EV Range Loss and Battery Degradation - Not the same thing!?

Very interesting, I am seriously looking to go electric this year, your analysis helps thank you

Interesting blog. I owned a Nissan Leaf from when it was 3 years old (29000 miles) to when it was 5 years old (38000 miles). There was SOH reduction but the range didn't change and your blog explains that very well. So, thanks for that. I now own a Kia Soul EV 2020 that 2 years old and done 40000 miles (probably a ex company lease vehicle). The range is still over 260 miles in normal driving so while there may have been a battery degradation it has not affected the range. Have a nice day!

Enjoyed your blog. Having recently bought a new e nero 4 although the climate control is faulty and will have to go to the garage

Great diary thanks, can I ask what variation you have, is it the 4+ with the heat pump?

This is the first time I've found your diary and it was very interesting and informative. Personally, I've owned two EVs, a 22kWhr Zoe which I took to 58000 miles and was getting better range at the end (probably my driving it to better advantage) and currently a 30kWhr Kia Soul which is now at 94000 miles with no degradation either. My understanding, which could add to yours, is that there is initial degradation in the first few months or years, which the car can happily mask from the driver. After this, there is a very very long period of stability, long enough that an EV will outlive the vast majority of ICE cars, followed by a steady decline that the car will be unable to mask. Range reduction in this period will be real and you can then plot a date some years in the future when it would drop below your required minimum for it to be useful to you. The car could then be re-cycled in many different ways or re-batteried. It is good to hear the voice of reason concerning EVs. There are a few voices out there trying to point out the facts, but it seems that they are often drowned out by the silly and patently absurd 'anti' voices that pick up the mis-information and spread it faster, further and deeper than the facts seem to get. PS, loved the noisy neighbours, sounds idyllic there. Happy motoring, Tim

Not sure about individual battery cells degrading and then being dropped out as such. To get the 200 to 300 v the cells ( each around 2 to 6 volts approx) need to be wired in series so dropping out an individual cell effectively switches off that battery bank. As a battery cell fails its resistance increases and its capacity drops, so perhaps the battery management system allows the overall battery bank voltage usable minimum level to decrease more . As you say the overall capacity is more than 65 Kwh and this hidden amount may be used more as the battery gradually degrades.

I am interested in your ownership experience of your KIA but this type of content is a bit more universal.

I drove Prius I and II. Didn't really care for them. Presently I'm driving a GX470 until the electric market matures to the commodity level.