New EV blueprint aims to prevent unnecessary write-offs

A new blueprint to address the growing challenge of electric vehicle (EV) insurability and repair costs has been launched by Thatcham Research in the UK, which aims to prevent a growing number of EVs from being unnecessarily written off each year.

It shows that instead of replacing a battery that can represent 40 per cent of the car’s total value, it could be economically repaired – keeping EVs over three years old on the road and out of the scrapyard.

The EV blueprint establishes eight critical requirements for the automotive industry, designed to ensure battery electric vehicles can be safely assessed, efficiently repaired and economically maintained throughout their lifecycle.

Resettable Emergency Safety Loop
Emergency safety systems must be designed to be resettable without permanent damage or extensive component replacement, similar to fuel cut-off switches in conventional vehicles.

Safe and Simplified Battery Handling
Battery removal and reinstatement processes must be straightforward, avoiding complex procedures or specialised subscription-based tools that create barriers to efficient repairs.

Vehicle Damage Assessment Guidelines
Clear, accessible methodologies for assessing battery damage after accidents must be available to all stakeholders, including independent repairers and insurers, to prevent unnecessary total loss determinations.

Accessible Diagnostics
High-voltage system diagnostics should be standardised and accessible through widely available equipment, comparable to current On-Board Diagnostics systems for conventional vehicles, rather than requiring expensive proprietary tools.

Battery Damage Protection Against Impacts
Robust under-shields and protective designs are essential to safeguard batteries from underbody impacts and side collisions, with replaceable protective components available at reasonable costs.

HV Battery Repair Strategies
Established repair methods for battery casings and mounting brackets must allow completion without removing or disassembling entire battery packs, with pyrotechnic fuses designed for easy reset or replacement.

Serviceability of HV Batteries
Batteries must be designed for safe disassembly, using modular construction with removable fasteners rather than permanent adhesives, enabling loacalised refurbishment and remanufacturing.

HV System Component Design
Critical components like charge ports should be positioned in less vulnerable locations and designed as standalone units to minimise repair complexity and costs.

“To continue making insurance more affordable as more electric vehicles hit the roads, car manufacturers, insurance companies and repairers need to keep collaborating to overcome any remaining challenges,” said Dan Harrowell, principal engineer, advanced technologies at Thatcham Research.

“This blueprint provides the roadmap for that collaboration, ensuring we can deliver both the environmental benefits of electrification and the economic sustainability that consumers need.”

Thatcham Research’s EV blueprint presents a three-year-old EV that has sustained minor side impact damage to the HV battery bracket.

Current mandated procedures frequently result in total loss because battery casing damage requires a replacement with a new battery which costs more than the car is worth.

For a true circular economy, the battery casing would be repaired without pack removal or replaced with a significantly lower cost refurbished units which would get the car back on the road.

The potential for EV batteries to have a very long operational life has been underlined by a report by Generational, which has tested more than 8,000 electric cars and light commercial vehicles.

It found that eight- to nine-year-old vehicles retain a median 85 per cent battery capacity, compared to new, while the median battery state of health for four- to five-year-old EVs was 93.53 per cent.

“This represents an achievable future state,” continued Harrowell. “The vehicle returns to service promptly, the customer retains their vehicle, salvage values improve and environmental impact is substantially reduced compared to manufacturing a new battery.”

“Real-world data is showing that batteries can have a very long usable life that we should try to maximise through sustainable repair,” he said.

Click HERE to download Thatcham Research’s EV blueprint in full.