FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Everything You Need to Know About Electric Vehicle Batteries
Q1. How long does an EV battery last?
Properly managed EV batteries will last for more than 250,000 miles. More than most of the other vehicle components.
Q2. At what State of Health is an EV battery done?
The useful life of an EV battery with the current battery chemistries including NMC, NCA, and LFP is 70%. And while usable life as an EV battery may be over at 70% the batteries can be repurposed for other storage use cases.
Q3. How much is a replacement EV battery?
Replacing an EV battery is commonly in the $15,000 range for most non premium models.
Q4. What SoH percentage is acceptable in a used EV battery?
Used EV Batteries with a State of Health, SoH, percentage of 88% will have acceptable life if properly managed. An EV battery with 75% SoH shows heavy degradation and should be avoided.
Q5. How long does an EVV SoH test take?
Most EV ‘s can be tested in about 20 minutes.
Q6. What does an EVV test measure?
Unlike over-the-counter, OTC tools available online, EV VERIFIED diagnoses data from the cellular level starting first with the vehicle’s communication system and onboard computer, checking the battery management system, BMS, and then measuring battery temperature, current, battery pack voltages, and individual cell voltages. These measurements are combined to give you the most accurate percentage of battery State of Health as reported by the actual battery components, to the vehicle’s onboard computer, and emailed to you.
Q7. How much does an EVV SoH test cost?
EV VERIFIED pricing is designed to be competitive. You can’t do it more accurately, for less. Contract pricing is even more competitive.
Q8. Do you test all EVs?
EV VERIFIED tests more than 50 makes and models of electric vehicles. A complete list is available HERE.
Q9. What is your service area?
EV VERIFIED is licensed in the State of California. Our mobile technicians serve Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties. Our fleet management and contract services travel statewide.
Q10. What is EV battery chemistry?
Electric vehicle battery chemistry is the chemical makeup of the battery. The most common batteries currently in mass production for electric vehicles are Nickel, Magnesium, Cobalt, or NMC, Nickel, Cobalt, Aluminum Oxide, NCA, and Lithium Iron Phosphate, or LFP.
Q11. Why are there different battery chemistries?
Battery chemistries are based on use-case, or performance and range vs. daily commutes, as well as the cost of the materials. NMC and NCA batteries are mostly made of nickel which is a robust and reliable metal for EV batteries. But nickel is expensive and not necessary for most daily commutes. The most common battery chemistry in production as of this writing is LFP, or Lithium, Iron, Phosphate which is proving to be easier to manage, moire reliable and less expensive. That savings is being passed on to the consumer helping to bring the cost of new EVs down.
Q12. Can I test battery SoH on my own EV?
Yes but no. You can test the vehicle but the data is likely a guess. Over the Counter, OTC, solutions include handheld devices and mobile apps that connect with your vehicle. The handheld devices connect to the vehicle’s Onboard Diagnostic, OBD, port with a cable known as a “dongle” while apps connect through the cloud. These devices pull battery health estimates from the vehicle’s computer. This vehicle battery data from the EV’s range algorithms,which use vehicle data that may include charging history, current State of Charge, SoC, tire mileage, vehicle weight, and current range to estimate the battery SoH. In short, the results provided are a guess as to battery health.
Tesla however does provide comprehensive battery SoH tests that owners can execute over a 24 hour period. The instructions must be followed exactly and failure to follow them could impact vehicle functionality.
We recommend owners seek out a licensed diagnostic shop or dealership to provide this critical data to avoid damaging the vehicle or requesting a previously unnecessary service appointment. Licensed automotive diagnostic and repair shops provide authentic tests you can trust for the most critical EV component.