Lithium battery costs have fallen by 98% in three decades

Re:Lithium battery costs have fallen by 98% in three decades by sokoloff on Sunday April 04, 2021 @08:01AM (#26688774)

A 2018 model 3 or X might be a sub-$5K (in 2021 dollars) car by 2030. If they are, very few batteries will be replaced in old LEAFs. The faster that new EVs mature/evolve, the less comparative value older ones have meaning they will be getting scrapped when the next battery replacement is needed.

I do all the maintenance on our cars (ex- tires, body, and warranty/recalls). The LEAF has already had one battery repair under warranty (at around 17K miles, out of service for several weeks and likely a $2K+ repair at future independent rates-was 2 techs for most of a day plus pages of special sealants and consumables)

Other than that it has needed wipers and windshield fluid and that’s it. If that pattern keeps up, they’re still headed to the scrapyard en masse, I think.

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Re:Lithium battery costs have fallen by 98% in three decades by theshrike79 on Sunday April 04, 2021 @10:29AM (#26689675)

I think there will be a secondhand market offering battery upgrades for older EVs. So they just won't install the exact same battery, but a bigger one or a smaller one (lighter, but same capacity).

10 years of R&D on batteries by some of the biggest corporations in the world should provide some new innovations.

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