How Long Does A Tesla Battery Last? Answered

Have you ever wondered How Long Does A Tesla Battery Last? Naturally, the manufacturer describes the Battery’s expected lifespan (which can be expensive to replace), but what about actual applications? First-time purchasers of electric vehicles have valid questions concerning factors including lifespan, replacement prices, and maximum driving range.

With conventional internal combustion engines, it was simpler to estimate the vehicle’s lifespan based on previous models’ performance, engine modifications, and ordinary wear and tear from regular use.

Although electric vehicle batteries are always improving, their production is expensive and detrimental to the environment.

What is the lifespan of a Tesla battery? The facts are broken down in this handbook.

How Long Does A Tesla Battery Last?

As stated on the Tesla website, the answer to the issue of how long Tesla batteries last over their lifetime is between 300,000 and 500,000 miles, which translates to 22 to 37 years.

However, most estimations concur that the period is more closely associated with 8 to 12 years.

What Does the Battery Warranty for a Tesla Says About Deterioration?

Like every automaker, Tesla creates its products and warranties to prevent the firm from incurring excessive costs to replace parts.

Consider the Tesla battery warranty as the absolute worst-case situation.

What is the earliest you might be responsible for a costly battery replacement if the Battery dies on the same day the warranty expires, an extremely improbable scenario?

Before 2020, Tesla offered an eight-year, unlimited-mileage warranty on the batteries and drove units of the Model S and Model X. Since then, the new vehicle warranty is eight years or 150,000 miles.

Less-priced Tesla cars have lower mileage restrictions.

While the Performance, Long Range, and Standard Range AWD models of the Model 3 and Model Y are warranted for 8 years or 120,000 miles, respectively, the Model 3 RWD is covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles.

The manufacturer guarantees that during the warranty period, the batteries will maintain at least 69% of their initial capacity (also known as 30% deterioration).

In other words, a 303-mile Model Y Performance operates as designed if it can still hold onto enough energy to travel at least 212 EPA-rated miles on a single charge.

Tesla’s Statements Regarding Battery Life

Tesla believes its batteries will endure 200,000 miles in the United States and 150,000 miles in Europe. This is according to the company’s 2021 impact assessment.

According to Tesla’s research, after 200,000 miles of use, the Model S and X batteries typically retain 90 percent of their initial capacity.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, also tweeted that the Model 3 and Model Y battery pack was intended to survive 1,500 charging cycles, roughly 300,000 miles for Standard Range models and 500,000 miles for Long Range models.

Until recently, most Tesla vehicles sold in the United States used a lithium-ion battery chemistry called nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA).

However, the business has lately begun using lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries in less expensive Model 3 models.

Although these cells don’t have the same energy density as NCA batteries, they should be more resistant to deterioration.

The Model Y Standard Range AWD leaving Tesla’s Texas Gigafactory has also begun using its new, bigger 4680 nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) cells.

Before we completely grasp how these new cells perform in the real world, it will probably be more than ten years.

Teslas With High Mileage in the Real World

With over a million Tesla cars sold, there are numerous actual cases of owners clocking astronomical mileage.

A 2013 Tesla Model S P85 driven by Twitter user gem8mingen has traveled more than one million miles since the original battery pack was changed at 180,000 miles.

One of the first to drive a 2016 Model X 90D past 300,000 miles was Tesloop, a former shuttle service in California, back in 2018.

Even while the business recorded only 12.6% battery deterioration, with most of it occurring in the first nine months of use, that electric SUV largely relied on DC fast charging, which can cause batteries to deteriorate more quickly.

The Maiden Voyage blog details one owner’s experiences with a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long RWD Range that got the 200,000-mile mark with 13.7 percent deterioration.

Cory, a MotorTrend reader, informed us that his 2018 Model 3 Long Range had reached the milestone of 100,000 miles in late June 2022 with only a 7% capacity loss.

How to Examine a Tesla’s Battery Life?

Checking the Battery’s condition is a good idea if you intend to purchase a secondhand Tesla.

Comparing the displayed range to the EPA-rated range after the car has been fully charged is the quickest way to determine how much a battery has degraded.

The problem with this approach is that Tesla can change the displayed range through software upgrades.

For instance, Tesla expanded the Model 3 Long Range RWD range from 310 miles to 325 miles in 2019 due to a software upgrade that increased motor efficiency.

The conclusion would be wrongly skewed if someone utilized the initial 310 miles to calculate battery depreciation today.

Take note of the “+kWh” figure in the top left of the Model 3/Y main screen, the Model S/X instrument cluster, or the Tesla app, as the battery gets charged from 10% to 100%.

This is another simple approach to monitor battery degeneration.

Compare the result to the factory-stated usable battery capacity when the Battery was brand-new by dividing that value by 0.9.

Although this method is flawed as well, it should provide you with a reliable estimate of battery degeneration.

Tesla made a battery health check available to all owners in its Service mode at the end of 2022.

The technique requires a 50% or less battery charge and a 240-volt Level 2 charging station connection.

Even while the test can be completed in as little as 24 hours, if you begin with a lower state of charge, say 10% instead of 50%, this is still quite a long time.

Go to the Software page for the vehicle, hold down the Model logo for a short period, enter “Service” for the access code, and then hit Enable to activate Service mode.

Select Battery from the Service mode menu, followed by High Voltage and Health Test.

Then, as directed on the screen, raise the turn-signal stalk, apply the brake, and position your Tesla key card on the center console until the screen indicates the vehicle is in the Gateway State: Unlocked state. The process for the Health Test can then start.

