How Much Does an EV Battery Replacement Cost?
Electric car batteries are the core of any EV, and with good maintenance, can last for up to two decades!
Usually lasting from 10-20 years depending on upkeep, these powerhouses not only give drivers peace of mind but also reliability. Electric cars offer a sustainable option that keeps you running without worry.
But, when the time does come to replace an EV battery, it can be confusing for some. So, how much will a battery replacement cost you? 25,000? 30,000?
Battery replacement can range from 3000 to upwards of 10,000 depending on the quality and capacity of your battery cells. Professional installation is also an added cost that needs to be taken into consideration when it comes time to replace your electric car’s battery.
The answer depends on several factors. For example, the make and model of your electric car will have an impact on pricing. The larger the vehicle and the more advanced technology used, the higher the cost.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss what factors influence EV battery replacement costs and how you can prepare yourself financially for a potential future expense. We’ll also look at some tips on prolonging the life of your EV battery and strategies for saving money if you need to have your existing one replaced.
How Long Does an Electric Car Battery Last?
The lifespan of an electric car battery can vary depending on several factors, including the type of battery, driving habits, environmental conditions, and how well the battery is maintained. Generally, electric car batteries are designed to last for many years, but their capacity and performance may gradually degrade over time.
Factors influencing electric car battery lifespan:
- Battery Chemistry: Different chemistries have different lifespans. Lithium-ion batteries are the most common and have varying subtypes, each with its own characteristics.
- Depth of Discharge: Frequent deep discharging and full charging can accelerate battery degradation. Shallow discharges are generally better for the battery’s longevity.
- Temperature: Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, can negatively impact battery life. High temperatures can accelerate degradation.
- Charging Habits: Consistently using fast chargers or charging to 100% regularly can put more stress on the battery compared to slow charging or keeping the charge level in the mid-range.
- Vehicle Usage and Driving Habits: Heavy use of the car or aggressive driving can affect the battery’s lifespan.
- Battery Management System (BMS): An efficient BMS helps optimize charging and discharging, which can positively impact the battery’s life.
- Battery Cooling/Heating: Some EVs have active thermal management systems to regulate battery temperature, which can aid in preserving the battery.
- Chemical Degradation over Time: Even if the car is not used much, lithium-ion batteries may degrade due to the passage of time.
What Are Signs of a Bad Battery?
Signs of a bad battery can apply to various types of batteries, including those used in vehicles, electronics, and other devices. Here are common signs that indicate a battery may be failing or nearing the end of its useful life:
- Reduced Driving Range: If you notice a significant decrease in the driving range of your electric car, it could be an indication of battery degradation. As the battery ages, its capacity diminishes, resulting in reduced driving range on a full charge.
- Increased “State of Charge” Inaccuracy: The displayed state of charge (SOC) on the dashboard might become less accurate over time. The SOC might show a higher percentage than what the battery actually holds.
- Slower Charging: A deteriorating battery may take longer to charge fully than it did when it was new. Charging times might be prolonged as the battery’s internal resistance increases.
- Frequent Charging Needed: If you find yourself needing to charge your electric car more frequently than before for the same driving habits, it could indicate reduced battery capacity.
- Visible Physical Damage: If you notice any visible damage to the battery pack, such as leakage, swelling, or deformities, it’s a clear sign of a problem.
How Much Does a Chevy Volt Battery Replacement Cost?
The average cost for Chevy Volt battery replacement is 26,853.99. But it comes with additional costs of 33.98 for coolant and 1200 for labor. So, the total Chevy Volt battery replacement cost is 30,842.15 with taxes. A Chevrolet Volt battery cannot last more than 70,000 miles since it will no longer provide adequate power to run the vehicle. The Chevrolet Volt is among a few high-end electric vehicles with expensive batteries for replacement. Car batteries from third parties are quite affordable though they have a shorter lifespan than those from the dealership. Getting an authentic Chevy Volt battery can be a daunting experience since the company no longer produces them. The third parties batteries are scarce, leading to high price tags. The genuine Chevy Volt battery replacement cost varies depending on the model year and location. The modern models have inexpensive batteries compared to their older counterparts since they are readily available.
