Electric vehicles don’t stay in the U.S. fleet as long as gasoline-powered cars and trucks, a new study finds, which could be an issue for real-world fleet emissions reductions.
The average age of light vehicles in the US has hit a record high of 12.5 years, according to S&P Global Mobility, but the average age of electric vehicles in the fleet is just 3.6 years, down from 3.7 years in 2013. 2022. It’s the result of a more recent surge in electric vehicle sales (12.5 years ago, the Tesla Model S wasn’t even sold), but still creates a barrier to affordability by keep used electric car prices relatively high.
More worrisome is perhaps the way the study found that while new electric vehicle registrations have increased dramatically, electric vehicles are also leaving the fleet at a faster rate than petrol cars.
Chevrolet Spark EV 2015
S&P Global Mobility estimates that new electric vehicle registrations will reach nearly 758,000 by 2022—a 58% increase year-over-year. However, of the nearly 2.3 million electric vehicles registered in the United States between 2013 and 2022, about 6.6% have left the fleet, while about 5.2% of other vehicle types have left. from the fleet in the same time frame, the study found.
The study doesn’t suggest why EVs are leaving the fleet at a faster rate, but it’s likely not due to degraded batteries or durability. A recent study by Recurrent, which sells battery health reports for used electric vehicles, found that only 1.5% of 15,000 electric vehicles needed package replacement due to deterioration. So the battery ran out inability to brick your EV.
Insurance can also be an issueor part of it, because insurers are far more eager to eliminate EVs altogether than to fix them—especially when battery packs are involved or when there are even mild flood damage.
Nissan Leaf 2014
Manufacturers have also launched more acquisitions in some cases involving electric vehicles—from the Toyota bZ4X the wheel falls offfor those who aren’t satisfied with having to wait for a new Chevrolet Bolt EV battery while it’s out of stock summoned for fear of fire. Some EVs may have made their way to other markets as well, but it’s unclear if that’s a negligible factor.
So while degradation limit on EV . batteries can help, attempt to fix allowing easier-to-repair packages and modules will be more likely to keep more electric vehicles on the road. It’s unclear if the automakers will support that, though, as that means they’ll be loosening up the diagnostic software. Tesla has in the past been particularly hard on independent mechanics looking to repair or tune their cars.
