LONDON : A lack of data on electric vehicle batteries continues to challenge insurers who are forced to scrap EVs after mild accidents, potentially undermining EV adoption, Thatcham Research said on Wednesday.
Insurers have complained that many EVs have no way to repair or assess even slightly damaged battery packs after accidents, forcing them to write off cars with low mileage - leading to higher premiums and undercutting gains from going electric. Adrian Watson, Thatcham's head of engineering research, said in an ideal world insurers could make informed decisions about whether to repair EVs or write it off based on access to data on its state of health after an accident.
Only around 1.65 per cent of cars on Britain's roads are electric, but Thatcham said EV-related insurance claims are already 25.5 per cent more expensive than for fossil-fuel equivalents and take 14 per cent longer to repair.