How Much Does a Tesla Battery Degrade After 200,000 Miles?

Tesla is the best-known electric vehicle brand. They are at the forefront of electric technology and have been market leaders year after year. One of the reasons that prevent consumers from changing from their traditional combustion engine vehicle to an electric one is the lack of knowledge surrounding battery technology. 

Being at the forefront of this technology, Tesla knows this about their consumers and has recently put their minds to rest. They shared a report with charts that depicts the average battery retention vs. the distance traveled for two of their most popular models, the Model 3 and the Model Y. Both cars referenced within this report are the models with long-range battery packs that contain 2170-type cylindrical battery cells, and this data is compiled from the decade Tesla has been selling cars. This data does not include any data from the standard range of batteries. 

Impressive Battery Retention

According to this report, the average percentage that both the Model 3 and the Model Y will lose after driving 200,000 miles is 15%. So, even after driving that large distance, the vehicle’s battery will still retain 85% of its power. This means great things for consumers. The time it takes to charge its battery to full capacity and the amount it is able to drive in between charges should remain similar to the first day you bought it.  

Designed for Longevity

Tesla is quite proud of this factoid and states that its batteries are designed for the long haul and over 200,000 miles of driving. They also noted that, on average, vehicles get scrapped in America after an estimated 200,000 miles. In Europe, consumers scrap cars even earlier, with most of them being out of use after 150,000 miles. This fact ensures Tesla batteries last the vehicle’s lifetime without needing a replacement. 

Image source: https://cdn.motor1.com/images/custom/thumbnail/tesla-model-3model-y-long-range-battery-capacity-degradation.png

From this report, we can also deduce a number of other facts about Tesla batteries and their longevity. The charts within this report also show that initially, the batteries have a high capacity to fade and reduce, but then they level out, slow down, and remain linear. It shows that the first ten percent of the battery degrades between 60,000 and 80,000 miles, then it remains steady afterward.

It also shows that the standard deviation between Tesla cars of the same model is quite near the average that Tesla is boasting about. From this, we can deduce that approximately 68% of these vehicles will be true to the statistics stated and will have a battery capacity of more than 80%. However, this also means that 32% may be outside of these numbers and could end up with a battery capacity of less than 80%. So that means that there may be a number of vehicles without 80% battery capacity that Tesla claims. 

Image source: https://cdn.motor1.com/images/custom/thumbnail/tesla-model-smodel-x-battery-degradation-source-tesla-impact-report-2022.png

The Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles are even more impressive as they lose just 12% of their battery when they complete over 200,000 miles of driving. This also means they retain 88% of their battery.

Factors Influencing Battery Retention

There are many reasons why the Model S and Model X have better battery retention compared to the Model 3 and Model Y, including their differences in battery cells, their battery pack design, and their battery pack capacity. Also, consider factors such as vehicle usage and weight.

If you are going by the theory that the smaller the battery pack capacity, the more pressure that battery is under to power the vehicle. The Model S and Model X have a battery capacity of 100 kilowatt-hours, and the Model 3 and Model Y Long Range have a smaller capacity of 80 kilowatt-hours, which is the reason that they have a better battery capacity retention.  

Overall, these statistics look incredibly promising for both Tesla’s sales and the consumers who buy their cars. This report debunks concerns about electric vehicles and dispels the rumor that expensive batteries need frequent replacement.