Some consumers still hold off from buying a brand new electric car, because they are afraid of battery degradation, meaning the notion that the battery pack may lose effective range over time, or simply break as the years and kilometres roll on.
Canada-based research firm Geotab has surveyed over 22,700 electric vehicles across 21 models, and found that the leading cause for degradation is faster-than-average charging speeds, meaning north of 100 kilowatts, most commonly found at petrol stations and at charging farms, where speeds can even exceed 300 kilowatts.
Now, even though fast charging is the leading cause of degradation, the report also outlines that this degradation is pretty minimal overall. The report finds that an average EV in the survey experiences 1.5% degradation annually, while those that use faster charging regularly sees a 2.5% degradation.
It should also be noted that these rates are for the first few years of a battery packs lifespan, and that curve will even out over time.