Tesla Has Good News for Used EV Sales

Two common questions for those interested in buying a new or used electric car revolve around battery life and mileage. How well does a battery hold up after years of recharging? This week, Tesla gave us a rare look at its behind-the-scenes data for a vehicle battery after 200,000 miles.

During Tesla’s annual impact report for 2022, the company confirmed some key details for prospective buyers. After selling vehicles for over a decade, the data suggests that its batteries only lose about 12% of capacity after 200,000 miles. This is known as battery degradation, and anyone with a smartphone understands that over time lithium-ion doesn’t hold the same charge as it did when new.

As noted by Electrek, these numbers are slightly worse than the just above 10% Tesla last reported, but it’s still a pretty impressive statistic. It suggests that after owning and driving a Tesla for years or putting a heavy 200,000 miles on the vehicle, its battery will still be in great shape. Or, if you’re considering a used Tesla, the battery is likely still in excellent working order.

However, it’s worth noting that most of the data is for the older Model S and Model X, as Tesla has more data for those vehicles. A more affordable car like the Model 3 with a smaller battery may have more recharges to reach 200K miles, which could have more degradation over time.

Another way of looking at this data is that an aging Tesla Model S with 200,000 miles on a battery that’s degraded about 12% over its life will drop from an estimated range of 405 miles per charge to roughly 357 miles per charge. That’s due to the battery degrading a bit over time. Similar to an old gas vehicle that doesn’t get the same MPG thanks to wear and tear.

Another interesting fact from Tesla’s impact report is that its EVs avoided releasing nearly 13.4 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere in 2022. Or, in other terms, that’s roughly 33 billion miles of driving without all the emissions.

For those wondering, Tesla offers a battery and drive unit warranty for at least eight years or 100,000 miles, and some models extend to 150,000 miles. After that period, Tesla promises its batteries are still good for at least 70% capacity. If a battery drops below that, it’s eligible for a warranty replacement. Looking at this latest 2022 data, its vehicles are holding up quite well, which is good news for used EV sales.

In closing, Tesla confirmed future impact reports would share data on newer vehicles and its latest battery chemistries, hopefully showing more improvements.

Source: Tesla via Electrek