DEKRA – Electric car batteries last longer than some consumers fear
- Example: Experiences with electric taxi fleet in Munich
- Used car market for electric vehicles stands and falls with battery condition
- DEKRA’s patented test procedure delivers precise results quickly
The batteries of electric cars last longer than consumers sometimes fear. This is what the experts at DEKRA have concluded from more than 25,000 “state of health” tests that have been carried out using the patented DEKRA battery rapid test procedure. Even with higher mileage, the vast majority of drive batteries are still in good condition. One example is the Jaguar electric taxis that went into service in Munich in 2018.
Six Jaguar I-PACEs were tested by DEKRA this year. With mileages ranging from just under 180,000 km to more than 260,000 km, the state of health of the drive batteries was between 95 and 97 percent.
Gregor Beiner, Managing Director of Munich Taxi Center, mtz, explains :
We charged the vehicles on average about one and a half times a day, not particularly gently, but always to the full capacity, in order to give the drivers the appropriate security with regard to the range. Our experience with the electric vehicles has been extremely positive,
“The batteries are very, very durable, and especially with the safety buffers that the manufacturers install, they retain their capacity for a very long time. That’s why we continued down this path. Today we have around 70 vehicles in the fleet, a good third of which are electric vehicles from various brands. We want to have electrified our entire fleet by 2029.”
In the used car market, many prospective buyers are still very cautious when it comes to electric vehicles.
Christoph Nolte, Executive Vice President of DEKRA and Head of the Service Division Vehicles, says :
For example, many people transfer their experience with smartphone batteries to the topic of electromobility.
“They have experienced that mobile devices have a noticeably lower battery capacity after just a few years, and fear the same effect with electric vehicles, Our experience with the quick battery test shows significantly longer service lives. The drive batteries are very good overall. Even with higher mileage, we still find a ‘state of health’ of over 90 percent in most cases.”
However, there are also outliers. Depending on driving style, climate and charging behavior, a drive battery in an electric vehicle can age more slowly or more quickly. As the most expensive component of the entire vehicle, it has a decisive influence on the value of a used electric car. Therefore, reliable information on the battery condition is a crucial factor for a functioning used car market.
DEKRA battery quick test provides precise information in the shortest possible time
The patented DEKRA battery quick test is already offered in many European countries and is currently available for around 130 different vehicle models. Within 15 minutes, the procedure provides a precise result on the health of the battery using a static test and a short acceleration drive of around 50 to 100 meters. The basis is the so-called parameterization of the individual vehicle models, in which the battery is stressed and evaluated in a new state during complex test drives under a wide variety of conditions.
Christoph Nolte, explains :
This creates a kind of coordinate structure that our system uses to analyze and evaluate the actual measured values during the test,
“The bottom line is that no other method on the market can provide information about the battery’s condition as quickly or as precisely.”
DEKRA experts are currently working on a further development of the test procedure that does not require a journey at all. The relevant measured values are to be determined while the battery is subjected to a short charging process instead of acceleration.
DEKRA expert Nolte, says :
We want to gradually bring the further developed test procedure onto the market for various vehicle models over the course of the next year. Then the whole thing will be even more straightforward,
The patented DEKRA battery quick test is available at all 74 DEKRA branches nationwide by appointment. Further information and an overview of the models currently available for testing are available online at www.dekra.de/batterie-schnelltest
This service will also be offered in the new year to meet the specific needs of certain customer groups for whom simply reading out manufacturer values is sufficient.
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DEKRA – Electric car batteries last longer than some consumers fear, source
