Fujitsu: lithium-ion batteries last 300-500 cycles (including partial charges) and 2-3 years

I didn't mean this blog to be a tirade against electric cars - I'm just trying to find some answers like you are - so I put "lithium ion battery lifetime" into Google and reached this link, from the technical support section of Fujitsu, the Japanese electronics giant, who probably know a thing or two about lithium ion batteries.

It says that lithium ion batteries will last 300-500 discharge / charge cycles - it counts as a charge cycle even if you only half use the battery. It also says that the batteries will last 2-3 years - starting from the date of manufacture (and this lifetime can be shortened for various reasons, such as battery being exposed to extremes of temperature).

If this is true - how can electric cars ever be viable? Its so easy to imagine people topping up their batteries every night, even if they only used the car for a few miles during the day - so after a year - 365 days - the battery is just about dead. Even if they don't, its dead after 2-3 years.

With the cost of a replacement battery (as noted in my last blog) $36,000 for a Tesla or about £9,000 for a G-Wiz.

Looking at the business model of Better Place (the company promising to set up systems to swap a dead battery for a new one). It can probably help get the most out of its batteries. But if its spending £9,000 on a battery which can drive a car 75 miles 300 times - then it makes no profit margin if a new battery lease costs £30 (9,000 / 300). Who would pay to drive their electric car 75 miles for £30 - and that's if the company makes no profit, and there's a new charging station immediately after the 75 miles are up? I will ask them