EV mythbusting: Batteries

In the next in our series plugging you into the facts about electric vehicle charging, the EV business case and more, we take a look at The Big Three of battery misconceptions.

At Chargefox we’ve heard them all. They catch fire, do greater damage to the environment than petrol cars, and they start to degrade the moment you receive the keys to your shiny new car… we know where some of these myths originated, while others are a mystery. Let’s just say social media is partly to blame, along with an entirely human suspicion of new technology – and let’s not forget misinformation campaigns by those keen to maintain the status quo.

With more than 180,000 EVs now on Australian roads and sales growing steadily, an increasing number of Aussies are ignoring the battery myths and voting with their wallets, because once you experience the unmatched efficiency, silence, acceleration and cost savings of driving an EV, the misinformation is firmly in your rear-view.

For those with lingering doubts, here are some facts and stats we hope will set the record straight.

‍EV batteries degrade quickly

The battery in an EV is likely to last 15-20 years or more than 300,000km of driving.

There will be a small amount of degradation over time, however based on studies including all major makes and models this figure is about 2.3 per cent per year.

So, if you buy an EV with 500km of range today, you will have lost only 44km of range in five years, and about 94km after 10 years. In other words, the battery will likely outlast the vehicle it is in.

All EV makes and models come with extensive battery warranties to provide further peace of mind.

Want more data? In 2023, a US battery analysis firm found that only 1.5 per cent of batteries in a study of 15,000 EVs had been replaced under warranty. In the same year, Tesla reported that battery degradation in its older models was just 12 per cent after 200,000 miles (322,000km). 

Amazingly, Paul Curzon, a taxi driver from the UK, has driven his Tesla Model S more than 430,000 miles (690,000km) on the original battery and only lost about 65 miles of range!

‍EVs catch fire (and it’s all the battery’s fault)

‍Electric vehicle fires are very, very rare. In fact, a petrol vehicle is at least 20 times more likely to catch fire than an EV.

That’s according to a September 2023 finding by world-leading researchers at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne.

Between 2010 and September 2023, Australia recorded only six lithium-ion battery fires in electric vehicles, according to EV FireSafe, which the federal Department of Defence funds to research EV battery fires. In none of these cases was the vehicle charging.

In all cases the fire was due to damage to the battery pack from outside sources: one case of arson; three instances where the building the car was in burnt down for reasons unrelated to the vehicle; one collision and one case of severe damage from debris on a country road. 

What about in countries where EVs have been around for more than a decade? Well, the stats speak for themselves. EV FireSafe found that between 2010 and 2023, about 0.0012% of all electric passenger vehicles caught fire. “At the end of May 2024, we were able to verify 490 electric car battery fires globally since 2010,” it reported.

Our friends at the NRMA note that to reduce fire and other safety risks, all vehicles sold in Australia must adhere to strict Australian Design Rule regulations, which include specific rules for vehicles with electric powertrains.

‍EV batteries are an environmental hazard

An EV battery is far less impactful than a combustion engine car over its lifetime.

There’s no doubt EVs have an enviably low carbon footprint once they’re on the road.

According to an article by the ABC an EV in Australia will pay off the “carbon debt” incurred in its manufacture after about 38,000km of driving. Better yet, each year renewables account for a higher proportion of Australia’s electricity supply, meaning that even when charging from the grid, the same EV actually gets cleaner over time. In contrast, tail-pipe emissions from a petrol or diesel vehicle remain approximately the same for the life of the vehicle.

But what about mining the materials and making the batteries?

Mining and processing any material has an environmental impact, and this is true for the materials used to manufacture the batteries that go into EVs.

We must however make a comparison with the relative environmental impact of the equivalent alternative - in this case, the oil which is then refined to produce petrol and diesel.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported in 2018 that 89 per cent of global emissions come from fossil fuels. To suggest mining the equivalent battery minerals could exceed this would be a stretch, even for the most strident “petrol-head”.

What about when the battery does eventually reach “end of life”?

In Australia, the CEO of the Association for the Battery Recycling Industry, Katharine Hole, told the ABC in June 2024 that EV batteries were generally not ending up in landfill these days because most car makers had direct relationships with recyclers.

EV batteries can be repurposed as stationary energy storage for powering homes or the grid, where they may provide another decade of service.

As they are packed with valuable and highly prized minerals, once a battery does eventually cease operating it will likely be recycled - starting the process all over again.

Compare this to burning petrol and diesel which is burned once and ends up as a lot of hot air.

‍Are you an EV driver tired of hearing myths about electric vehicles? Or are you considering getting your first EV but have some uncertainties? Connect with us on our social media channels, and we'll help clear things up!