The Chevrolet Volt engine can recharge the battery to increase the mile range before reaching the next supercharging station. But this depends on the Chevy Volt model year since the earliest models cannot charge the battery. Modern Chevy Volt engines are portable generators for recharging the battery pack when they run down. The power helps keep the drivers on the road until they reach their destination or the next supercharging station. But the current Chevrolet Volt generation has integrated both gas and electric components. These components offer an excellent driving experience since it prevents the driver from getting stuck on the highway due to low charge or fuel.
Can You Drive Chevy Volt without Battery?
Hybrid Chevy Volt cars have integrated gas and electric components. These vehicles run on both gas and electricity to increase gas efficiency. These hybrid Volts use gas to start the engine, accelerate, and stop. But when driving at a steady speed, your vehicle will use the battery reserves. So, you can drive the Chevy volt car without the battery since it will operate on the gas alone. But to get excellent gas mileage, we recommend using both fuel and electricity. If the Chevrolet Volt battery runs down, the gas generator chugs will get you to the next supercharging point or destination.
Chevrolet Volts are plug-in compact cars that can also use gasoline. These vehicles have a 12-volt battery for powering electronics and a lithium-ion battery for running the electric motor. The average life expectancy of a Chevy volt battery is eight years or 100,000 miles. If the car hits 100,000 miles before attaining eight years, you have to replace the battery, and vice versa is true. The battery depreciation rate depends on the driving style, road conditions, and extreme temperatures. Some Chevy Volt batteries can last up to ten years or 150,000 miles. These batteries are more prevalent in vehicles with excellent maintenance routines. The Chevy Volt battery replacement cost varies since it depends on what needs to be repaired or replaced.
Can You Jumpstart a Chevy Volt?
You can jumpstart a Chevy volt with another one. But jumpstarting practice is not recommended by the brand since it can cause further battery damage. Chevrolet Volt cars have unique components different from other vehicles. The engine serves as a mile range extender generator and electricity is responsible for propulsion. Incorrect battery cell connection during jumpstarting can shorten its lifespan. The Chevy volt battery replacement cost is higher than a new car price.
The Chevy Volt is a plug-in hybrid vehicle that operates with gasoline and electricity. The gas helps increase the mileage, while the electricity is responsible for propulsion to the next destination. The Chevrolet volt battery replacement cost is about 26,853.99 with 33.98 for coolant and 1200 for labor. But the battery replacement cost varies depending on the model year and your state. Most misconceptions from the internet can be misleading for new Chevy Volt owners. I hope this article helped you understand the volt battery replacement cost. Sources: https://media.gm.ca/content/dam/Media/microsites/product/volt/docs/battery_101.pdf
Jimmy Jimmy Mitchell is an electric vehicle aficionado who has been following the space since Tesla first hit the scene. A longtime proponent of sustainable transportation, Jimmy was one of the first to buy a Tesla 3 as soon as it came out. He loves nothing more than helping others learn about and enjoy the benefits of electric vehicles. When he’s not evangelizing about EVs, Jimmy enjoys spending time with his family and travelling throughout south east asia
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How Do EV Batteries Degrade?
EV batteries typically degrade due to temperature, cycles and time. Storage and operating temperatures have a huge impact on EV battery longevity; in general, warmer climates negatively affect the lifespan of an EV battery. As the battery goes through charge cycles — discharged while driving and charged back up while plugged in — it slowly loses maximum potential. However, simply not using or charging your EV battery does not mean it will last forever: Calendar degradation is the battery losing life over time.
Unlike the lithium-ion batteries found in a phone or laptop, EV batteries utilize complex battery management systems (BMS) that regulate how the batteries are charged and discharged to prolong their life. That means your EV battery is most likely to experience temperature or calendar degradation.
How Long Does an Electric Car Battery Last?
So the question remains: How long can you expect your EV battery to last? Fortunately for consumers, the government mandates EV manufacturers to warranty batteries for 8 years or 100,000 miles. while California extends that warranty to 10 years or 150,000 miles.
As EV battery packs become cheaper to manufacture, companies can create larger batteries with more energy potential, which in turn increases their mile-range. Additionally, the improved technology reduces the degradation of batteries, meaning that over time the maximum potential stays closer to the new battery. And because newer batteries already have greatly increased in mileage range, as they degrade they will still maintain a longer mileage range than batteries from just a few years ago. Finally, because lithium-ion batteries are made up of many individual cells, you rarely need to replace the entire battery as it degrades. Instead, you can save money by simply replacing dead cells.
How Does EV Battery Longevity Compare to ICE Vehicles?
