I'm in the process of buying a used VW e-Golf SEL Premium. In terms of battery durability is it better to buy a 2017 model with fewer than 100 miles (i.e. almost new) or a 2019 model with 8,000 miles? I do not know if batteries for EVs have an "expiry" date like household batteries or if the main consideration should be the number of charge/discharge cycles. Obviously, the newer model has a longer factory warranty remaining on the vehicle. Any technical pointers on the batteries would be appreciated. Thank you, Andrew.
2017 or 2019 battery?
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Great question!
No, no expiry date. If you take good care of a lithium ion battery, it can provide a useful life of several decades. It is my understanding the main causes of cell aging are: calendar aging, amount of cycling, DoD (Depth of Discharge) during cycling, storage SoC (State of Charge), and temperature. Of course, the quality of manufacturing and the cell chemistry is also very important, but since we are focusing on e-Golf batteries, I am not aware of any known differences in cell quality, and I'm pretty sure the chemistry is same for all 2017+ cells, but VW does not disclose this information. Yes, a 2019 battery pack has a longer warranty and should give you more useful life. The main question about the 2017 is at what SoC was the battery stored? If it was stored at 100% for most of the time, that's not great. Also, if either pack "lived" in a very hot place, high temps will reduce useful life of the cells.
If you are able to drive both, you could try to estimate the usable pack capacity and use that info to help you decide.
No, no expiry date. If you take good care of a lithium ion battery, it can provide a useful life of several decades. It is my understanding the main causes of cell aging are: calendar aging, amount of cycling, DoD (Depth of Discharge) during cycling, storage SoC (State of Charge), and temperature. Of course, the quality of manufacturing and the cell chemistry is also very important, but since we are focusing on e-Golf batteries, I am not aware of any known differences in cell quality, and I'm pretty sure the chemistry is same for all 2017+ cells, but VW does not disclose this information. Yes, a 2019 battery pack has a longer warranty and should give you more useful life. The main question about the 2017 is at what SoC was the battery stored? If it was stored at 100% for most of the time, that's not great. Also, if either pack "lived" in a very hot place, high temps will reduce useful life of the cells.
If you are able to drive both, you could try to estimate the usable pack capacity and use that info to help you decide.
What is the price differential between the two cars you are looking at?
