Vehicles do occasionally need parts replaced. This does not diminish that these vehicles will last hundreds of thousands of miles cost effectively. The nuance is clear, or so I assumed. Replace parts as needed (either scheduled maintenance or ad hoc), but the powertrain will likely last the life of the vehicle, and that is the material cost concern of a vehicle.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2022/08/01/electric...

> “It’s the complete opposite of what people feared when we first launched EVs—that the batteries would only last a short time,” he reflected.

> It’s clear that most EV batteries will outlast the vehicles they were installed in, and even then, they have a worthwhile second life before they need to be stripped down for recycling.

> “At the end of the vehicle’s life—15 or 20 years down the road—you take the battery out of the car, and it’s still healthy, with perhaps 60 or 70% of usable charge,” said Thomas.

-- Nissan executive Nic Thomas.

(and these are early gen battery pack designs that were, frankly, not very good compared to Tesla's)