EV batteries, like any battery, slowly degrade and lose capacity over their lifetime. EVs sold today are expected to have a life of around 15 years (or equivalent in terms of total kilometres driven e.g. 180,000-200,000 km). At the end of their usable life in a vehicle, these batteries can be removed, and have a second life as energy storage for homes, buildings or even powering the grid. Batteries could last another 10+ years in this second life application before being recycled and made into a new battery.
The rate of degradation over the battery’s life can be influenced by a range of factors including battery chemistry, temperature, driving behaviour and charging patterns. Just like all devices, the harder a battery works, the quicker it will degrade. That said, EV batteries continue to improve and are becoming more and more robust.