Article: What about electric cars' battery life?

HELPDESK : Answering all your motoring queries

From R Sykes: With more manufacturers building electric cars, one area I never see mentioned is battery life. How long does a set of batteries last? What would the replacement cost be? (I suspect very high)

If in time if I was buying a used electric car what would I look for: mileage, age, number of charges? How would I know batteries were in good condition?

You raise some interesting points. In terms of lifespan, it really depends on the type of battery. Currently, hybrid cars use nickel metal hydride batteries. On cars like the Toyota Prius, for example, a spokesman for the firm in Ireland said that since 2000 they have only had to replace ...

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