Last updated on March 24th, 2023 at 02:12 pm
An Electric car gets its running power from a battery pack. But, once the battery wears out it needs to be replaced. The cost of a new battery can be expensive, so it’s important to know what you’re getting into before making the switch. In this article, we will see how much does it cost to replace an EV battery? And what you can expect to pay.
Cost to replace an EV battery (Short answer)
The cost to replace an EV battery depends on factors like vehicle model and type of battery back. But we can assume that for a 1kWh battery it is around $180. So, if you have a battery pack of 45kWh then the cost would be around $8100. To know more, keep on reading the article.
Understanding the EV battery
The IC engines obtain their energy from burning fuels like diesel or gasoline but in electric vehicles it is different. They require giant battery packs to acquire their energy. To understand we can consider them as the bigger version of the Li-ion batteries used in smartphones. The EV battery pack is made by joining the thousands of separate cells working together.
What is the need to replace an EV Battery?
Electricity is required to initiate the electrochemical reactions in the batteries during the charging process. The same process is reversed while driving the vehicle on the road for electricity generation. This way a battery goes through the cycles of “charging” and “discharging”. Its capacity gets affected by this repetitive process with time resulting in a reduction of the range. Also, it reduces the time required to charge between the trips.
How long does an EV battery last?
Electric vehicle buyers often come across the question of how long the battery of an electric vehicle lasts. An EV battery is expected to last around 10 to 20 years before replacement is required while the warranty offered is for 5 to 8 years. EV companies worldwide are putting efforts to extend the life of EV batteries with measures like cooling systems and limiting the number of cycles it goes through. Read more.
How much does it cost to replace an EV Battery?
The cost of replacing the battery of any EV depends on many factors. Under warranty, it could be replaced for free but if the warranty period is over this cost can go up to $137 per kWh as per Bloomberg data for 2020. Sometimes, even the low-end cost of battery replacement can be equivalent to replacing the transmission of an IC engine vehicle.
Though the cost is changing constantly, according to a report by McKinsey it has been reduced by approx. 80% from $1000 to $227 for one kWh between 2010 to 2016. And it is expected to go down to $120/kWh by 2025 according to the report by International Council on Clean Transportation.
Factors affecting battery replacement cost
The factors upon which the replacement cost depends are:
- The vehicle you are driving
- Size of the battery pack
- Warranty of the battery pack
- Metals used in the battery pack ( expensive metals increase the battery cost)
Battery replacement cost of some EVs
The Li-ion battery cost in India can range between Rs18,000 to 22,000 per kWh, though it can vary depending upon the state. To get a better perspective of the cost of battery replacement in India we can look at a few examples. Let us first look at the most renowned international brand, Tesla.
What is the cost of replacing the battery of a Tesla Model 3?
According to the receipt provided by one customer for the replacement of a battery of 75kWh, the following are the charges: Battery- $13500, Labor- $2299.27 resulting in a total cost of $15799.27. We can derive that the cost for 1kWh is around $180, though there are very fewer data due to the newness of the model.
Similar Articles on EV Batteries
What is the cost of replacing the battery of Tata Nexon?
By far the most famous Indian EV in the market is the Tata Nexon EV providing the best range with a Li-ion battery pack of 31 kWh. Considering the price for a Li-ion battery pack of 1kWh is around Rs15,000 to 20,000. Therefore the total cost of the battery pack for Tata Nexon is around 5.50 lakh to 6.20 lakh.
Now moving on to the other example of an EV built in China by Morris Garages.
What is the cost of replacing the battery of MG ZS?
The EV is fully designed and built in China, it has a Li-ion battery pack of 44.5 kWh and 394 V. Again assuming the cost of the battery is around 15,000-20,000 rupees the total cost of this battery would be 6.6 to 8.5 lakh in India.
Must read: 4 Helpful Tips for Electric Car Maintenance (with FAQs)
Conclusion
The cost of battery replacement is similar to other costs related to an EV. Despite certain battery advancements, it is still expensive today, but we can see the continuous decline in its value. If you want to avoid replacing the battery too soon, you can try a few tips like avoiding fast charging in cold weather. Also, try keeping the battery charge in the range of 20 to 80% to avoid a reduction of charge capacity.
On an average a nuclear family drives assuming 100000 KM spends around Rs. 6,66,000/- using IC engine with current rate of gasoline price, Going with EV I, didn’t see advantage, the battery price is around is same as gasoline price, ( charging of batter is excluded). There may be different over heads, one need to be calculate it, with dripping in price EV battery, in future it may become more affordable and economical.
Hi Dharmraj,
You made a valid point – the cost of batteries for electric vehicles is currently quite expensive, and it’s important to do your research before making the switch to electric. However, there are many factors to consider when looking at the cost of a car – not just the price of the battery. In addition, battery technology is constantly evolving and becoming more affordable, so it’s likely that the cost of batteries for electric vehicles will go down in the future. There are also many government incentives available for people who switch to electric cars, which can offset some of the cost difference. So while there are certainly some costs to consider when making the switch to electric, there are also many benefits that should be taken into account as well.