When the battery pack is completely discharged to zero and progressively recharged to 100 percent, the vehicle will make some peculiar noises.

Once the test is complete, a new battery health percentage will be displayed in the HV Battery column.

It should be noted that this figure refers to battery health rather than battery capacity, and we are still determining the criteria used by Tesla to conclude.

As an illustration, we just performed the battery health test on a Model 3 with 69 kWh of its original 74 kWh of energy capacity and earned an 86 percent battery health score.

We advise against performing the battery health test frequently.

Tesla will only provide a warranty for pack deterioration if the result is below 70% after the discharge to zero and charge to full operation adds wear to the pack.

If you own a car, you could be interested in adopting one of the techniques above to examine it once a year but don’t stress over it.

A certain amount of battery deterioration is natural and expected.

What Tesla charging options are available to me?

Depending on the features of each model, Tesla uses a different type of lithium-ion battery.

A 100-kilowatt-hour battery is utilized in the Model X and Model S to increase their capacity for power storage on a single charge.

Your car model and the EV charger you use will determine the charging rate. Consider the Model S as an example.

The Performance and Long Range Models come with an 11.5-kilowatt-hour onboard charger, which means it will take 6 hours to charge a 60-kilowatt-hour battery fully.

Tesla stopped including wall chargers with their vehicles this year, so you must purchase one separately.

Superchargers are accessible and can be used for a cost. These can provide you with a range of up to 200 miles after only 15 minutes of charging.

Just be careful while using these quick chargers, as they might shorten the lifespan of your automobile and strain EV batteries.

Fortunately, the Level 1/Level 2 Tesla Charger by Lectron offers a practical alternative.

It has interchangeable NEMA 5-15 and 14-50 plugs that enable 12 amp and 32 amp charging for your Tesla, allowing you to charge it at home and while you’re out and about.

Additionally, Tesla drivers have everything they need to charge their EV batteries overnight thanks to charging stations like the Lectron V-BOX 40A and 48A and the Lectron J1772 to Tesla converter.

How frequently should Tesla batteries be replaced?

Once your Tesla has lost 20% of its range, the Battery needs to be replaced. After 100,000 miles, Tesla owners lose 5%.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, asserted that a Tesla battery can go between 300,000 and 500,000 miles in a Tweet.

Your battery life should last between 21 and 35 years if you drive the 273 miles per week national average.

The point is that a Tesla battery replacement is extremely unlikely to occur. It’s more likely that you’ll need to replace your electric car before your Battery.

How to look after Tesla battery?

People using smartphones for a while might already be accustomed to declining battery health and increasingly frequent charging cycles.

Batteries used in electric vehicles also experience this. However, a replacement battery for your Tesla might cost you an arm and a leg, unlike the lithium-ion batteries in your smartphone.

You may save much money over time by taking good care of your batteries.

Here are some pointers for preserving your Tesla model’s battery capacity and shortening the gap between charge cycles:

Use superchargers only when necessary

More heat is generated by fast charging than by conventional “slow” charging. Lithium-ion batteries degrade when exposed to excessive heat.

Utilizing Superchargers frequently could reduce Tesla vehicle longevity and battery capacity.

Charge no more than 80% unless necessary

Don’t use the Battery to its maximum capacity if you don’t need to. It’s best to charge the Battery between 80% and 90% for typical everyday use to keep it healthy.

Additionally, try to keep your Battery’s charge above 20%.

Keep a consistent charging schedule

Continue to charge your devices. The secret is consistency.

Maintaining a regular charging schedule with lower voltage home chargers and charging stations.

Your batteries won’t be overly strained during lower voltage charging.

Drive more pleasantly

Avoid abrupt acceleration changes. Long periods of excessive acceleration quickly deplete your Battery.

This can shorten the range of your car and hasten tire wear.

What else affects the battery ranges of Tesla?

Your driving style and the climate may considerably impact your battery range and life.

According to Tesla, driving uphill, inclement weather, and a lot of stop-and-go traffic can stress your Battery and reduce its lifespan and initial capacity.

Your Battery needs more power during adverse weather to keep its ideal working temperature.

Cold temperatures could impact the cracking system in your car.

The range can also be preserved by maintaining tire pressure. Lighter cargo also helps the vehicle move more easily because heavier freight uses more power.

The price of a new Tesla battery

Tesla has employed various lithium-ion battery setups in its cars throughout the years.

It is challenging to estimate the price range because there have been few reported battery replacements.

However, the price of the Battery might be between $12,000 and $15,000.

Although labor expenses are varied, you may anticipate to pay between $20,000 and $22,000 for a new battery.

Conclusion

To conclude, How Long Does A Tesla Battery Last? Tesla batteries are rated by usage rather than time; as tweeted by Elon Musk, the Batteries of Tesla last between 300,000 and 500,000 miles.

A new Tesla battery can last between 22 and 37 years based on an average of 260 miles of driving per week. However, how you care for the EV battery will determine how long your Tesla battery lasts.

For instance, if you frequently overcharge your EV battery, it will age more quickly. In addition, exposure to excessively high or low temperatures and frequent rapid charging may cause your EV battery to age more quickly.

Nevertheless, after about eight years of service, when a typical user is anticipated to travel between 100,000 and 150,000 miles, you may anticipate that your Battery will still be at about 70 to 75% of its original capacity.

Additionally, Tesla promises to replace the Battery if it deteriorates by more than 30% during the Battery’s eight-year warranty.

People Also Ask