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EV Clinic, a European battery research and repair group, is raising concerns about the reliability of LG Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries manufactured in China.
These batteries have been used by Tesla to power the Model 3 and Model Y.
According to EV Clinic, their teardown and repair attempts reveal a troubling issue.
The research team states that these LG batteries have two main problems: a high failure rate of individual cells and the difficulty of repairing them.
Based on the company’s studies, LG batteries made in China have significantly shorter operational lifespans compared to those from competitors.
For comparison, EV Clinic says Tesla battery packs powered by Panasonic cells are expected to last around 250,000 miles, while the LG batteries tend to fail around 150,000 miles.
The research team shared their findings on the company’s official X account.
They write…
“Media hype around ‘Made in China’ battery systems being the “best” has never been validated in real-world use.
We are raising serious concerns about Tesla Model 3/Y LG NCM811 battery packs (LGES Nanjing), which exhibit very high failure rates and significantly shorter lifespans compared to Panasonic NCA packs (Made in USA).
In more than 90% of the cases we review, cell-level repairs are impossible on LG packs. The degradation within affected modules is far beyond recovery. The issue is rarely caused by a single bad cell—most failing modules contain multiple cells with very high internal resistance. Out of 46 cells, it’s common to find 15 cells over 100 mΩ ACIR, and the remaining 30 cells above 50 mΩ ACIR.
Given these patterns, neighboring series groups in parallel modules often display resistance values already above acceptable limits. This means that even if we replace the faulty cells with used, matching donor cells (never with new ones), the remaining weakened cells are likely to fail in a cascade. This makes repair operationally unsustainable, as the entire pack appears to be nearing the end of its life, resulting in very high warranty and labor costs.
Another question is:
If one out of four modules is badly degraded, what are the chances that replacing a single module will keep the pack stable, and for how long?
Is it realistic to expect another 100,000 km of trouble-free use after replacing one module?
Most likely not.
Currently, during ongoing testing with real customers experiencing LG failures, we are losing over €20,000 each month in operational time while investigating if LG’s Chinese NCM811 systems can be repaired sustainably. At this point, we can confidently say: the cells are, to say the least, disastrous. Panasonic’s single-cell failures at 250,000 km are repairable, whereas LG exhibits multiple cell failures.
For comparison:
• A healthy Panasonic cell typically measures about 10 mΩ, while a new LG Nanjing cell starts around 28 mΩ.
• A failing Panasonic cell hits roughly 28 mΩ, which is the measurement for LG cells when brand new.
It’s very hard to explain these complexities to customers.
The only responsible alternative—though very rare—is replacing the entire battery pack with a used Panasonic pack from the secondary market.
This raises a key question:
Where does the media hype come from claiming Chinese-made cells are “better”?
In reality, the best Li-ion cells are produced in Europe (LG Chem, Samsung SDI) and the USA (Panasonic).
China’s strength is mainly in LFP technology, but Blade-format LFP packs are entirely non-repairable, as research by independent institutes shows.”
Below the company’s post, EV Clinic states that, due to challenges in repairing Tesla battery packs with LG batteries, they are introducing a new fee for any owner who brings their vehicle to one of their repair shops.
EV Clinic writes…
“Important Notice for Tesla owners with Chinese LG packs
Due to extremely high operational losses, we must introduce an experimental “repair check feasibility” fee to determine whether repair is even possible.
If the pack is deemed non-repairable, the only options are:
1. Replacement with a used Panasonic pack
2. Full pack replacement at a Tesla Service Center
When supplying used Panasonic packs, we do not guarantee range, charging speed, or long-term capacity.
Warranty covers functional defects—not degradation or reduced range.»
Finally, EV Clinic concludes the post by highlighting the different expected lifetimes for a Tesla vehicle equipped with a Panasonic battery pack compared to one with an LG battery pack.
The company states…
“Estimated End-of-Life (EOL)
• Panasonic packs: ~250,000 miles
• LG NCM811 (China): ~150,000 miles”
This is definitely concerning; however, please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the red “Add new comment” button below. Also, be sure to visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.
For more information, check out: A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Says The Wrap He Put Over His Truck Melted On The Stainless Steel In The Arizona Heat And Damaged The Finish – He Adds, “Polished Is The Best Way To Go In A Hot Climate”
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
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