Thatcham Research publishes EV Blueprint to reduce write offs
Thatcham Research has launched the EV Blueprint to prevent electric vehicles from being unnecessarily written off.
The EV Blueprint addresses the specific challenges of electric vehicle insurability and repair costs.
Safety protocols have been established for first responders managing electric vehicles at the roadside, while repair centres also understand the fundamental safety requirements to protect technicians working on high-voltage systems.
However, challenges remain with a recent Thatcham Research survey finding that battery-related issues remain the primary concern for 44.6% of insurers and 41.7% of repair professionals.
With batteries accounting for up to 40% of a vehicle’s total value, even minor collision damage can result in total loss determinations, particularly as vehicles depreciate over time.
To address this, Thatcham Research’s EV Blueprint establishes eight critical requirements designed to ensure battery electric vehicles can be safely assessed, efficiently repaired and economically maintained throughout their lifecycle.
Key requirements
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 refurbishment and remanufacturing within the UK
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.
Essential principles
These recommendations are underpinned by three essential principles: safety – ensuring protection for everyone who interacts with EVs throughout the vehicle’s entire lifecycle; sustainability – enabling a comprehensive circular economy for HV batteries through repair, refurbishment and remanufacture; affordability – ensuring HV components are accessible and reasonably priced, with total loss avoidance strategies that include new parts, warranted refurbished units and remanufactured options.
Dan Harrowell, principal engineer, advanced technologies Thatcham Research, said: “How affordable it is to insure these cars largely relies on how well the industry can handle repairs after accidents. As repair shops have become more experienced with electric vehicle technology, the costs of fixing these cars have already decreased by 10.7%.
“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.
“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.”
Practical recommendations
Jonathan Hewett, CEO, Thatcham Research, added: “The transition to electric vehicles represents one of the most significant transformations our industry has ever undertaken, but it cannot succeed if EVs become economically unviable to insure and repair. We’re seeing too many repairable vehicles written off simply because current designs don’t accommodate efficient assessment and repair processes.
“Our EV Blueprint is the result of carrying out real-world EV impact assessments and repair procedures, in-house for more than a decade. These are practical, evidence-based recommendations to overcome three-year-old EVs being written off unnecessarily because of minor battery casing damage.
“This impacts consumer confidence and, fundamentally, undermines the sustainability credentials that make electrification so important in the first place.”
Achievable
He continued: “The eight recommendations we’ve outlined are entirely achievable. We already see these principles working in conventional vehicles. There’s no technical reason why EVs can’t meet the same standards. What we need now is industry-wide commitment to designing vehicles that can be safely assessed, efficiently repaired, and economically maintained throughout their entire lifecycle.
“We want to work with vehicle and battery manufacturers to create a genuinely sustainable electric vehicle ecosystem. Not just sustainable in terms of emissions, but sustainable economically and practically for the millions of consumers who will depend on these vehicles in the years ahead.”
