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The problem is you fear it's GOING to be a bigger problem than in an ICE car. That's a fear born from a bunch of non-EV owners repeating it as an inevitability, when they don't look at the risk of a new engine or transmission in their own cars. I mean, it's not like transmission shops are going out of business working on ICE cars, right? And engine rebuilders and suppliers of new engines aren't going out of business, either, right? How about suppliers of low mileage used Japanese engines? There are a lot of those shops out there doing brisk business. I've gone through engines and transmissions in used cars. I have yet to need to replace batteries in my EVs. Yes, EVs haven't been around in useful form for more than 10 years yet, so there may indeed be issues in the early ones shortly. But, unlike many here say, it's NOT an inevitability or even a huge possibility. Batteries' lifespans are measured in full charge duty cycles, not age. And modern thermally controlled battery packs that don't use the top and bottom SOC tend to have less duty cycles on them than say, laptops and phone batteries. Or the early Leafs with their air cooled battery packs (that were notorious for degrading or dying altogether). Tesla batteries are modular, so you can replace parts of the battery pack rather than all of it, and people are starting to figure that out with Volts and Bolts, too. So that by the time these new cars are out of battery warranty, options will be available to the owners for new, used, or rebuilt.
Never known anyone in the past 20+ years that's needed a new engine. And engine/transmission shops are surely on the decline. But the point is still that the engine and transmission is supposed to last the life of the car, whereas a battery is expected to degrade. The amount may be in question and no one can answer the longevity question. In general, batteries decline slowly at first, taper off, then decline rapidly.
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But, unlike many here say, it's NOT an inevitability or even a huge possibility.
How can you know this? What crystal ball do you have that can divine the longevity of car manufacturer batteries when they themselves do not know? Your evangelism is so strong that you can't looking at this objectively. If the batteries do need replacement on a used EV, the cost will be significant and make it a poor financial purchase. Since the longevity is not known, it's not a risk I'd consider worth taking.
The fact that you haven't needed to replace batteries in your Bolt in 3 years of ownership is meaningless.
Never known anyone in the past 20+ years that's needed a new engine.
And I have. I've also bought a number of good used Japanese engines for Japanese cars that have needed them. I also helped a friend with a 10 year old car source a good used transmission due to the factory one costing $7500. For a car worth $3500.
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How can you know this? What crystal ball do you have that can divine the longevity of car manufacturer batteries when they themselves do not know?
I can say the same about you and your assurance that they WILL go bad. You don't know either, but you say it WILL happen.
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The fact that you haven't needed to replace batteries in your Bolt in 3 years of ownership is meaningless.
My Volt was out of warranty after 8 years, and I didn't have to replace batteries in it. And I know people with them that have gone 200-300k miles with little to no degradation. Why? Because the batteries, unlike laptops and phones, are never discharged to 0 (there's a buffer at the bottom) and never charged to 100% (100% full on an EV battery is actually only 90-95% depending on manufacturer). That, combined with thermal management (that isn't done with laptops, phones or power tools) makes them ready to last a loooong time.
I can say the same about you and your assurance that they WILL go bad. You don't know either, but you say it WILL happen.
No, you can't. I said it's unknown how long the batteries will last and therefore not worth the risk. You're the one claiming some kind of insider knowledge.
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