Cox Automotive is releasing a VIN-specific battery-grading system for electric vehicles along with an Electric Vehicle Battery Health mobile app and Bluetooth dongle, starting at its vehicle remarketing subsidiary Manheim. The tool is poised to provide EV owners with peace of mind concerning their batteries.
“The battery pack is the single most expensive part of an EV, accounting for 30-40% of the total cost of the vehicle,” said Lea Malloy, AVP of EV Battery Solutions, Cox Automotive Mobility. “With the anticipated influx of used EVs entering the market, our battery health score will help create confidence and transparency at the point of sale.”
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Along with the cost of the battery pack, Cox Automotive reported that 40% of consumers are concerned about the low mileage range of EV batteries, and 30% worry that EV batteries won’t hold their charge, all of which may inhibit the adoption of electric vehicles going forward unless they are addressed.
“Creating a trusted battery health score supports our efforts to build an industry standard for battery health, while delivering the type of vehicle information clients require,” said Grace Huang, president of Cox Automotive Inventory Solutions.
For Cox Automotive, this support includes the ability to easily understand an EV battery’s condition before purchase via their new grading system and the EV Battery Health app. The app and Bluetooth accessory will be launched at 10 Manheim locations, including Pennsylvania, Southern California, San Francisco, Riverside, Nevada, Dallas, Phoenix, Seattle, Nashville, and Portland.
Specifically, the company reported that the mobile Battery health tool evaluates each vehicle to provide VIN-specific information, including the vehicle’s current battery condition; historical battery data such as times, temperatures, and types of charges; and overall performance.
After this, Cox Automotive reported that its health algorithm uses the data provided to create a battery score for the specific vehicle ranging from 1-5, which is then given to the user alongside the battery’s current estimated range in a unified report.
