The all-electric Tesla Model S sedan has been on the market since 2012, and the electric Model X SUV since 2016. That’s given the startup EV automaker plenty of time to analyze the batteries in its cars, and track how they lose some of their ability to charge and discharge over time. As degradation happens, the batteries lose functional capacity, and often the vehicle suffers a loss of a percentage of its available estimated driving range. You can track battery degradation by mileage, but batteries also degrade as time passes.
In its 2022 corporate impact report, where we learned the company moved 1.3 million cars globally last year, Tesla also broke down some of its battery data. Tesla claims that up to 88 percent of battery capacity is retained in its Model S and X vehicles after approximately 200,000 miles of travel. Previously, in its 2020 impact report, Tesla claimed that its batteries retained up to 90 percent of their capacity after 200,000 miles on Model S and X vehicles.
While mileage is a key factor in battery degradation, other factors, like the number of charge cycles and the passage of time, also take a toll. It’s possible that, as the data pool of S and X vehicles ages, the average capacity retention will go down as the batteries age, regardless of other factors. The Model S and Model X use a different battery chemistry to what’s found in the newer Model 3 and Model Y; Panasonic supplies Tesla with 1865 NCA lithium-ion chemistry battery cells for its bigger models.
As InsideEVs calculates, 12 percent battery degradation over 200,000 miles would mean approximately 1 percent loss per 16,667 miles, or 1 percent loss every 67 charging cycles (at 250 miles per cycle). It’s a pretty reliable result, and should mean there won’t be too many full battery pack replacements for future older and used Tesla vehicles, since their original packs retain so much energy even with heavy use.
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