Climate change sucks, but at least it won't kill your EV battery

"Those older batteries, which have a median lifespan of around 15 years in the current climate, would decrease by about 20 percent to a median of 12 years under 4° of warming, the study finds. But newer batteries, which have a current median lifespan of 17 years, should still last about 17 years on average under such conditions."

"After modeling battery lifetimes in 300 cities around the world, Wu and his co-authors found that with older battery technology, countries with the lowest GDP per capita had the greatest reductions in battery lifespan. Under the worst outcomes, Africa, Southeast Asia, and India could see those EV batteries lose 25 percent of their lifespan, compared to 15 percent in Europe or North America."

"There are still a lot of durability concerns about EV batteries. But newer batteries should lose only 4 percent of their lifespan at worst in low-income countries and remain stable in the affluent West."

Battery technology improvements significantly counteract the negative effects of climate warming on electric vehicle battery longevity. Older batteries experience a 20 percent lifespan reduction under 4°C warming conditions, dropping from 15 to 12 years median lifespan, while newer batteries maintain approximately 17 years despite identical warming. Newer batteries also demonstrate more consistent performance across different conditions, with maximum degradation around 10 percent compared to 30 percent for older technology. Geographic disparities emerge when modeling battery lifetimes across 300 global cities: low-income countries using older battery technology face 25 percent lifespan reductions, while newer batteries limit losses to 4 percent. These findings suggest EV battery durability concerns are diminishing as technology advances.

Read at Ars Technica