98,000 tenge per year for charging: Producer Alexander Axyutits calculates electric vehicle ownership cost

Renowned producer Alexander Axyutits has shared a post on Facebook detailing how the battery capacity of his Tesla has changed over three years and nearly 50,000 kilometres of driving, as well as the costs associated with maintaining the vehicle.

According to Axyutits, he is frequently asked what he intends to do when his Tesla’s battery reaches the end of its service life. He admits that this was also a major concern for him during his first year of electric vehicle ownership.

He has now been driving a Tesla for three years and has been monitoring the battery’s condition for the second consecutive year. This diagnostic feature became available in his vehicle last year.

Battery Capacity Degradation

The first diagnostic test showed that the battery had lost 4% of its capacity over two years. The latest assessment indicated that, after three years and nearly 50,000 kilometres of driving, the battery had lost a total of 5% of its capacity.

“Apparently, once a Tesla battery is no longer brand new, it loses approximately 1% of its capacity per year after the initial break-in period. This means that the question of what I will do when my Tesla’s battery fails is unlikely to become relevant during my lifetime, as I will most probably have passed away from natural causes by then,”Axyutits wrote.

Vehicle Ownership and Maintenance Costs

The producer also shared a breakdown of his expenses. Charging his Tesla costs him 98,000 tenge per year. Over three years, he has spent just 182,000 tenge on maintenance and repairs:

40,000 tenge for replacing the reduction gear oil;

70,000 tenge for restoring the suspension control arm bushings;

72,000 tenge for repairing the power window control module.

In total, charging and maintenance over the three-year period have cost him approximately 476,000 tenge .

“This is simply an outstanding vehicle,”Axyutits concluded.