tesla Replacing your EV battery
I'm looking at Tesla for my first car (I don't own one yet). I am wary of the battery degradation and you'd have to get them replaced once they reach below certain health percentage. Did you guys replace your Tesla battery? if so when did you replace them? What was your total miles driven? Did you supercharge more than home charging? more road trips than daily commute etc. Please let me know what I should be cautious of or be aware of when owning a tesla regarding a EV battery. I have a NEMA 14-30 outlet, so I can charge my tesla at home if i do buy one. If I'm buying standard range, do i charge it up to 100% everyday?
I replace my battery every time it drops to 0%
Believe it or not, we’ve had people come into the Service Center asking this exact thing lol.
Simply not a thing. Have owned model 3 long range since 2018 and have no problems with battery range or health
How many miles
134,000 km
Well 2018 is still fairly new car so I'd hope that You wouldnt be replacing it unless you drive that thing ALOT. I just wanna know more about the EV side of things and what the experiences of owning one is like. I also don't know much about cars in general. Like i said this car will be my FIRST CAR.
Well the model 3 has only been around since 2017. Maybe you’ll get better luck asking Model S owners, but even then battery technology has gotten so much better since 2012 so even that might not be a good comparison. The simple answer is that no one knows, Tesla claims they can last 20+ years but we won’t know that till until 2044
But there are many examples of people who have done 300,000+ miles on a battery, no? So you don’t have to wait 20+ years if you only do a normal amount of driving, those people have proved it’s not a problem already.
Nobody who owns an EV “replaces the battery”. It’s the biggest non-issue that seems to create 99% of the FUD in non-EV owners. It’s not like your iphone.
Replacing the main battery pack is not something you do as matter of course or routine maintenance like youre making it out to be, it is actually pretty rare and not something to really be wary of.
The battery and motors are warrantied for 8 years or 100k miles (RWD)/120k miles (LR/P), so even if something unusual were to occur, replacement would be covered within that period.
I agree with you 100%. When I buy this car, I'm not trying to trade in or sell it down the line, I want to keep it as long as the car will let me, thus I just wanna know if anyone here owned M3 that replaced theirs and what that experience was like.
Ive never had to replace mine nor has anyone that I know, so I cant speak from personal experience, but I have read accounts on the Tesla subs from people that have.
If your battery fails while the car is in warranty, it will be replaced by Tesla service, typically with a refurbished battery pack, at no cost to you. If it fails once out of warranty...ive seen service invoices for about $11k to have it replaced out of pocket. Again, that is pretty rare.
People seem to ignore the fact that you take similar risks with any car. If you drive a gas car until its high milage and out of warranty, youre obviously risking expensive out of pocket repairs there as well.
The cost to replace the battery out of warranty is about $13k from Tesla. Some independent shops can also rebalance the pack and replace bad cells for much cheaper.
The model 3 literally hasn't been on the market long enough for more than a handful of drivers to have reached the kind of millage at which point the battery would need to be replaced. You might have better luck asking Model S owners, since those were the first Teslas available. I've heard of some of the earliest Models S owners needing new batteries after a few hundred thousand miles. But those were also the first batteries Tesla ever made and they have learned a lot since then. I'd expect a new Model 3 battery to last 500K+ miles if cared for properly.
thats good to hear. Its not because I doubt the car to be reliable, its more of first car anxiety not knowing of what can happen especially its EV. But thanks you for lettin me know, relieving to hear that this car can last that long.
OP stated it’s going to be their first car…
OP stated it’s going to be their first car…
Why let facts get in the way of a good snide remark tho?
Well I never owned a car period so I dont know what to expect, but whenever I hear discussion about EV cars is replacing the battery out of warrenty is going to be pretty expensive and it may not even be a big deal but I just want to know more about EV cars more specifically so I know what I'm getting myself into.
I never owned a car so I don't really know and I'm not really much of a car guy. I just recently got into EV car market just because I need a new car for daily commute for work and want safe/reliable car while save money for gas, and my parents car are also fairly new so I have no idea how often engines are being replaced.
I never owned a car so I don't really know and I'm not really much of a car guy. I just recently got into EV car market just because I need a new car for daily commute for work and want safe/reliable car while save money for gas, and my parents car are also fairly new so I have no idea how often engines are being replaced.
