LFP Wins This Tesla Model 3 Battery Degradation Comparison

Four Model 3 battery variants were compared after 62,000 miles, and the CATL LFP pack retained the most of its initial capacity.

By: Andrei Nedelea

Jul 15, at 8:37am ET

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The CATL LFP pack retained 93.3% capacity after 62,000 miles, the best of four Model 3 batteries.
The worst performer, a 52.4-kWh Panasonic pack equipping U.S.-built Model 3s, averaged 88.2% battery health.
Carla’s findings echo earlier Voltest data showing stronger long-term retention from LFP packs.

There are many variations of the Tesla Model 3 with different battery packs that lose capacity at different rates. A large analysis from Carla in Sweden found a meaningful difference in battery degradation between four Model 3 pack variants after more than 100,000 kilometers, or around 62,000 miles.

The best result came from the CATL-supplied lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, which retained an average 93.3% of its original capacity. It originally had around 60.5 kilowatt-hours and was used in rear-wheel-drive Model 3 variants made in China.

One disadvantage of LFP cells compared with nickel-rich chemistries is their lower energy density, making them less well-suited for long-range and high-performance applications. However, they are cheaper and have better thermal stability, which allows them to take frequent fast charging better and retain more of their original capacity for longer.

The Carla data seems to confirm it since the other three batteries all had nickel-based cell chemistries. In second place came the Shanghai-built Long Range or Performance variants that used LG Energy Solution cylindrical cells with an average 91.5% of their original capacity.

In third and fourth spots were cars equipped with Panasonic cells. These are likely early California-built cars that were imported into Europe before Tesla’s Shanghai factory became operational. These include the 77.8 kWh pack from the Long Range and Performance, with 89.8% remaining, and the Standard Range 52.4 kWh pack, with 88.2% remaining.

The data from Sweden overlaps with what Voltest discovered by compiling data from 20 battery tests from Model 3s that had covered over 100,000 miles. However, the new result should be based on a larger pool of vehicles, since the entire dataset (including other brands and models) had nearly 10,000 entries.

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The Voltest data revealed that LFP examples had between 87% and 93% battery health, while the nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) cars ranged from 71% to 83%. It was a much smaller sample, and the LFP cars were newer, but the difference was noticeable. The positive outliers were one LFP Model 3 at 92% health after nearly 140,000 miles, and another at 90% after almost 165,000 miles.

So if minimizing long-term degradation is what you’re looking for in an electric car, getting one with an LFP battery seems to be your best bet, although you will have to give up some range. It’s worth noting that there are also Model S sedans over 10 years old with their original batteries, and many still have over 80% remaining even after more than a decade and hundreds of thousands of miles.