Electric vehicles have numerous advantages over cars with internal combustion engines, but there is an unpleasant truth hidden under the sheet metal. While classic engines wear out over time, the size of their fuel tank does not decrease. On the other hand, electric vehicle batteries will inevitably suffer from capacity degradation and consequent reduction in range. The only question is how much worse the condition will get before the battery becomes unusable. The answer to that question is given by a seven-year-old Tesla Model 3 that still runs on its original battery.
Tesla is not 610,000 km
The example we’re talking about, owned by YouTube channel Drive Protected, has covered more than 610,000 kilometers and is still in roadworthy condition, well after most vehicles, whether electric or gasoline, would be ready for general duty. When new, this Model 3 offered a range of 386 kilometers. Today, after a full charge, it shows a range of only 254 kilometers. This is a drop of 132 kilometers, or a loss of as much as 34.2 percent of the original capacity. There is nothing to embellish here, it is a significant degradation that drops the battery capacity well below the 70 percent limit, which is the threshold that manufacturers usually cover with a warranty.
It’s not the death sentence you might expect, though. The car was put to the test under real highway conditions, where at a constant speed of around 110 km/h (68 mph) it managed to cover 222.6 kilometers (138.3 miles) before the battery reached zero percent. It doesn’t sound impressive on paper, but it’s far from unusable. For shorter daily migrations or city driving, this is still a perfectly functional vehicle.
The numbers confirm that. During the test, the car consumed 32.4 kWh of energy. That’s noticeably less than the roughly 49 kWh the battery could store when new, which matches the reduced estimated range and confirms that the degradation isn’t just theoretical. Despite losing more than a third of its capacity, nothing else on the car shows signs of fundamental failure. No catastrophic cancellations or sudden shutdowns.
What do the statistics say?
Although this case is extreme, it provides valuable insight. However, it is important to put it in a wider context. According to Tesla’s own reports, the batteries in the Model 3 and Model Y retain an average of about 85 percent of their capacity after 200,000 miles. Independent studies, such as that of Recurrent, show that the average electric vehicle retains 97 percent of its range after three years and 95 percent after five years, with most of the degradation (5-10 percent) occurring at the very beginning, after which the process slows significantly.
One of the key factors affecting battery health is the charging method. Analyzes show that the frequent use of ultra-fast DC chargers with a power of more than 100 kW can accelerate the annual degradation to about three percent, while vehicles that are mainly charged on slower AC chargers record a degradation of about 1.5 percent per year.
In a way, this car simultaneously makes the case for and against electric vehicles. Yes, battery degradation is real, measurable and significant. Making battery replacement cheaper and easier is key to the sustainability and longevity of electric vehicles in the future. But this example also shows that even after mileage that would retire most classic vehicles, an electric car can continue to drive, albeit with a shorter “tank”. For most users, whose batteries will not be exposed to these extremes, the reality is that the battery will probably outlive the rest of the car.