Both of the mandated warranty numbers (8 years, 100,000 miles) for EV batteries far exceed the average ICE vehicle drivetrain warranty of 5 years or 60,000 miles. The average lifetime mileage of an ICE vehicle is about 133,000 miles. While experts estimate the average EV battery will last around 200,000 miles, some manufacturers already promise much more than that.
And the news gets better: Tesla has their sights set on a million-mile battery. and claims that they are not far from achieving this goal. On average, EV batteries only degrade at a rate of 2.3% of maximum capacity per year, so with proper care you can reliably expect your EV battery to last as long or longer than ICE drivetrain components.
How Reliable Is A Chevy Volt Compared To Other Chevys?
The next test on our list is to see how the Chevy stands among its brethren. It will also give us an insight into how Chevys hold up in general. So after going through all the data, we have come to know why GM discontinued the Chevrolet Volt; it’s clear from the data we have collected that other Chevys are going great while the Volt has seen the least number of miles.
The Chevys are reliable in general; there is no problem with their reliability, maybe it’s just the Volts’ bad luck that drove it to hell, and it’s no longer being produced, or it’s also possible that it had a lot of significant issues that led the buyers to go for an alternative, and that’s precisely what we are going to figure out in our upcoming tests.
From our research, we have concluded that the most reliable vehicle offered by the Chevy is none other than the Tahoe. This SUV is also ranked as the 3rd best in the world.
How Much Does Maintenance Cost Per Year?
The average annual maintenance cost for Chevy Volt is 550, which is relatively more than the 345 offered by the Pruis. It puts the Volt in a tough spot given that it already has accumulated so many cons and is adding fuel to the fire; we have this high maintenance cost.
If you are looking for a used Volt, you should avoid the earlier models because it’s a fact that, in general, the earlier production models of cars have more problems. Even though the warranty would have covered the costs, it’s still advised not to go for the earlier ones because you never know.
Owners’ Reviews Of The Volt’s Reliability
Besides knowing all the data, it’s, of course, also essential to see how owners experience the Volt. For this, we went to Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, and Truecar.com. All three platforms have gathered hundreds of reviews from actual car owners. We summarized our findings in the image below.
Overall, we have to say owners of the Volt have been very positive about its performance and reliability. The only generation of the Volt was rated highly on all three platforms. This is mainly because the car is very economical, owners loved the interior and all the features that came with it, and the vehicle didn’t suffer from major mechanical or technical problems.
I love my car and am sad they will no longer make the Volt. Chevy really didn’t advertise the Volt. I don’t think people know how great the car actually is. It’s an awesome car, so I hope to drive it for a long time. The tax credit was also a great incentive! I wish it charged faster and went a little further on a charge.
Source
Chevy Volt Common Problems
To know if the Volt is a good option to consider, we must understand the common problems it can have and whether or not those are cheap to fix, because if the common issues are not cheap to fix, then it’s not a very good option. You would have to keep on spending your hard-earned money on repairs.
NOTE: Before buying a used car, I always like to make sure the vehicle isn´t having any problems that you should be aware of. The easiest way to do this is by buying an OBD2 scanner. These scanners can easily be plugged into any car you’re interested in, and they’ll give you a rundown of potential problems.
The Accelerator Pedal Breaks
Now, this is a strange issue that is there to keep us safe; perhaps we should consider ourselves to be lucky. Suppose you enter or exit the vehicle with your foot on the gas pedal. In that case, the accelerator pedal will break off the stalk, the vehicle will no longer receive any input, and you won’t be able to use the accelerator until it gets fixed.
EVSE Would Stop Working
This is one of the common problems that occur more often in the earlier models and the culprit, in this case, is a simple fuse that has gone to heaven; change the fuse, and you are good to go. You can get the fuse for like 5, while the dealerships might want to charge you 500 for replacing the whole EVSE.
Bearing Failure
This is one of the least common problems on our list but worth mentioning. It’s related to the transmission that sounds like a table saw winding down, or in other words, a grinding sound while braking and accelerating.
It’s also somewhat prominent at all times. The culprit in this problem is a bearing that has worn out and needs replacement. It’s a 3-4 hour job that an expert should do; if not correctly done, the issue will come back sooner or later. This problem can cost you around 300.
