As of 2025, most EV batteries retain 95% or more of their range after three years

Growing EV adoption requires battery management infrastructure

Despite rechargeable batteries' limited life cycle, companies like Spiers New Technologies have developed methods to repair, refurbish, repurpose and recycle these components to minimize environmental waste, lower demand for new critical minerals, and increase electric vehicle lifetimes.

Charging an EV depends on power source, charger type and battery size

It takes less time to charge an electric vehicle's battery for Level 3 chargers, which can deliver 80% capacity in as little as 30 minutes. Level 1 chargers can take days. Larger vehicles possess larger batteries that increase charging time, despite often having less range.

Despite electric usage concerns, EV charging accounts for less than 1% of grid load

Other popular myths about EVs include battery failure concerns—failure rates are less than 1% on newer models—and that there are no places to charge cars, though both at-home outlets and more than 77,000 stations on the road are available.

Nearly 40% of American cars were electric in 1899

They were most common in cities, where battery swap stations allowed drivers to "refuel" their vehicles reliably. Innovations in combustion engines caused electric cars to lose ground until environmental policies and advances in battery technology revitalized interest.

Battery life can be extended by avoiding heat and performing partial charges

Charging regularly in smaller amounts while keeping a battery between 30% and 80% helps maintain lower voltage levels, preventing long-term damage. Some devices continue to draw power when at 100%, which can cause tiny charge cycles and generate heat that degrades a battery's capacity.

US EV sales grew from 1.4 million vehicles in 2023, to 1.7 million in 2024

California, Florida and Texas have the highest number of electric vehicle registrations in the US, while Mississippi, North Dakota and West Virginia have the lowest. Charging station infrastructure, high costs, and range anxiety contribute to lower adoption rates.

From 1991 to 2024, lithium-ion battery cell prices have fallen by 99%

The decrease from about $10,000 to $50 per kilowatt-hour has been driven by innovations in battery chemistry, improvements in manufacturing and supply chains, and increases in global cumulative production, which have caused average price declines of 19% each time it has doubled.

The average electric vehicle motor has about 20 moving parts

The simpler design significantly reduces the energy lost to heat compared to the approximately 2,000 parts in a gas-powered car. Pollution is also lower, though an EV's emission profile is only as clean as the electric utility it's plugged into.

Battery and plug-in hybrid EVs can operate with zero tailpipe emissions

Battery electric vehicles only run on electricity, while plug-in hybrids incorporate a small internal combustion engine that recharges the battery or directly powers the wheels to improve driving range. Fuel cell electric vehicles convert hydrogen gas fuel into electricity.

View the five most expensive metals used to make batteries

Before 2021, when lithium carbonate became the most expensive metal for use in electric vehicle cathodes, cobalt was the most costly battery metal. Of the top five, copper is the only metal not used in cathodes, arguably the most important part of the battery, which determines performance, longevity, and range.

A battery management system determines the displayed battery percentage

The software in modern devices provides values by combining estimates based on voltage—akin to knowing how much air is left in a tire based on the pressure of the escaping air—and coulomb counting, where the rate of electrical current is calibrated to the ratio of remaining charge to full capacity.

Which cars retain the most value after five years?

Aside from two different models of Porsches, the cars with the lowest rates of depreciation after five years aren't luxury vehicles. For instance, Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas both made the top 10 list. To see the ranking, which is based on data from over 1.1 million used cars from model year 2018 and sold between November 2022 and October 2023, click here.

Explore a timeline of Tesla through 2025

Initially called Tesla Motors, the company was renamed Tesla Inc. in February 2017. Its Model Y became the world's bestselling EV worldwide by the end of 2023, overtaking the Model 3's title from 2020.

Batteries range in size based on their purpose, cost, and manufacturability

Lead-acid batteries used in combustion vehicles are resilient to temperature extremes, low-cost, and provide high surge current, which is needed for initial ignition. Alkaline batteries, including AA, AAA, and B, have long shelf lives and supply the low, steady power required for electronics with minimal demand fluctuations.

The Volkswagen bus returns to the US market after 20 years

Volkswagen will start selling battery-powered versions of its VW bus in North America from 2024 onwards, a reintroduction of the iconic vehicle after a roughly two decade-long hiatus. See the revamped bus here.

