There are two camps in the EV world from what I can tell... the ones that thing range matters most and the ones that think range doesn't really matter as long as charging is fast, reliable, and available.
I think both have their pros and cons and the ideal balance is likely somewhere in the middle BUT I do think that EVs with longer range will last longer overall, and people should try to buy the longest-range EVs they can if longevity is important, even if it might cost more up front.
The reasons are simple... first off, the larger the pack the less any given driven cycles the battery. If you have to drive 100 miles in a Nissan Leaf, let's say that's approximately 1 cycle. If you have to drive 100 miles in a Chevy Bolt, let's say that's approximately half a cycle, so that's 0.5x the wear on the battery. Obviously chemistry, thermal management, etc. Make these two vehicles difficult to compare but I'm trying to keep it simple.
Plus, the sweet spot of battery longevity for NMC EV batteries seems to be 20-80%, so you should treat 20% battery as empty and not charge to more than 80%. On an EV with longer range, this is more feasible and you'll exceed that sweet spot less. For LFP, it's a bit different, but most EVs are still NMC and it seems it'll stay that way for the forseeable future.
The other reason I think longer range EVs will last longer is they tend to have larger batteries and so any given charge or discharge rate ends up is less stressful for the battery. I think the term used here is "C rate".
All that aside, over time, an EV that started with more range will remain useful longer after degradation. For example, an EV that came with 100 mile range with 70% degradation only has a 30 mile range which is basically useless, while a 300-mile EV with 70% degradation would still have a 90 mile range, which is far more useful.
On the flip side, however, the more cells you have the battery the more likely you are to have a cell failure, which will effectively brick the car. Degradation is the loss of range but the car still works, while an individual cell going bad means the car doesn't work anymore. In this regard, an EV with a smaller battery with less cells might end up being more reliable?
Thoughts? Opinions?
I think both have their pros and cons and the ideal balance is likely somewhere in the middle BUT I do think that EVs with longer range will last longer overall, and people should try to buy the longest-range EVs they can if longevity is important, even if it might cost more up front.
The reasons are simple... first off, the larger the pack the less any given driven cycles the battery. If you have to drive 100 miles in a Nissan Leaf, let's say that's approximately 1 cycle. If you have to drive 100 miles in a Chevy Bolt, let's say that's approximately half a cycle, so that's 0.5x the wear on the battery. Obviously chemistry, thermal management, etc. Make these two vehicles difficult to compare but I'm trying to keep it simple.
Plus, the sweet spot of battery longevity for NMC EV batteries seems to be 20-80%, so you should treat 20% battery as empty and not charge to more than 80%. On an EV with longer range, this is more feasible and you'll exceed that sweet spot less. For LFP, it's a bit different, but most EVs are still NMC and it seems it'll stay that way for the forseeable future.
The other reason I think longer range EVs will last longer is they tend to have larger batteries and so any given charge or discharge rate ends up is less stressful for the battery. I think the term used here is "C rate".
All that aside, over time, an EV that started with more range will remain useful longer after degradation. For example, an EV that came with 100 mile range with 70% degradation only has a 30 mile range which is basically useless, while a 300-mile EV with 70% degradation would still have a 90 mile range, which is far more useful.
On the flip side, however, the more cells you have the battery the more likely you are to have a cell failure, which will effectively brick the car. Degradation is the loss of range but the car still works, while an individual cell going bad means the car doesn't work anymore. In this regard, an EV with a smaller battery with less cells might end up being more reliable?
Thoughts? Opinions?
