Tesla Battery Replacement: Can You Afford It?

Should you choose a fuel-powered car or an electric one? This has become a headache-inducing decision for many.

During the just-concluded holiday, traffic congestion on highways was a common occurrence, and many charging stations were swarmed with people and vehicles. The willingness to purchase electric cars has once again become a hot topic among the public.

It's important to recognize that electric cars represent a significant trend for the future. As technology becomes more refined and fuel costs continue to rise, electric cars are gaining popularity.

However, the subsequent issue of battery maintenance has caused many people to worry, with Tesla owners being the first to voice their objections.

As a well-known automaker, Tesla has won the hearts of many consumers with its superior performance and sleek design. Yet, the latest news has left Tesla owners restless. But why is that?

It's widely acknowledged that the battery of an electric car is the key component that determines its lifespan. The longer it's used, the inevitable damage to the battery will lead to a gradual decrease in the supported mileage.

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Many Tesla users have reported that after driving for a few years, their cars can now only travel about a hundred kilometers on a full charge, a decrease of 300% compared to when the car was new, which is unacceptable.

As one of the first companies to introduce electric cars, Tesla's technology should be reassuring. However, there are still many unforeseen drawbacks that are hard to avoid.

The only way to address the gradual reduction in battery range is to replace the battery. Yet, this replacement has sparked protests among many car owners.

The reason is simple: the cost is too high.According to Tesla owners, while driving their beloved car that has been in use for eight and a half years, a battery failure occurred. Since the time has been long and the warranty period has passed, they were informed that they would have to pay for a battery replacement out of pocket. The price list provided by Tesla indicates that the cost of the battery ranges from 160,000 to 220,000 yuan, a price that is simply hard to accept.

What's even more frightening is that even if you purchase a second-hand battery on the market, the price is still over 100,000 yuan. The main reason is that electric vehicle technology is still not perfect, the manufacturing cost of batteries is high, and the cost of labor for maintenance and replacement is also substantial. Ultimately, all these costs are borne by the consumers.

Although many Tesla owners are "not short of money," no one wants to be the冤大头 when faced with such a high battery replacement cost. In addition, many of Tesla's electric vehicles are already expensive, and the cost of daily maintenance and repairs has already been substantial. If a large sum of money is also required for battery replacement, it is indeed somewhat unreasonable.

The high cost of battery replacement also makes many people who want to buy a car reconsider whether to choose an electric vehicle. Some even made a calculation that, according to the price of a new battery of 220,000 yuan, you would need to consume nearly 30,000 yuan worth of fuel in a year to achieve a balance. However, for ordinary car owners, it is difficult to consume 30,000 yuan worth of fuel in a year.

After several years of development, the number of electric vehicle owners is increasing, and the advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicles are now very apparent. For daily commuting, electric vehicles are indeed the best choice. However, for long-distance travel, charging takes a long time, which is not worth the effort.During holidays, charging stations are almost always fully occupied, with many electric vehicle owners expressing their surprise: "I didn't expect the first line I'd have to wait in for a holiday trip would be for charging."

Moreover, in many cities today, charging stations are not yet widespread, and there are numerous safety hazards associated with private charging. Therefore, the difficulty of charging is a significant reason why many people hesitate to adopt electric vehicles.

However, as a major trend in future technological development, many manufacturers are increasingly improving the supporting facilities for electric vehicles. In addition to charging stations, many car companies have introduced "quick battery swap" services, which have been put into use in many first-tier cities. This allows for departure without having to wait for a long time to charge.

However, the construction cost of these battery swap stations is relatively high, and if full coverage is to be achieved, it seems that the cost will inevitably be passed on to the consumers.

In addition to charging, the uncertain lifespan of electric vehicle batteries is also a source of concern for many people.

"What if the battery fails after only a few years of use? The cost of replacing the battery is so high." "Is it easy to repair if the battery fails?"

There are many such questions. Compared to the development history of gasoline vehicles, electric vehicles have a shorter history, and there are more unknown issues, which inevitably causes many car owners to worry.

More importantly, in many cases, the cost of repairing electric vehicles is even higher.

Take Tesla as an example, the product quality can be guaranteed to be problem-free during the warranty period, but over time, various issues will arise.

Under the banner of ensuring quality, the cost of official repairs by car brands is indeed quite high, often reaching tens of thousands of yuan, causing many ordinary consumers to feel the pain.The affordability of electric vehicles but the prohibitive cost of repairs has become a significant concern for many car owners. Apart from the top-tier electric cars with a battery replacement cost of 220,000 yuan, even the more cost-effective Tesla Model 3 has a battery replacement cost as high as around 60,000 yuan. This exorbitant price has led many to complain that even if they replace the battery and sell the used car, they won't get this price. Therefore, many people suspect that this is a strategy introduced by the brand to stimulate consumption. After all, faced with the high cost of batteries and a new car, many people would choose the latter. In this way, the brand can sell more new products. If this is indeed the case, then this practice of "harvesting leeks" is really hard to accept. After all, one of the main reasons many people choose electric cars is that they can save a lot on fuel costs and have a higher cost-performance ratio. However, if the cost of battery replacement is so high, it also means that the service life of electric cars is short, which will undoubtedly lead many consumers to reconsider whether to buy electric cars. Of course, the high price of batteries is also due to the fact that today's electric car technology still has many areas that need to be improved. As more and more car companies start to build electric cars, Tesla's competitive advantage is also being gradually eroded and surpassed, and the technical improvements made by more and more excellent car companies are praiseworthy. If Tesla still maintains its high position and uses high prices to deter car owners, it may not only fail to "harvest leeks" but also lose customers. How to solve the energy consumption problem of electric cars is a problem that every car company should consider. As a major trend in future development, they should do better and bring consumers a better consumption experience.After all, nowadays, consumers have an increasingly wider range of choices and are gradually becoming less willing to be treated as "chopsticks" to be cut. If there is no improvement, they will inevitably be eliminated by the market.

I believe that as more and more car companies invest more energy in electric vehicle technology, they will bring new shocks to the market. I hope that manufacturers can truly consider the usage experience and needs of every ordinary car owner in a comprehensive manner during production and manufacturing.