Every electric vehicle (EV) has two batteries: the big high-voltage pack that drives the car and the smaller 12V battery that powers electronics and safety systems. While the high-voltage pack gets most of the attention, the 12V battery is just as critical, and it wears out much faster.

When most people think about an electric vehicle battery, they picture the big high-voltage pack that drives the car. But every EV also has a 12V battery, and just like in petrol or diesel cars, it doesn’t last forever.