“I don’t understand why they make the battery so expensive when you have to change it,” said Scarborough resident Phyllis Lau, who owns a 2018 KIA Soul all-electric vehicle. Lau’s electric SUV comes with a battery warranty that covers 160,000 km, or eight years, whichever comes first. The family said their vehicle had more than 100,000 miles on it this year, which put them outside the warranty period when the shock failed. When the vehicle wouldn’t work, Lau took it to her local dealership and was told the battery needed to be replaced. With the new battery, labor and taxes, he said it will cost about $23,000. Even though the vehicle was out of warranty, KIA agreed to pay half the cost of a replacement battery. “They won’t fully cover the cost. They say the best they can do is half-and-half – I pay 50 percent and they pay 50 percent,” Lau said. Ken Edwardson of St. Catharines, Ont. he bought a used 2011 Lincoln MKZ hybrid four years ago, and when the battery failed, he was shocked to be told to replace it. with labor and taxes, it would cost about $20,000. “At the dealership, he looked it up online and said you’re not going to like this. It was about $15,000 for the battery plus labor and tax,” he said. Edwardson doesn’t think it’s worth it to invest $20,000 in a car that’s now more than ten years old. “I just didn’t expect such a price to replace the battery,” he said. At the University of Toronto’s Center for Electric Vehicle Research, director Olivier Trescases said complete battery failure is rare and shouldn’t deter anyone from buying an electric vehicle, as it’s normal for some batteries to fail when a product is mass-produced. Trescases adds that EV batteries being made now are far superior to batteries made a decade ago. However, Trescases says that anyone considering a used electric vehicle or owning an old one should consider the age of the battery and whether it’s still under warranty. “Those very unfortunate EV owners who have to replace their batteries, yes, it will be very expensive. It all depends on whether the battery degradation is within the warranty clause or not.” In Lau’s case, she decided not to proceed with the battery replacement and returned the car to her finance company. Lau said she was told by the company that it would be auctioned and that she could be liable for any difference due. CTV News Toronto contacted KIA Canada about Lau’s case, and a spokesperson said: “Kia Canada records show that on July 7, 2022, a Kia Canada support technician formally requested from the dealership, a copy of the results of of her inspection and the resulting diagnosis from the inspection of Ms. Lau’s vehicle. Unfortunately no response was received from the dealership indicating that the wear and tear issue had been resolved by the dealership without having to [for] intervention by Kia Canada’. “It is now apparent that Ms Lau’s vehicle was not repaired. In addition, we are informed that Ms. Lau has given up the vehicle. Unfortunately, without access to the vehicle, Kia Canada is unable to comment on the diagnosis of the vehicle or the condition of the battery at the time of the alleged failure.” Ford of Canada asked Edwardson to work with their dealership on his battery issue, but Edwardson decided not to pay $20,000 to replace the battery. Edwardson is still able to drive his hybrid vehicle using only gasoline. There is a new electric car company starting up in Canada called VinFast, which is a Vietnamese car brand based in Singapore, taking a different approach to EV ownership. According to the company’s website, when customers purchase a VinFast EV, the cost of the battery is excluded from the purchase price of the vehicle, and customers pay a monthly fee to lease a battery. With a battery subscription, the company said it bears responsibility for repairs, maintenance and battery replacement costs arising from technical defects to provide customers with a comfortable experience for the life of the vehicle.
