Electric cars can lose eight percent of their driving range annually | Sciences

Over the course of two years, researchers from the university monitored the so-called “health status” of the electric car fleet. The fleet, and especially the health of the batteries, was systematically examined at that time. In this way, the research aims to answer questions related to used electric cars, among other things.

“The most expensive part of an electric car is the battery pack,” says Luc Claesens, a future mobility researcher and lecturer at Thomas More. “The replacement cost is usually more than the value of the vehicle, especially for used vehicles. So it is best to check the ‘health condition’ of the electric vehicle before making a purchase.

Obviously, rapid battery aging will negatively affect the usability and value of the vehicle. “It is therefore very important for the consumer to know the health of his car,” says Claessens. “It was already clear to us that not all batteries age in the same way, and this has now been confirmed.”

Another question was how researchers could best define “health status.” “That’s why we compared our measurement method with the measurement made by the brand’s importer of its vehicles,” continues Claessens. “We also had four commercial companies that specialized in making the measurements.”

The research is therefore primarily intended to help define the way in which the quality of life of batteries is determined. This is what happens with indirect examination. “The value of an electric vehicle is largely determined by the health of the battery,” Claessens concludes. “So that validity must be determined in a reliable way.”