The world's largest lemon battery was made from nearly 3,000 lemons

By connecting lemons with a piece of zinc on one side and a piece of copper on the other, a team from the Royal Society of Chemistry created a fruit battery with a capacity of 2,307.8 volts.

Batteries are likely to stop working sooner in cold temperatures

The electrolyte separating the cathode and anode of a battery can thicken, impeding ion flow. Lower temperatures also slow the rate of chemical reactions, further reducing battery capacity. Large draws of power, such as when using heaters, heated seats, etc., in a car during winter, exacerbate battery drain further.

In 2023, self-driving cars drove 3.3 million miles on California's roads

According to the state's DMV, the mileage represented a fivefold increase from the previous year. General Motors' Cruise and Alphabet's Waymo accounted for the bulk of miles, though 38 companies have received permits to test autonomous vehicles in the state.

Intended to last four years, the Voyager spacecraft have lasted nearly five decades

Launched in 1977, the Voyager probes still send data from billions of miles away, guided by engineers who’ve turned down promotions to stay with the mission. The team continues to support the probes as they move 37,000 mph through space.

View an interactive chart of energy conversion efficiencies for various photovoltaics

This National Renewable Energy Laboratory visualization provides maximum confirmed efficiencies for nearly 30 research PV cell technologies from August 1975 to today. Concentrator multi-junction cells have led the field since 1993. (Desktop recommended site.)

Cells can last in the human body from days to a person's entire life

Despite claims that a person's body replaces itself every seven to 10 years, the rate at which cells die and are replaced varies by cell type. Gastrointestinal cells that line the digestive tract and stomach last only a few days, while some heart muscle cells and most neurons are around from birth until death.

Today's cars use turbocharged hybrid engines and AI-assisted technologies

In addition to enhanced speed, serious accidents and technological advances have led to major innovations, leading to more aerodynamic and more protective cars.

Electrical grids worldwide must double their power delivery capacity by 2050 to meet surging demand from AI and electric vehicles.

Sony set the standard for cylinder-shaped batteries when it repurposed manufacturing equipment used to make rolls of magnetic recording tape.

Roughly 10% of the world's population is older than 65 (2023 data)

With recent advances in medicine, sanitation, and nutrition, expected lifespans have rapidly risen around the globe—resulting in a rapidly aging global population. The worldwide distribution has seen a nearly 600% jump in the population of people aged 65 and older.

Defying the odds, Stephen Hawking outlived his ALS diagnosis by over 50 years

When diagnosed with ALS, Stephen Hawking was given two years to live. However, he survived with the progressive neurodegenerative disease for over 50 years, highlighting the disease's variability and complexity.

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

Chernobyl's remaining reactors kept running for 14 years after the explosion

Due to energy shortages in Ukraine, Chernobyl's other undamaged reactors continued operating for years. Units 1 and 2 operated until 1996 and 1991, respectively, while Reactor 3 remained online until December 15, 2000, when Ukraine finally shut down the plant.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Scientists testing how climate change affects plants found, in a years-long simulation study, that poison ivy grew 70% faster with the resulting extra carbon dioxide.

Track the location of the Voyager probes, currently between 13 and 15 billion miles away from Earth.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Scientists have struggled to pin down Ebola's natural reservoir species for decades, but the available evidence suggests that it's very likely fruit and insect-eating bats found in Africa.

In 2026, Finland was named the world's happiest country for the ninth consecutive year based on its wealth, social safety network, and high life expectancy, among other factors.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

Fireworks-related ER visits are on the rise—in 2024, they increased by 52% as compared to the prior year.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Researchers believe the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and plans for the future during dream states

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

How fusion—which releases energy when two lighter atoms combine to form a heavier atom—differs from fission

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Venture capital is a form of funding provided to early-stage companies with high growth potential, typically in exchange for an equity (or ownership) stake

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.

The power and influence of the American presidency have expanded significantly over time—far beyond what the founders envisioned.

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

The 1987 Nintendo video game 'Stadium Events' isn't known for being particularly fun, but its scarcity has made it a highly sought-after item that has sold for up to $35K at auction.

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks