A massive real-world data study has just debunked one of the most persistent myths about electric vehicles: the supposed fragility of their batteries. Far from being a component doomed to a premature and costly death, modern lithium-ion batteries demonstrate a lifespan that could easily outlast the vehicle itself. Geotab‘s telematics platform analyzed the behavior of tens of thousands of electric cars under everyday usage conditions and concluded that battery degradation is much slower than previously believed, offering robust and reliable performance for years. Below is a complete breakdown of this revealing report, analyzing the real degradation rate, the impact of fast charging, climatic factors, and what this means for the future of electric mobility and the second-hand market. You may also be interested in: Sustainability and Renewable Energy: Latam Mobility Calls for a Dialogue Space to Define the Course of Mobility in Chile Data from over 22,000 vehicles To get an accurate, speculation-free picture, Geotab — a global leader in connected vehicle solutions — conducted a large-scale investigation. The team analyzed aggregated telematics data from 22,700 electric vehicles, covering 21 different makes and models of passenger cars, utility vehicles, and even some light trucks. This analysis, based on several years of real-world usage data, is one of the most extensive and detailed studies on battery health to date. The resulting figures are compelling. The study revealed that the average annual degradation of EV batteries currently stands at around 2.3%, meaning that under average usage scenarios, an electric car would retain approximately 81.6% of its original capacity after eight years of service. To put it in perspective, a 60 kWh battery that starts its life with a State of Health (SOH) of 100% would behave after eight years as if it had nearly 49 kWh available — a range loss that