There are two considerations when answering the question of how long the battery on an electric car lasts. The first is how long the battery will last, in terms of kilometres covered per charge, and the second is how long the battery will last in terms of years and kilometres before needing to be replaced. Since there are always a variety of factors related to driving style, charging habits and climate, the answers provided here are an estimate based on our own testing and information supplied by Frank Blome, the head of Volkswagen's Centre of Excellence for Battery Cells.
Related: Volkswagen e-Golf (2021) - the EV that's not for sale
How far can you drive on a single charge?
Since the distance that an electric vehicle can cover on a single charge depends a lot on the driving style of the user, it is difficult to give a definitive figure, however, AutoTrader spent a month with the vehicle and we feel at though we have a good idea of how many kilometres the battery will last on a single charge as outlined in the excerpt below:
"A 35.8 kWh Li-ion battery system powers a 100 kW and 290 Nm electric motor to provide a range of between 170 km and 230 km on a single charge. Charge times can take anywhere from 12 hrs when using a 3 kW charge source to as little as 40 minutes (0-80%) with a high-output 50 kW fast-charging solution."- Chad Lückhoff, AutoTrader
How long with the eGolf's battery last?
An electric car's battery life is influenced by the climate in which the car is operated and the charging habits of the user, and as such, the following extract from an interview with Frank Blomecould be considered a conservative estimation, but is entirely understandable considering that the figures quoted form part of the battery's warranty.
"Our aim is always for our batteries to last as long as the cars. We guarantee a minimum capacity of 70 percent for eight years or 160 000 kilometers. But drivers can also influence the length of a battery’s service life. Normal charging is better for the batteries than rapid charging, and charging the batteries up to just 80 instead of 100 percent also increases their service life."-Frank Blome, Head of Volkswagen’s Center of Excellence for Battery Cells.
