Which Electric car battery is the most durable ?

[Omar]

Dear Friends,

My car battery is getting worse. So I will have to replace it in a month. There are several options in the market here, but I do not know which one to select. So if you have any information about which cars have the most durable batteries then please advise.

My car is Kia Soul EV+ MY 2015, Imported from California
Available options:

1. Nissan Leaf 2015 - 2017 battery
2. 2018 Kia Soul EV battery
3. Hyundai Ioniq battery.
4. Battery assembled of Chevy Bolt cells
5. Battery assembled of Jaguar I-Pace cells
6. BMW i3 24 KWh battery.

Any info could be useful to me. Thanks

 

[EVDee]

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking..

Are you looking to get a new vehicle and are asking which one on the list is best, or are you just buying the battery and somehow installing it in your existing car?

 

[IanL]

Are you sure all those are real options? Not all EVs use the same battery configuration, or the same cells, and the controlling electronics will not necessarily be compatible.

The Soul EV 2018 would seem to be a good bet, but the BMS will need to be updated accordingly.

 

[Tcalp]

Many countries have 3rd party EV repair shops capable of custom fitting 3rd party batteries into EV's. I assume that is what he is looking to do. I would say i3 should be your top choice, and bolt or leaf secondary.

 

[Tcalp]

Hyundai IONIQ would also be a good choice, they are LG Chem

 

[Omar]

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking..

Are you looking to get a new vehicle and are asking which one on the list is best, or are you just buying the battery and somehow installing it in your existing car?

Here there are few shops who can fit almost any battery to your car, they modify the hardware and even install a custom cooling system. they give you warranty up to 2 years for a certain degradation.
So I am looking to replace my battery, the cars here are imported and the dealer does not accept an warranty claims.

 

[JejuSoul]

...Here there are few shops who can fit almost any battery to your car, they modify the hardware and even install a custom cooling system. they give you warranty up to 2 years for a certain degradation...

Putting a different battery in a car is unusual. No-one really knows the full details of what will happen.
The best people for you to ask are the technicians who have done it before.
Also other factors should be asked as well as potential durability, eg price, age and wear of the replacement cells

A bigger battery will be more durable if you can keep the SOC in the middle.
Liquid cooling is better than air cooling.

Of the car manufacturers Tesla, GM and BMW have built the best TMS systems to keep their battery packs at optimal temperatures.
Renault, Nissan and Kia are the worst.

Of the battery cell manufacturers I doubt there is much difference between the Korean and Japanese companies in quality.
The differences are in the cell chemistries used.

In your list the Bolt the i-Pace and the 30kWh Soul all use the same NCM 622 cells.
That they perform differently in different cars is due to the way the car company builds the pack.

The BMW i3 pack has the best TMS of the options you list. If this was the cheapest option I would choose it, but otherwise I would prefer a higher capacity.

I bet the dealer quotes the lowest price for the Nissan Leaf cells.
But unless it was substantially cheaper than the others I would probably go with the 30kWh Soul battery pack.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Omar]

I checked yesterday with some repair shops. Currently available are:

1. BMW i3 pack, 24 KWh. Price: 4,100 $. SOH 95%
2. BMW i3 pack, 33 KWh. Price: 5,700 $. SOH 100%
3. 36 KWh pack assembled of I-pace and Chevy Bolt cells. Warrantied for 1 year and 75% degradation. Price: 5,400 $
4. 24 KWh pack assembled of I-pace and Chevy Bolt cells. Warrantied for 1 year and 75% degradation. Price: 4,250 $

I prefer # 3 so far.

 

[MassDeduction]

[...]Of the car manufacturers Tesla, GM and BMW have built the best TMS systems to keep their battery packs at optimal temperatures.
Renault, Nissan and Kia are the worst.
[...]

With regards to Kia, that's what I'd expect for the air cooled 2019 and earlier Soul EV. Is that still true for 2020 and newer product?

 

[JejuSoul]

I checked yesterday with some repair shops. Currently available are:
1. BMW i3 pack, 24 KWh. Price: 4,100 $. SOH 95%
2. BMW i3 pack, 33 KWh. Price: 5,700 $. SOH 100%
3. 36 KWh pack assembled of I-pace and Chevy Bolt cells. Warranted for 1 year and 75% degradation. Price: 5,400 $
4. 24 KWh pack assembled of I-pace and Chevy Bolt cells. Warranted for 1 year and 75% degradation. Price: 4,250 $
I prefer # 3 so far.

Yes. I agree. A bigger pack is less likely to degrade fast. And the price per kWh is cheaper.

 

[JejuSoul]

[...]Of the car manufacturers Tesla, GM and BMW have built the best TMS systems to keep their battery packs at optimal temperatures.
Renault, Nissan and Kia are the worst.
[...]

With regards to Kia, that's what I'd expect for the air cooled 2019 and earlier Soul EV. Is that still true for 2020 and newer product?

Maybe.
The 2020 Soul EV uses the same cooling ststem as the Hyundai Kona EV.
This 38 page thread on the SpeakEV forum suggest that the cooling system is far from problem free.
Just an Update on My Charging Issues.

...seems like the Battery Cooling is not working properly, as during charging the battery heats up till it gets to 34c where the battery cooling cuts in. At that point the cooling pumps start going but the battery keeps getting hotter and hotter, and the coolant does not seem to do anything.
Was thinking maybe the impeller in the coolant pump was not working but more and more tests and it works better on cooler days worse on warmer days, with the coolant temp staying around ambient temp. So starting to think the Coolant for the Battery cooling is not being refrigerated the way it should be and the system is just pumping ambient water around.