Time Tested: New EV Battery Displays Remarkable Lifespan

When it comes to electric vehicles, critics have referred time and again to the fact that the death and replacement of batteries nullifies any savings made at the pump. With a battery’s limited lifespan, and battery prices still high, drivers may not be saving much. However, recent tests by battery provider Southern California Edison (SCE) show 

Over the past two and a half years, SCE has been testing a lithium-ion battery sub-pack. And the results are incredible.  The lithium-ion battery has displayed remarkable longevity, surviving 180, 000 miles with no significant deterioration. With the average family vehicle traveling less than 15,000 miles per year, this test holds great significance. This dramatic increase in the life expectancy of an EV battery pulls the cost equation more convincingly on the EV’s side.

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The battery, a Johnson Control-Saft lithium-ion battery subpack, was tested in a commercial delivery van in a laboratory setting at SCE’s Electric Vehicle Testing Center in Pomona, CA. The battery subpack is one sixth of the actual battery size used in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

With such remarkable test results, and testing still in progress on the subpack, the U.S. Department of Energy has asked SCE to test the battery’s viability for passenger car performance.  The Department of Energy supplied a full sized battery for further testing.

SCE is testing the battery in support of the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) evaluation of plug-in hybrid EVs.

Image Credit: saftbatteries.com

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