Electric car batteries explained
Volts, amp-hours, kilowatt-hours and LiFePO4 – what the numbers on a battery mean for your range.
· 1 min read
Battery specifications can look like alphabet soup. Here is what they actually mean – and which number matters most.
An example
The Voltiva Terra has a 72V 150Ah LiFePO4 battery with 10.8 kWh of energy.
Volts (V)
The battery's voltage. Higher-voltage systems can deliver power more efficiently, but on its own voltage does not tell you much about range.
Amp-hours (Ah)
How much charge the battery holds at that voltage. At the same voltage, a battery with more Ah stores more energy – and gives more range.
Kilowatt-hours (kWh)
The number to look at. Multiply volts by amp-hours and divide by 1,000: 72 × 150 ÷ 1,000 = 10.8 kWh. That is the total energy in the battery, and it is the best single figure for comparing range between cars. It is also how your electricity is billed, so it tells you what a full charge costs.
LiFePO4
The battery chemistry: lithium iron phosphate. Compared with other lithium batteries it is more tolerant of heat, very stable and very long-lasting – which is why we chose it for Mallorca.
So which car goes furthest?
Compare the kWh figures – or use our Compare Cars page, which puts every car's battery and range side by side.
