Maximizing battery life

Lithium Ion batteries cannot be serviced, replacing them is an expensive and difficult task. Therefore it is important to maximize the life the installed battery pack.

Watch this video to learn about batteries:

Heat is the enemy of lithium ion batteries. Heat is generated from rapid charging, discharging and aggressive driving. These conditions reduce the useful life of the battery.

Figure 24: Battery life is affected by temperature (Professor Chang at Fully Charged, Dublin 2012)

It's difficult to state the lifetime of batteries with absolute certainty. However if the batteries are cooled sufficiently and kept mainly between 20 - 80% charge they should be able to outlast the vehicle.

Modern EV's typically come with a 5 year battery warranty, leasing schemes are also available.