Driving behavior plays a critical role in the longevity of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, with aggressive driving accelerating battery aging far beyond previously understood limits. Researchers at Shanghai Dianji University examined detailed data from 15 EVs operating in Guangzhou and found that demanding driving patterns—characterized by frequent hard launches and bursts of high electrical current—can degrade battery capacity more than twice as fast as smooth, eco-conscious driving.
The year-long study, published in Scientific Reports, gathered vehicle metrics every 10 seconds, including speed, battery current, voltage, temperature, and state of charge. Using machine-learning techniques, the team classified five distinct driving styles, ranging from gentle eco-driving to highly aggressive operation, based not simply on speed but on the intensity and frequency of electrical current drawn from the battery.
The findings challenge common assumptions that faster highway cruising necessarily stresses batteries more. Instead, repeated high-torque acceleration at lower speeds, such as stop-and-go traffic conditions, inflicted the greatest wear. Vehicles in the most aggressive category averaged a root-mean-square current of over 66 amps, compared to just over 20 amps for the smoothest drivers.
By isolating driving style from environmental and charging factors, the researchers concluded that switching from aggressive to eco-driving could reduce short-term battery aging stress by more than 90%. Over the long term, their models estimated that after 1,000 charge-discharge cycles, batteries used by aggressive drivers lost approximately 53% of their original capacity, more than double the 21% loss seen with eco-driving.
This degradation rate implies that aggressive driving behaviors could shorten the effective lifespan of EV batteries substantially, increasing replacement costs and environmental impact. The research underscores the importance of driving habits as a crucial factor—alongside temperature, charging routines, and state of charge—in determining battery health.