I've seen people replace their engines. Not as uncommon as one imagines. But I don't want to say it's common either.
Total non-issue, pumped up by anti electro guys. I know Nobody who changed the battery.
Even if you were to charge the car with supercharger everyday? (Just a hypothetical question)
Yes. Supercharger degradation is minimal. It's not convenient, but since you can charge at home it should not even be a consideration
I do not know of any evidence that frequent supercharging leads to premature battery failure. Maybe a bit more wear and tear in terms of capacity degredation over hundreds of thousands of miles, but even that assumption has come into question recently.
https://electrek.co/2023/08/29/tesla-battery-longevity-not-affected-frequent-supercharging-study/
Most 2012 Model S are still running on same battery.
Are you buying the car new? Shouldn't be much to worry about, I remember reading the statistics of people who replace their battery and it is around 0.34% of owners.
I own a 2019 and the range is great, degradation is minimal and it is still under warranty.
This might be a dumb question to ask here, but I'll ask anyway. If im buying the 2024 m3, do I need to charge the car to 80% for daily commute or 100%? I have no clue the difference between LFP battery and the other one in long-range.
The "manual" is going to tell you the answer to that one. I believe the LFP said to charge to 100% at least once a week. This is where I think tehre could be a problem if you're not doing home charging. A charger at a supermarket would solve that issue of course.
If you are charging at home (is that a home dryer plug? Be careful that you are not using too much amperage (draw) or long extension cords.
It would be interesting that ones first car is one where you never see a gas station, or stop for fuel if you're not doing a cross country trip. Not replacing a car battery. Not getting oil changes, and the scandals that happen with those. And so on. Like to just go outside and come home is amazing.
In a 2024, you have a an 8 year 100,000k mile warranty. (uh oh, I think mine is about to expire).
Could there be some issue with charging with NEMA 14-30?
No issue, assuming it is wired properly, other than it will be a bit slower than some other options.
The RWD can take a maximum of 32A and the LR and P can take 48A. On a 14-30 the car will be able to pull no more than 24A (80% of what the breaker is rated for), so potentially half the maximum speed.
That said, it should be perfectly adequate for overnight charging, and if you already have it you should definitely use it.
80% for long range, 100% for standard range.
The currently production RWD has an LFP battery with a recommendation to charge to 100%. LFP needs at least periodic charging to 100% in order to maintain proper calibration. The LR and P have an NCA/NMC battery with a recommendation of up to 80% for daily use and 100% when needed for longer trips.
"You're going to have to replace that battery, and it's going to cost you tens of thousands of dollars" is the Big Oil boogeyman that gets used to scare people away from EVs...
The reality is that there are plenty of first generation Teslas out there with hundreds of thousands of miles on the original battery. Relax, buy the EV, don't charge it to 100%, and enjoy.
If you’re buying a brand new standard range M3 and have access to home charging, then you don’t need to worry about this for a long time man. And yes, charge it to 100% daily lol.
Over 90k miles on my 2018 so far. Battery still charges go 97% of what it did originally. I think almost no owner will ever be replacing their Tesla battery…
The battery will outlast the car.
You will only need to replace the battery once you own the car out of warranty.
The out of warranty cost to replace the battery pack is about $11k.
Not a lot of people have had a Tesla out of warranty and the same people commenting isn’t an issue, would be very afraid to drive a Tesla out of warranty.
I know a few "early adopters" with Teslas out of warranty and none of them have ever had to replace their HV battery. Does it happen? Sure, but its not that common, and you take the same risk with any car, drive it until its out of warranty and you risk expensive out of pocket repairs.
Im not saying it never happens, Im saying it's not common and not something to be overly concerned about, and I dont believe most Tesla owners would be "very afraid" of this.
Do you have an out of warranty Tesla?
I personally do not, but I will in a few years and I have no problem with that. And as I said, I know a few "early adopters" with Teslas out of warranty and none of them have ever had an issue with it.
That’s great that you don’t have to worry about it in a couple years. There have been posts about battery issues from people but luckily they are under warranty.
Would you recommend people to buy a Tesla out of warranty?
