We’ve all heard it, “the batteries have to be replaced after a few years”. But are they? Of 15,000 BEVs and PHEVs in the US manufactured 2011 - 2023 (i.e. 13 years), out of recall battery replacements have been rare, with even the first generation batteries holding up extremely well.

Figure 1: Battery Replacement by Model Year

Source: U.S. Department of Energy; Recurrent

To put numbers to those percentages we looked at SIMI registration data for 2011 - 2024, adjusting the total annual registration figures by assuming that the January - February registrations were actually manufactured in the previous year. By applying the aforementioned replacement rates to the adjusted totals for each year we estimate the number of battery replacements in Ireland as follows:

Figure 2: Total BEVs Registered by Model Year & Estimated Number of Battery Replacements

Figure 3: Total PHEVs Registered by Model Year & Estimated Number of Battery Replacements

In summarising those 13 years of data, we therefore estimate that the total number of batteries replaced in Ireland to date, outside of recalls, would be less than 0.3%, i.e. 99.7% of the 99,000 BEVs & PHEVs registered have not had their batteries replaced. With the typical battery warranty being 8 years, 160,000km we would expect much of these replacements to occur while under that warranty.

Figure 4: Total BEVs Registered & Estimated Number of Battery Replacements (2011 - 2023)

Figure 5: Total PHEVs Registered & Estimated Number of Battery Replacements (2011 - 2023)