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Maintenance costs for EVs - are the studies hiding something?
A number of studies are out claiming that the cost of maintenance for an EV is at least 40% less than for a vehicle with an ICE engine.
Having read several of them, I find that most leave out the largest cost of maintenance for an EV. I queried several of the authors and got no response at all from them.
A typical battery, used daily is likely to need replacement before it turns 15 (some as early as 7 or 8 years, a few maybe at 20 years).
A typical vehicle has a 18.7 year life (USDOT) on the roads in the US.
Beyond the typical live of a battery. So should the cost of a battery replacement be factored into the maintenance costs?
For the initial owner, likely not, because top quartile drivers trade cars at around 5 years (some lease for 1 to 3 and some hang on to a vehicle to the bitter end - but the median is 5 years).
For the person who purchases that used car, maybe not, because they tend (median) to get 5-6 years out of the vehicle.
It is the third owner - Typically in the bottom quartile of income that ends up either replacing the battery, or having the car end up in the junk yard.
A 100KWH battery (middle of the projected vehicle battery packs sold in 2023) - is at least a $10,000 part, add the labor to make the replacement and you could easily be looking at a $14,000 bill for a vehicle that has a blue book of $5,000.
So is it fair that the third owner has to shoulder these costs.
Or, does it mean that for a typical passenger car that their life will be shorter if they are an EV?
Because it will not make sense to replace batteries?
Is there anything that should be done about the battery swap?
Should it be required to be factored into maintenance costs?
Should auto insurance policies offer a rider for battery life?
Finally should owners be required to turn in a vehicle with a dead battery if they are not going to replace it within 90 days or so?
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