Hyundai first introduced a car with a storage battery in 2012 when the Sonata Hybrid was launched. That car came with a lifetime battery warranty. Since then, Hyundai has added another EV model, the Sonata Plug-in Hybrid. It also comes with a lifetime battery warranty. Hyundai’s latest addition to is model lineup is the Ioniq, which comes either as a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, or a full battery electric vehicle.
Hyundai has just announced that the battery in all three version of the Ioniq will be covered by the same lifetime warranty as the Sonata Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid. If the battery pack fails, Hyundai will replace it free of charge and “cover recycling costs for the old battery free of charge to the original owner,” according to a promotional e-mail sent to customers. It does not apply to vehicles used in commercial service, which Hyundai defines as “taxi, route delivery, rental, etc.”
Sharp eyed readers will immediately notice the Hyundai warranty does not pertain to battery degradation. Some manufacturers cover it, some don’t. Here’s a chart you may find useful.
Credit: Gary Exner
A flap developed earlier this month when it was revealed that the Chevy Bolt owner’s manual says degradation of up to 40% can occur in the first 8 years of operation. People immediately got their shorts bunched up because that seemed like an excessively high number. But you will notice in the chart above that many manufacturers provide owners with no protection from battery degradation at all. Now you can add the Hyundai Ioniq to that list.
50 years ago, people used to worry about the cost of replacing an internal combustion engine when it failed. A car with 50,000 miles on the odometer was deemed ready for the junk yard. Today, cars routinely go 200,000 miles or more with little more than routine oil changes.
The original Nissan LEAF battery tended to degrade quickly, especially in hot, dry climates like Arizona. Even though Nissan redesigned the battery 4 years ago and there have been few complaints since, battery degradation is now an urban legend that continues to haunt the EV marketplace. It’s not unexpected that people might be nervous about the cost of replacing a battery, but experience shows that batteries are far more robust and long lasting than anyone thought a few years ago.
If you are a belt and suspenders kind of person, you might be wary of a battery operated vehicle still. But the real world data suggests that battery life is mostly a non-issue today. If you want an EV, the best advice you can find comes via Bobby McFerrin: “Don’t worry. Be happy.”
Source: Green Car Reports
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