Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. The report says my replacement risk is low. How long will the battery last?

EV batteries typically follow a pattern, where there is an initial small drop in capacity over the first year or so, a steady marginal decline over 5-10 years, and then a deep drop over a year+ as the battery is getting to its end of life. A low battery replacement risk indicates that a battery is not exhibiting any signs of entering the final phase towards its end of life.

Hybrid batteries typically follow a different pattern, where there is an even drop in capacity over time, with a steep drop as the battery is getting to its end of life. A low battery replacement risk indicates that a battery is not exhibiting any signs of entering the final phase towards its end of life.

2. My report shows cells that are fair or failing. What does that mean?

Typically, an EV battery is made up of 96-108 bricks, with each brick containing a number of individual cells. vsNew analyzes the voltage of all bricks by comparing their voltage vs others in the battery. Deviations in voltage may be an indication that your battery requires servicing or is entering the last phase of its life.

Hybrid vehicle batteries are made up of 16-96 bricks, with each brick containing a number of individual cells. vsNew analyzes the voltage of all bricks by comparing their voltage vs others in the battery. Deviations in voltage may be an indication that your battery requires servicing or is entering the last phase of its life.

3. My car has an 8 year / 100,000 mile battery warranty. Why do I need a health report?

Typically, OEM battery warranties will kick in if a vehicle drops below 70% of its original range within the warranty time limitation. While this is a good backstop, our mission is to help owners far exceed the warranty battery range and life expectations with optimal driving, storage, and charging habits.

Warranty battery replacements are also typically slow and may leave you without your car for an extended period of time. OEMs often use refurbished batteries as replacements, with the goal of keeping you above 70% for the duration of your warranty limitation.

Our goal is to help you keep your EV or Hybrid vehicle running optimally and far exceed your warranty minimums.

4. How often should I get me battery tested?

For EVs, we recommend annual battery checks after your first year, unless you see lower than expected range or battery capacity changes.

For Hybrid vehicles, we recommend annual battery once the battery is 6+ years old, unless you see lower than expected fuel economy or other atypical behaviors.

5. Why is the EV report’s max range / usable battery capacity different from my car’s display?

For EVs, OEMs typically display a lower range or capacity than what is available in order to 1) give the driver a cushion to drive a bit further, similar to gas vehicles, and 2) to promote long term battery health by avoiding the driver to fully deplete the battery. Max range in the report is comparable to how the EPA measures range, which is from 100% to full depletion or true 0%.

6. The initial battery check says my range and battery capacity look fine. Why would I need a full vsNew battery health report?

The vsNew Battery Health Report is a comprehensive assessment of your battery’s health, including a full check of the cells or bricks that make up your battery pack. If you can identify a small problem early, you may be able to adjust your driving, storage, and charging behavior to optimize for battery longevity. You might also want to get the full report to establish a historical health point for your battery’s individual cell health, or use it when you are selling or buying a used EV to assure the battery is healthy.

7. The vsNew Battery Health Report says my cells are 100% healthy, but my car’s replacement risk is still high - how can that be?

In some cases, cells can degrade evenly, where a battery pack failure would not be caused an individual cell, brick, or module, but instead, by the overall degradation of all cells. In this case, the primary symptom will be a steady drop in range over 3-12 months, before the battery pack will require replacement.

8. I just replaced my battery and the vsNew Battery Health Report shows a large deviation between the cell voltages. What does this mean?

Immediately after replacing a battery with a refurbished battery, or replacing a module, the vehicle will need to charge the battery for several cycles before the cell or module voltages can get back into sync.