Electric vehicle batteries raise two main concerns among consumers: sustainability and lifetime.

In terms of sustainability, 87% of drivers who are considering an electric vehicle worry about the environmental impact of batteries. However, research conducted by Transport & Energy shows that electric cars produce almost three times less lifecycle CO2 emissions than petrol or diesel cars. Moreover, improvements in industrial scale battery manufacturing have significantly reduced the impact values compared to early estimates.

Regarding battery lifetime, most electric cars come with a warranty on the batteries' lifetime and performance, typically lasting 8-10 years or 100,000 miles of use. The RAC recommends maintaining the battery state of charge between 20 and 80% to help it last longer.

Rapid charging can impact battery life, but manufacturers include complex battery management systems to preserve battery lifetime. Charging speeds taper downwards towards 80% state of charge to achieve this goal. According to experiments conducted by the Idaho National Laboratory, rapid charging on a 2012 Nissan Leaf had less battery degradation impact than originally anticipated.