Geotab has launched its Electric Vehicle Battery Degradation tool, a tool that offers a comparison and assessment of battery health in EVs over time.

The tool, which the company announced at the Geotab Connect 2020 event, uses data collected from 6,400 vehicles across 64 makes, models, and years to showcase how real-world conditions influence battery health.

“Considering we are in the early stages of EV adoption, the health of the battery has been a top concern for fleet owners and individuals,” said Matt Stevens, VP electric vehicles at Geotab. “From a life-cycle perspective, battery health is key since it is the most expensive component in an EV and impacts vehicle range. With Geotab’s free EV Battery Degradation Tool, fleet operators, early EV adopters and those considering the purchase of an EV will have the information they need to make more informed driving, maintenance and buying decisions moving forward.”

In its analysis of the 6,400 vehicles, Geotab has found that if degradation rates remain constant, most batteries will outlast the usable life of a vehicle and go on to provide energy storage for many more years.

The company found that the average decline in energy storage is 2.3% every year. To put that into context, an EV with a 150-mile range will lose roughly 17 miles of accessible range after five years.

Geotab also found that not all batteries are created equal, as batteries with good thermal management show slower degradation, and battery-powered vehicles with bigger state-of-charge buffers result in a longer-lasting battery pack.

For fleets concerned that higher vehicle use will accelerate battery degradation, Geotab did not find a direct correlation to this claim.

One thing that does affect battery degradation is temperature, as vehicles driven in hot temperatures show a faster decline in battery health.

Charging an EV via DC fast charging also has a negative effect on degradation speed. However, there doesn’t appear much of a difference in battery health between Level 1 and Level 2 charging.