A Costly Battery Replacement
Electric vehicles are slowly becoming an accepted part of the world. While demand may have slowed over the past few years, people are now generally willing to consider them as their primary form of transportation.
However, one major hesitation has always been the longevity and maintenance costs of the battery systems EVs use; most are afraid that replacing a battery might cost them an arm and a leg. Someone recently went online to prove that while EVs offer immediate savings, the long-term costs might not be so wallet-friendly.
Tesla
New Battery, or New Car?
On a Reddit thread, an owner of a 2013 Tesla Model S asked whether any other owners had received the same quote for a battery replacement/upgrade. He posted photos of the quotation he got for an upgraded 90 kwh pack or the same 60 kwh pack; both quotations were alarmingly steep.
The 60 kWh replacement was quoted at $13,830, with the pack costing $13,250 and labor at $580. While the 90kWh upgraded pack comes in at a cool $18,000, with an additional $4,500 to increase the range, bringing the total to around $23,000.
Keep these prices in mind, because the fact is EV depreciation is as real as it gets, and older Teslas like this 13-year-old Model S have very low resale values, with prices on the 2nd-hand car market ranging from $10,000 to $15,000, depending on condition. Both dealer quotes exceed the going market price by a considerable margin.
This has obviously stirred up ‘spirited’ debates on the thread itself, with some people claiming that third-party options offer batteries at a lower cost than Tesla. However, given the Model S’s current going rates as stated above, it might still not be worth the effort and cost.
Go for Brand New
The actual final price on the quotation came out to $39,792, which, for any repair, is an impossible amount, especially for a car not even worth half that on the market. More importantly, that amount can already buy you a brand-spanking-new Model 3 RWD Standard.
So, if said owner is really keen on staying with Tesla, he might as well go for a new Model 3 – or add more to get a new Model S. Moving forward, though, this brings to light a common plight of early EV owners: while brands are promising to lower battery replacement costs in the future, the present looks quite expensive.
Tesla
