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How will electric cars 'die'?

Arran Cameron

Has much research been carried out into what happens to electric cars as they age and how they eventually ‘die’?

There are several potential possibilities including:

1 The bodywork rusts away. Theoretically the same as for an ICE car, but will electric cars be on average more or less rust prone than ICE cars due to differences in the internal structure of the bodyshell?

2 Wear to suspension and steering components. Theoretically the same as for an ICE car. A common MOT failure that can be expensive to repair.

3 A catastrophic failure of the inverter and the cost of repair or replacement. Inverters are heavily stressed subassemblies that appear to have a finite life. Will power semiconductors and other components likely to break down with prolonged use be available and realistically replaceable, or will inverters be deliberately designed in order that failed components cannot be economically replaced?

4 Electronic systems failures where replacement is uneconomical. Theoretically similar for a modern ICE car.

5 The battery. High cost of replacement plus potential obsolescence (like try finding a replacement battery for a power tool from the 1990s) could sound the death knell of a 15 year old car that works just as good as the day it was new.

Will electric cars ever reach ‘banger’ status where it's possible to buy a >10 year old car for under £2000 and run it for 2 to 3 years? There are many people who subscribe to bangernomics, for one reason or another, but will it continue into the electric era or will a situation arise where it's impossible to buy a working electric car with a working battery for less than £10,000?

Will electric cars ever reach classic status where it's possible to buy a >25 year old car that can still be driven?

Could a situation arise where governments control the supply of batteries for electric cars and ‘tax’ them in a certain way to make up for the loss in fuel duty?

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    I've regularly run my ICE vehicles from nearly new (one new) to 10 years and typically 140,000 miles. No lemons. Only once failed to complete a journey yet, well not since my very first one, which was a 76 and clearly knackered to start.

    But there's a lot of general deterioration that kicks in from 80,000 on. Obviously my mileage was modest (about 15k/annum), and it was mostly cross country. Small parts fall off, minor ECUs and heat & vent & window parts fail, rubber seals go bad (and are wierdly expensive). Don't mention aircon! Odd noises & minor oil leaks. Broken bits of dashboard that are too fiddly/expensive/bothersome to replace. Suspension bushes seem to all go loose at 100k. Headlamp plastic lenses develop cataracts. Odd bits of minor rust that don't really matter, but. I spent 2 plus hours stripping & oiling the seat fold last week. None of them wore the the engine to the point of needing oil top ups, so the ICE engine may be the most durable bit.

    And, my current 2009 basic/mid-market model has one airbag (out of date), primitive ABS, inefficient steering, only 5 gears, no driver aids. I do realise it would be easy to upgrade the awful radio. Noises aside, it drives ok. But would you think so? 

    Far better quality and durability nowadays than my first 1976 Cortina, but still, seriously impaired in most folks eyes, by the time I discard.

    So an electric car, at 10 years, 140k may be pretty shagged and devalued, even if the battery is swapped.

    Comparatively market logic suggests it is well worth overhauling my 1970 bungalow, which is also… tired.

    And one of my bicycles is like George Washington's axe. A continuous cycle of overhaul keeps it up to date, at a cost at least in a comparable ballpark to buying new ones. Like your thoughts on motorcycle batteries, historic standardisation aid long life.

    Food for thought. 

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    I've regularly run my ICE vehicles from nearly new (one new) to 10 years and typically 140,000 miles. No lemons. Only once failed to complete a journey yet, well not since my very first one, which was a 76 and clearly knackered to start.

    But there's a lot of general deterioration that kicks in from 80,000 on. Obviously my mileage was modest (about 15k/annum), and it was mostly cross country. Small parts fall off, minor ECUs and heat & vent & window parts fail, rubber seals go bad (and are wierdly expensive). Don't mention aircon! Odd noises & minor oil leaks. Broken bits of dashboard that are too fiddly/expensive/bothersome to replace. Suspension bushes seem to all go loose at 100k. Headlamp plastic lenses develop cataracts. Odd bits of minor rust that don't really matter, but. I spent 2 plus hours stripping & oiling the seat fold last week. None of them wore the the engine to the point of needing oil top ups, so the ICE engine may be the most durable bit.

    And, my current 2009 basic/mid-market model has one airbag (out of date), primitive ABS, inefficient steering, only 5 gears, no driver aids. I do realise it would be easy to upgrade the awful radio. Noises aside, it drives ok. But would you think so? 

    Far better quality and durability nowadays than my first 1976 Cortina, but still, seriously impaired in most folks eyes, by the time I discard.

    So an electric car, at 10 years, 140k may be pretty shagged and devalued, even if the battery is swapped.

    Comparatively market logic suggests it is well worth overhauling my 1970 bungalow, which is also… tired.

    And one of my bicycles is like George Washington's axe. A continuous cycle of overhaul keeps it up to date, at a cost at least in a comparable ballpark to buying new ones. Like your thoughts on motorcycle batteries, historic standardisation aid long life.

    Food for thought. 

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