Critics may not believe it, but modern EVs actually last longer than initially thought, both the vehicles themselves as well as the bulky, heavy, and expensive battery packs that power these cars and trucks. If you need another proof point, Richard Symons of the RSymons “RSEV” YouTube channel recently published a video where he and his team examine an all-wheel-drive 2021 Tesla Model 3 sedan with nearly 216,000 miles on the clock. Here’s how the car withstood rigorous use.
More Robust Than You Might Expect
In short, this all-electric four-door held up extremely well. As reported by InsideEVs, the Model 3 in question was employed for about three years as a taxi in Northern England, typically a brutal, unrelenting use case for any vehicle, but this Tesla held up to the abuse with flying colors.
A big concern for many EV owners is range loss over time. How much did this car’s battery degrade after rolling a whopping 215,922 miles? After scanning the computer, Symon discovered that the pack still had an estimated 88 percent of its original capacity, a decrease of just 12 percent after running the equivalent of more than eight times around the earth’s equator, which is damn impressive. Also, as far as they could tell, this car’s battery pack and electric drive motors are original.
Digging deeper into the data revealed that this Tesla had absorbed 10,768 kilowatt-hours of juice while DC fast charging. “That’s actually quite low,” Symons said in the video. DC fast charging is rather stressful for EV batteries, and minimizing this if at all possible can help preserve long-term battery health. This car was clearly plugged in and recharged overnight because during its lifetime it’s taken in 47,409 kWh juice while AC charging, likely from a Level 2 charger. Another fun stat: This Model 3 has recuperated a whopping 26,430 kWh of juice just from regenerative braking, which is a major reason why electric vehicles are so much more efficient than their combustion-powered counterparts. EVs can take forward momentum, turn it back into energy, and store it in the battery pack, so it can be used again.
A Few Other Minor Issues
The expensive components of this high-mileage Model 3 have held up extremely well, but so have other parts of the car. Yes, there are a few stone chips, scuffs, and scratches – as one would expect, especially for a taxi – and the wrapping on the steering wheel has started to wrinkle, but other than that, the car looks practically new inside and out; even the seats look great.
This Tesla, however, does need some service, as there’s an intermittent error with one of the front parking sensors. Also, the cabin air filter was absolutely nasty, probably never serviced, and some of the suspension bushings need to be replaced, a common issue with these cars. Symons may also change the brake pads and rotors, though they don’t necessarily need service, even after more than 200,000 miles. Again, this shows you the impact of efficiency-boosting regenerative braking.
Overall, if you’re thinking about purchasing a new – or even high-mileage used – electric vehicle but have concerns about longevity, stories like this one should help assuage any fears.
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