In real-world driving, a three-year-old Tesla Model 3 or Model Y will likely retain about 64% of its EPA rating, according to analysis from battery data company Recurrent.
Recurrent cites reports on the battery health of used electric vehicles, based on observations of cars on the road. In 898,504 observations on 7,078 Model 3 sedans and 664,642 observations on 5,120 Model Y crossovers, Recurrent found that range tends to drop sharply in the first 1,000 days or nearly three years of battery life, reaching the That 64% EPA range, before that. stable.
Tesla Model Y range decline (via Recurrent)
Tesla Model 3 range decline (via Recurrent)
It’s worth noting that these cars don’t start at 100% of their EPA ratings in real-world use — more like 70% of them, representing Tesla’s more generous correction factor from the start when calculating calculate its posted range number.
According to Recurrent, the degradation of lithium-ion batteries tends to follow an S-shaped curve. When the battery is new, the company says, there can be some noticeable degradation as the battery settles into a steady state. , but this will subside over a period of time. Eventually, the battery will start to degrade significantly again later on, to the point where it needs to be replaced.
There are some similarities here between the deterioration of electric vehicle batteries and the overall depreciation of new cars. That also tends to increase the most in the first three years of ownership.
2024 Tesla Model Y. – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
And once again, Recurrent’s results highlight that battery degradation is predictable and predictable there is no possibility of “brick” your EV. And remember, battery replacements are relatively rare. Outside of major recalls, Recurrent estimates that only 2.3% of electric vehicle batteries have been replaced — and most of those batteries are in older vehicles. According to Recurrent, an estimated 13% of electric vehicles from model year 2015 and earlier have had their batteries replaced, but less than 1% of electric vehicles from 2016 or later have needed a battery replacement. And many of those replacements are covered by warranty.
Recurrent also reported last year that Teslas appeared to be unaffected in terms of degradation, by fast charging regularly, like other electric vehicles. they are affected by hot weatherHowever, the company found it. And although cold weather doesn’t seem to have much to do with battery degradation, it could make a big dent in the rangedepending on model.
