The shelf-life of electric vehicle (EV) batteries may be as much as 40 percent greater than previously assumed, a new study has found.

Stanford University scientists uncovered this possibility by changing the way they evaluate the lifecycles of such batteries: Instead of conducting customary tests that involve a constant rate of discharge followed by recharge, they assessed the batteries under everyday, stop-and-go conditions.

When evaluating batteries that were subject to normal, real-world use — such as heavy traffic, long highway trips, short city travel and staying parked for a while — the researchers found that batteries could last much longer than previous forecasts have indicated.

These findings suggest that EV owners may not need to replace their expensive battery packs or buy new cars for several additional years, according to the study, published on Monday in Nature Energy.

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