Australia’s increasing interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has resulted in year-on-year sales growth, despite concerns around EV purchase prices, recharging infrastructure, range anxiety and resale values.
However, advancements in EV technology have not only made battery-powered cars more affordable but also longer lasting, and now new research around battery degradation may also help reduce EV depreciation.
Pickles has released its Quarterly Automotive Report for the fourth quarter of 2024, and it details how EV batteries may be able to last longer than many critics believe.
Data gathered by Datium Insights and published by the auction giant, which sells used EVs, is claimed to be the “some of the first insights available in the Australian market… in relation to used EV battery health,” according to Pickles chief commercial officer, Fraser Ronald.
Pickles is currently developing an “EV battery health assurance process”, allowing the relevant models it sells to be backed by battery performance results buyers can trust – potentially leading to more EV sales on the used market.
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On average, the 250-plus EVs it tested with more than 120,000km on their odometers still retained more than 90 per cent of their battery capacity.
The data also showed that the EVs tested lost less than two per cent capacity within 20,000km, just over four per cent between 20,000-40,000km and only 5.5 per cent from 40,000-80,000km.
| Distance travelled | Battery capacity |
|---|---|
| 0-20,000km | 98.2% |
| 20,000-40,000km | 95.7% |
| 40,000-80,000km | 94.5% |
| 120,000km+ | 90.1% |
Similar results were found when it came to the age of EVs, with tested vehicles older than four years still retaining 93.7 per cent of their battery health on average.
| Vehicle age | Battery capacity |
|---|---|
| 0-2 years | 97.2% |
| 2-4 years | 95.6% |
| 4+ years | 93.7% |
In addition to this, Pickles detailed the results of 159 tests it conducted across EVs made by Tesla, Hyundai and BYD, showing strong results for all three brands despite differing ages and odometer readings.
| Tesla | Hyundai | BYD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average battery health | 93.3% | 99.3% | 98.6% |
| Average odometer reading | 42,263km | 29,237km | 15,619km |
| Average age | 27 months | 39 months | 17 months |
| Tests completed | 82 | 64 | 13 |
“The upcoming Pickles EV battery health assurance process underlines that we are selling used EVs with healthy batteries, as early data suggests battery health is in line with manufacturer expectations,” said Brendon Green, Pickles’ general manager for automotive solutions.
Car companies typically expect a degree of battery degradation with their EVs, with many covering the battery under a separate warranty (most commonly for eight years) and guaranteeing a certain state of health (SoH) at the end of this period.
The announcement of Pickles’ battery health assurance program comes after a record quarter for the firm, in which it sold 120 used EVs in the final three months of 2024.
For context, it sold just 115 EVs during the whole of 2023, and 334 throughout 2024. Of those 334 EVs, 51 per cent ended up in the hands of private buyers, compared to 24 per cent for petrol and diesel vehicles.
Compared to the same quarter in the prior year, Pickles saw a 190.2 per cent increase in EV sales, against an overall vehicle sales increase of 15.4 per cent. Hybrid vehicle sales increased by 112.8 per cent, while petrol-powered used vehicle sales were down 4.4 per cent.
Last year was a record for new EV sales in Australia with 91,292 deliveries, which was up 4.7 per cent on the year prior. However, this was down significantly on the triple-digit growth in 2023, with a slump in Tesla sales having a major impact on overall EV sales growth.
