Electric car battery defective - how to act correctly
admin
November 29, 2024
Important basic knowledge about electric car batteries
It's a completely normal process: over time, the electric car battery loses performance. Sometimes, however, external influences can also cause your electric car battery to defect. In this guide, we explain what you can do when the service life of your e-car battery is coming to an end.
Life of electric car batteries
How long an e-car battery lasts also depends on the age of your vehicle: Especially with older models, the capacity decreases comparatively quickly. Nevertheless, the battery of an electric car is relatively durable compared to other lithium-ion batteries thanks to intelligent battery management. On average, the service life of an electric car battery is about eight to ten years.
E-car battery – this is what the manufacturer's warranty brings
Most electric car manufacturers offer a warranty of eight years and 160,000 kilometers on the vehicle's battery. In some cases, even ten years or up to 250,000 kilometers are possible. If your electric car battery is defective within this period, the manufacturer will pay for the repair or replacement.
However, you should read the warranty conditions carefully: because in some cases the manufacturer does not bear the costs. For example, there are warranty exclusions if the battery of the electric car has been deeply discharged or you have waived software updates.
You will learn exactly how testing, repairing and replacing the electric car battery work in the next sections.
Battery test for electric cars – what are the benefits?
If you want to buy a used electric car, it is worth having its battery tested. The same applies if you want to resell your car. The reason for this is that the battery is the most valuable piece of an electric car – if it is broken, it is like a total loss. A battery certificate creates trust and security regarding the true value of the car when buying used cars.
During a battery check, various service providers such as the ADAC or TÃœV Rheinland determine the "state of health" of the battery. You will then receive a battery certificate. The cost of this e-car battery test is around 100 to 150 euros.
A small device is used for the battery check – a so-called diagnostic box. The specialists connect these to the car's diagnostic interface (on-board diagnostics, or OBD for short). Depending on the provider, however, the individual procedures differ. With some service providers, the device remains on the battery for a few days – and continuously sends data to the provider during your journeys. With other service providers, your electric car will be connected to a charging station. Meanwhile, the diagnostic box collects various information such as battery temperature and capacity. Still others use a short drive to collect the relevant data. You will then receive a certificate of the "state of health" of your battery.
Good to know: DA Direkt's electric car insurance covers the costs of battery condition diagnostics in the event of a claim up to an amount of 2,500 euros.
Battery repair for electric cars – this is how it works
Many vehicle manufacturers have now put their own repair centers for their vehicle models into operation in addition to the classic workshops. There you can have the battery of your e-car repaired. The procedure here is relatively complex:
- First, a high-voltage expert checks various values such as voltage and temperature within the battery. This way he knows which module of the electric battery is defective.
- If necessary, he then removes the defective electric car battery from the vehicle.
- The workshop employee then carefully opens the housing of the electric car battery.
- Before opening a special module, the employee measures the voltage between the battery housing and the module housing. Only at a voltage below 60 volts can he safely start repairing the electric car battery - and still needs special equipment with an insulated suit and gloves.
- Now the expert can remove the defective battery module and replace it with a functional one.
- It then adjusts the voltage within this module to the rest of the electric car battery.
According to trade media such as auto motor und sport, you usually pay between 1,000 and 5,000 euros for a new module if the repair takes place outside the warranty. In addition, there are the costs for the installation of the module.
Completely replace a defective electric car battery - this is how it works
If more than one battery module is damaged in your car, the entire battery must be replaced. However, the costs of replacing the e-car battery are very high. According to the magazine Auto Straßenverkehr, 7,000 to 30,000 euros can be due for the replacement battery of the e-car alone if the warranty has expired. The exchange is very time-consuming:
- First, the high-voltage expert has to open the vehicle floor.
- He uses a lifting table to remove the battery packs installed in it, which weigh a total of around 700 kilos.
- A new lithium-ion battery is lifted into the underbody. At Tesla, a replacement battery is temporarily added to the electric car while the old battery is retreaded.
- The replacement battery is connected to the corresponding charging and motor connections in the electric car floor.
- The workshop takes care of the disposal or recycling of the old electric car battery
Fun fact: Some vehicle manufacturers, such as the Chinese carmaker Nio, exchange the empty electric car battery for a swappable battery at special stations instead of charging the electric car. Here, of course, lower costs are due for replacing the e-car battery. In other countries, there are also special models for battery rental for electric cars – here, the driver pays a kind of subscription for the battery, so to speak.
This is what the insurance pays for a defective electric car battery
Precisely because of the high costs of a defective electric car battery, special e-car insurance makes sense. The all-risk cover of DA Direkt electric car insurance pays, for example, for battery damage of all kinds. It pays for the following aspects:
- The consequences of external events on the battery – for example, DA Direkt bears costs of up to 20,000 euros in the event of a lightning strike in the wallbox and costs for a new battery in the event of an accident.
- The costs for battery removal and battery disposal for e-cars up to an amount of 2,500 euros.
The all-risk cover is automatically included in the "Comfort" and "Comfort Plus" tariffs of DA Direkt's electric car insurance.
Important: DA Direkt does not provide insurance cover for loss of capacity on the drive battery due to ageing or wear and tear due to technical reasons.
Frequently asked questions and answers on the topic of "defective electric car battery"
How long does an e-car battery last?
On average, the service life of an electric car battery is about eight to ten years.
How much does a battery for an electric car cost?
If you are outside the manufacturer's warranty range, a new battery for electric cars will cost you between 7,000 and 30,000 euros.
What happens to an electric car if the battery is broken?
Depending on the extent of the damage, you can have the battery of your electric car repaired or replaced – in the latter case, however, the costs are extremely high.
Can you change the battery of electric cars?
Yes, you can have the battery of your electric car replaced. However, this must be done by an expert in the workshop or the respective manufacturer center with the right equipment.
Can you measure whether a car battery is broken?
Yes, a battery check will tell you what the "state of health" of your electric car battery is. You can find all the details in the guide above.
source : Electric car battery defective