I think you are talking about a different type of caffeine, not related to glutamate in any way I can think of except they are both organic, have an effect on the human body

You can never be sure what Tony is talking about. I still think it's possible that his dead pan humor is far too advanced for us earthlings...