I personally wouldn’t because of the high cost of the battery pack replacement. We have no idea of when these packs will last and an $11k+ expensive isn’t something a lot of people can afford. I know Tesla has come out said they have a “1 million mile” battery pack but since it’s not warranty for that long, it’s just fluff.
Well if you buy a Tesla out of warranty you’re obviously going to see that reflected in the price you’re paying. So you save a bunch of money up front, but increase the risk of having to put more money into it down the road. But if you do, then you also have a brand new battery that will be warrantied for another 8 years. So it seems to me the costs and risks will all be balanced, and it really comes down to whether you want to be driving a 15+ year old car with 300,000 km on it or not.
Tesla replacement batteries aren’t warrantied for 8 years/100k miles. They also don’t give you a brand new battery. They are remanufactured batteries and those are only warrantied for 5 years/40k miles.
Ok, was not aware of that. Still you have to do a cost-benefit for this purchase. Buying an out-of-warranty battery is the same as buying an out-of-warranty car, you may get a great deal but you’re adding an element of risk that there will additional expenses down the road. It certainly doesn’t mean the battery (or car) is going to fail. So just make sure the used car price reflects this and you adjust your expectations accordingly.
Would you recommend people to buy a Tesla out of warranty?
I wouldnt necessary recommend that anyone buy any 8 year old/100k+ mile car, not because of battery replacements, but because it's an old beat up car with outdated tech. Unless the price is really a great deal and youre just looking for a beater. But this is a different scenario than buying a car new and driving it until its out of warranty.
You wouldn’t recommend someone buy a 100k mile car. Those cars aren’t beaters. To me it sounds like you’re saying to not buy a Tesla once it reaches 100k miles and to only buy new because it’s warranty for 100k miles.
That is not what I said.
If you were to buy an 8 year old Tesla right now, meaning a 2016 Model S, youd be buying a car with outdated tech and significant wear and tear. I wouldn't necessarily recommend that as a first choice because it has outdated tech and general wear and tear, not because im afraid the battery will suddenly die and require replacement.
If the price is a great deal and you want a car with outdated styling and hardware, then I wouldn't say "dont buy it because the battery will go dead".
“I wouldnt necessary recommend that anyone buy any 8 year old/100k+ mile car, not because of battery replacements, but because it's an old beat up car with outdated tech.”
100k miles cars aren’t beaters. Sounds to me you don’t recommend buying Teslas after 100k miles unless a “great” price. Whatever that means.
Sounds to me you don’t recommend buying Teslas after 100k miles unless a “great” price. Whatever that means.
I'll say it a 3rd time, I dont recommend buying an 8 year old Tesla, which at this point would mean a 2016 Model S, because the car has outdated styling, outdated tech, and significant wear and tear.
The original question was about battery packs going dead out of warranty, that is not something that concerns me.
What is it that youre not understanding?
No, its not a duracell. 99% of the time the battery will outlive the car. A few people have had their batteries replaced, usually by Tesla or b/c of damage. Don't worry about it.
Unless you buy a really old or really high mileage Tesla, don't worry about it. Your first car won't be your last car. Also, EV batteries rarely just 'fail' completely. They tend to just hold less and less charge as the time and the miles roll on. Will you really care if your 270 mile range is only 135 in 15 years? That is still more range than many EVs made before 2020.
As you noted, there are a lot of factors which go into battery degradation. Calendar wear is one. Meaning even with minimal use and stored extremely well, the battery will just wear simply due to the passage of time. The other is charge cycles, with each charge cycle slightly wearing down the cells. Fast charging, deep discharging, 100% top off charging (more NMC than LFP), etc. all play a roll.
But generally, older age and higher miles will mean higher wear. If you have to buy a really old / really high mileage Tesla due to budget, I'd suggest maybe getting something else like a pre-owned hybrid.
I've heard in a gas car you have the ICE and automatic transmission torn apart and rebuilt every few years, and there are shops that specialize in this, and it's very expensive. How often do you guys do it? I'm thinking of getting an ICE.
/s
Interesting interview here with a high mileage EV owner in Australia
https://youtu.be/wOFfKQ7SxEg?si=w_ygt9Vt1Hxtt7YH