Improved EV battery technology will outmatch degradation from climate change

A world map on the left shows the lifetime reduction frequency of old batteries, while a world map on the right shows that of new batteries.

On a planet that warms by an average of 2 degrees Celsius, electric vehicles with batteries made between 2010 and 2018, would see their lifetimes decline by up to 30%, according to new research from the University of Michigan. But, thanks to improved technology, newer batteries made between 2019 and 2023, that degradation maxes out at just 10%. Image credit: H. Wu et al. Nat. Clim. Change, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41558-026-02579-z (used under a Creative Commons license)

By Matt Davenport | Michigan News |

March 2, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

While electrifying transportation can reduce emissions that contribute to global warming, warmer temperatures can also accelerate the degradation of batteries. A new study led by the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) reveals some good news, showing that, in recent years, improved batteries will more than offset their expected heat-related degradation on a warming planet.

“Thanks to technological improvements, consumers should have more confidence in their EV batteries, even in a warmer future,” said Haochi Wu, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Wu performed the work as a visiting doctoral student at SEAS. SEAS Associate Professor Michael Craig was the senior author, and SEAS Assistant Professor Parth Vaishnav also contributed to the study, as did SEAS PhD candidate Jiahui Chen.

A second project was inspired by a similar question about how global warming would impact rooftop solar cell performance. In particular, the researchers examined where climate change would push solar panels into high-temperature risks and extreme high-temperature risks, technical thresholds defined by the International Electrochemical Commission (IEC), which can accelerate the degradation of conventional solar panels, reduce their reliability, and prompt sooner-than-expected replacement. They found that those risks are underestimated for more than half of our existing and future rooftop photovoltaic installation capacity.

“On the solar side, we’re saying we know the risk is coming, so we need to prepare for it and update our standards. But if you update the standards, there’s a whole menu of options available to panel developers, manufacturers and installers that can deal with that risk,” Craig said. “Just like EV technology is mitigating that risk, we can mitigate the risk in solar. We just need to have some foresight.”

Read the full press release on the Michigan News website.

Studies:

Technological improvements in EV batteries offset climate-induced durability challenges (DOI: 10.1038/s41558-026-02579-z)

Climate change will increase high-temperature risks, degradation, and costs of rooftop photovoltaics globally (DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2025.102218)