Quote:
Originally Posted by Vermilion Villager
From Tesla:
An average electric vehicle (EV) will need a replacement battery when it has lost 20% of its range. Most users have reported Tesla battery loss at only 5% after 100,000 miles.
Tesla batteries last between 300,000 to 500,000 miles. The average person drives 273 miles a week, so you can expect your Tesla battery to last anywhere from 21 to 35 years, depending on your driving habits.
Point being, Tesla batteries will rarely (if ever) need to be replaced. You’ll probably need to replace your car before you need to replace the battery.  |
Thank you for the tip. Electric cars are good options for many folks and have several advantages. But I was referring to large scale battery storage for a renewable energy grid which would be orders of magnitude greater.
Regarding EV battery disposal, there still is no long term viable solution. They are trying but I am very skeptical that a practical solution will be found. But hey, future generations will already hate us for the massive debt we are leaving behind, so might as well leave them a catastrophic environmental mess as well.
The battery pack of a Tesla Model S is a feat of intricate engineering. Thousands of cylindrical cells with components sourced from around the world transform lithium and electrons into enough energy to propel the car hundreds of kilometers, again and again, without tailpipe emissions. But when the battery comes to the end of its life, its green benefits fade. If it ends up in a landfill, its cells can release problematic toxins, including heavy metals. And recycling the battery can be a hazardous business, warns materials scientist Dana Thompson of the University of Leicester. Cut too deep into a Tesla cell, or in the wrong place, and it can short-circuit, combust, and release toxic fumes.
That's just one of the many problems confronting researchers, including Thompson, who are trying to tackle an emerging problem: how to recycle the millions of electric vehicle (EV) batteries that manufacturers expect to produce over the next few decades. Current EV batteries "are really not designed to be recycled," says Thompson, .
Science | AAAS