Even with less than 100,000 miles on the odometer, this Tesla shows more significant range degradation compared to most others.
- This Tesla Model Y has slightly less than 100,000 miles on the odometer.
- Even with the fairly low mileage, the battery pack shows more than usual wear and tear.
These days, electric vehicle batteries are quite durable, featuring numerous
studies
demonstrating that the high-voltage systems energizing contemporary electric vehicles are expected to endure far beyond initial projections. Nonetheless, occasionally, anomalies will emerge.
That’s precisely how things were in the year 2022.
Tesla Model Y
Long Range showcased by renowned YouTube electric vehicle tester
Bjorn Nyland
In the video below, even though it’s only three years old and has less than 100,000 miles (160,934 kilometers) on the odometer, the electric crossover’s battery shows more deterioration than average.
Usually,
Tesla
For EVs with identical age and mileage, the battery degradation typically ranges from 5% to 7%. However, this specific Model Y shows a computed degradation of 11.5%.
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The reason for this excessive degradation isn’t clear. Some studies say fast charging accelerates degradation, while others say there’s no clear indication that this will happen. This car had roughly a third of charging done at DC stalls and two-thirds from AC sources. So even if fast charging does have negative side effects, it likely wouldn’t be a major factor here.
Nyland filled the car’s battery to full charge and proceeded onto the expressway driving around 62 mph (100 kph). He halted his journey once the battery dropped down to 2%, covering a distance of 171 miles (276 km), with the surrounding air temperature being approximately 34°F (1°C).
Apart from providing reduced mileage compared to its brand-new state, the LG-produced battery pack in this Model Y seems to struggle with fully absorbing up to 250 kilowatts during rapid charging. In Nyland’s tests, despite pre-conditioning the battery and employing two individual chargers able to supply over 500 amps each, including a V4 Tesla Supercharger, the vehicle only managed to exceed slightly past 200 kW. Consequently, drivers can expect more frequent and longer breaks for charging sessions.
Every electric vehicle battery deteriorates with time; however, it’s important to recognize that this decline tends to be more significant during the initial years. Following this period, the decrease slows down considerably. Many electric vehicles continue to retain above 85% of their original capacity even after a decade of use.
hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of miles
As a general guideline, most electric vehicle owners shouldn’t consider battery degradation a significant issue. However, exceptions do occur, and this specific Model Y appears to fall into that category.