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Cost Efficiency

Battery health checks should be standard industry practice, says FleetCheck CEO

Golding warned that the residual values of EVs are too low, increasing the potential losses felt by fleets.

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Battery health checks
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The CEO of FleetCheck, Peter Golding, has called for battery health checks to be “standard industry practice,” in order to improve buyer confidence in used electric vehicles (EVs).

Golding warned that the residual values (RVs) of EVs are too low, increasing the potential losses felt by fleets.

Despite this, EVs are selling quickly, showing that there is demand in the used market.

Golding said that fleets should perform battery health checks on all of their EVs before selling them.

He also said that disinformation is playing a role in the low RVs of EVs.

Golding said: “There are already some leasing companies doing good work in this area. There remains a large proportion of potential buyers – and even potential dealers – who are resistant to EVs, sometimes because of widespread disinformation.

“Education campaigns designed to promote the benefits of EVs and dispel persistent myths have a role to play here.

“Buying your first EV is a big step for most people and providing a high level of reassurance is important.

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“While it is becoming clear that battery failure or even rapid degradation is extremely rare, it remains a barrier to purchase for many.

“Battery health checks help remove that fear and could prove a crucial step in improving RVs.

“They should be standard industry practice.”

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He said that the best way of boosting RVs in the medium term was to provide more charging points.

Golding said: “The used market has reached a position where EV sales are actually quite healthy providing their prices are around the same as hybrid and petrol equivalents.

“At that level, customers don’t seem to be in short supply.

“While that is a better situation than having a shortage of buyers, it does mean that considering the higher purchase price of EVs, RVs remain far from healthy.

“With fleets operating more and more electric cars and vans, the potential losses are mounting.

“If you can’t easily and cheaply charge an EV, you can’t become part of the market. Arguably half of motorists are currently shut out of buying an electric car because they live in an apartment or terraced house.

“The Government is putting more money into subsidising the installation of pavement charging gullies, which should make a difference, but more action is needed.

“Improving the infrastructure to widen charger accessibility is central to better RVs.”

Golding also proposed direct support for the used EV sector, for which the Government could provide immediate support.

Golding said: “The electric new car scheme has been quite successful in boosting sales of new EVs and something similar would be welcome in the used sector.

“It doesn’t have to be a direct subsidy either – very low or zero cost finance could prove even more effective.”

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