Sometimes Volt Wouldn’t Recognize The Keyfob
It’s one of the problems that sometimes occur randomly. The key fob wouldn’t be recognized, and the Volt wouldn’t let you start or lock/unlock, and you would have to move about a little to let it know that the key is there. Or you can open the key fob, remove the battery, and then put it back; it should be recognized then.
Propulsion Speed Reduced And Engine Not Available
This is a prevalent issue related to the ICE, and the Vehicle will fail to shift to gas, and you will be left stranded if you are out of battery. These problems were reported and were fixed under warranty, but it has been seen that the problem might still occur.
Is This Estimate for a Chevy Volt Hybrid Battery Replacement Real?
An estimate authentically shows a price of nearly 30,000 for parts and labor on a new hybrid battery for a Chevy Volt.
This estimate was for 2012 Chevy Volt, a discontinued line of vehicles. The estimate was significantly higher than the standard cost for a hybrid car battery replacement.
On Aug. 25, 2022, a picture was tweeted that appeared to show a nearly 30,000 repair estimate or invoice for the parts and labor needed for a hybrid car battery replacement for a Chevy Volt. The estimate was dated just two days before the tweet was posted and showed the company name Roger Dean Chevrolet, which is located in Cape Coral, Florida. (Note: The estimate was for a Volt, not the similarly named Bolt.)
Our readers asked us if the estimate was real. We contacted the dealership and received confirmation that it was genuine. At the same time, we learned that this price was far from the standard cost of a hybrid car battery replacement.
As we’ve reported many times before, online discussions about electric vehicles (EVs) often end up becoming political debates. The discussion about this estimate was no different, as we noticed in the replies and other engagements associated with the tweet.
The Back the Truck Up blog reported that it was the first website to confirm the authenticity of the estimate, publishing that it was priced for a 2012 Chevy Volt. This meant that the car was more than a decade old. General Motors (GM) discontinued the line of Volt vehicles in 2019.
The Volt and other hybrid vehicles function with two batteries. The part that was quoted for replacement was the more expensive one: the hybrid battery. Before labor and other costs, the hybrid battery was listed in the estimate as costing 26,853.99.
Currently, most hybrid batteries cost around 5000,000 to 8,000 and can last up to 15 years or between 100,000 and 150,000 miles. The other battery in hybrid vehicles is a more standard one that powers the vehicle’s electronics. It typically costs far less.
By phone, a spokesperson for Roger Dean Chevrolet told us that the replacement hybrid battery that was quoted in the estimate was not manufactured by GM and was provided for the discontinued Volt by a third-party supplier.
On Aug. 29, a page manager for the Roger Dean Chevrolet page commented about the estimate and said that the dealership did not set the price of the battery:
This is an estimate for a 12 year old vehicle out of warranty and for a battery that is extremely hard to get, due to the older technology of the 12 year old vehicle. The dealership does not set battery prices. In the newer EV or EUV vehicles with newer technology the batteries do cost less. Think of it like big screen TVs. Remember when the first big screen came out, they were very expensive, and as the technology advanced the became better. This battery is also out of warranty of 8yr/100k miles whatever hits first.
The Back the Truck Up blog published that the third-party supplier associated with the estimate was Spear Power Systems (SPS), a maker of specialty lithium battery packs. It’s unclear if this specific part differed significantly from another listing for a Volt hybrid battery that Reddit users found for around 6,900.
We reached out to SPS to independently confirm that they were the quoted supplier. We also asked several questions about the product. This story will be updated if we receive a response.
Being an ‘antique,’ the Volt battery can fetch a high price tag, reported the Back the Truck Up blog. We all know how high classic car parts can be on the third-party market.
In sum, yes, the hybrid battery replacement estimate for the 2012 Chevy Volt was real. At the same time, this price was significantly higher than the standard cost for a new hybrid car battery.
Sources
“2011-2014 Chevrolet Volt Battery Assembly 20979876.” GM Parts Online, https://www.gmpartsonline.net/oem-parts/gm-battery-assembly-20979876.
“Chevy Volt Reliability: Is Buying A Used Chevy Volt Worth It?” Shift.com, 21 May 2021, https://shift.com/articles/chevy-volt-reliability-is-buying-a-used-chevy-volt-worth-it.
@odonnell_r 25 Aug. 2022, https://.com/odonnell_r/status/1562846628503261185.
Roger Dean Chevrolet. https://wwwcom/rogerdeanchevycc/.