Confidence in battery health will be vital in supporting more consumers switch to pure electric vehicles in the years ahead, and the industry must become adept at identifying underperforming cells and restoring battery health to optimal levels writes Dr Sara Ridley, engineering and quality director at Autocraft EV Solutions, part of Autocraft Solutions Group.

As the transition to electric gains momentum, several important obstacles must first be eliminated if EV is to truly become a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine (ICE). 

While much of the discussion tends to focus on factors like range anxiety and charging infrastructure, our ability to accurately measure, monitor, and improve EV battery State of Health (SoH) merits particular attention, as illustrated by the Labour party’s recent announcement that it would introduce standardised battery “health tests” to give confidence to buyers of second-hand EVs. Our success in this area will have a major bearing on this transition, overcoming the perceived risks of EV ownership while unlocking the environmental benefits. Here we examine the crucial role of testing and the importance of EV battery health transparency.

Instilling confidence within the used EV market

Most people are familiar with how a healthy ICE vehicle should look and sound, and could easily access a second opinion if necessary. Having confidence that what you are buying is what you are going to get is critical, and yet, there are considerably more unknowns when it comes to buying an EV.