The better the condition of the electric car's battery, the greater the potential range. For this reason, many buyers fear investing in a used electric car, where the battery may be weaker. Florian Schuh/dpaLawmakers in the UK are being urged to force used car dealers to provide independent battery health assessments when selling electric vehicles (EVs).Three leading EV bodies issued the plea, stating the certificates would provide a major confidence boost for car buyers.They described anxiety over battery condition as one of the biggest remaining barriers to mainstream EV adoption.The organisations – Electrifying.com, New AutoMotive and BatteryIQ – argue modern EV batteries last far longer than many consumers believe.AdvertisementAdvertisementThey added: "The real problem is not battery health itself, but the lack of clear, independent information available when a vehicle is sold."The debate over battery health assessments come as China, the EU and parts of the US have moved to standardize appraisals for used electric vehicles.An industry source expressed hope that battery health certificates – which are available in the UK from about £30 (€35/$41) – could be incorporated into the annual inspection process, as EVs need fewer checks than conventionally-fuelled cars.Ginny Buckley, founder of Electrifying.com, said the current lack of mandatory battery assessments means consumers are being asked to make "one of the biggest purchases of their lives without one of the most important pieces of information".AdvertisementAdvertisementShe went on: "Experts can keep telling car buyers they have nothing to worry about with EV batteries, but our research shows that message simply isn't landing. It's not enough to dismiss the concerns about battery life – we need to address them."Four out of five car sales in the UK involve used vehicles.Ben Nelmes, chief executive of New AutoMotive, said UK government policy has done "a good job" creating a strong supply of second-hand EVs, but "the challenge now is stimulating demand".He went on: "Battery health certificates are a practical, proportionate reform that would strengthen consumer confidence without requiring expensive subsidy schemes."AdvertisementAdvertisementNick Bailey, founder of BatteryIQ, said battery health is "probably the single biggest unanswered question for used EV buyers, yet it's also one of the easiest things to measure accurately".A spokesperson for EV manufacturer Tesla attributed "demand for confidence in battery health" as a key reason for its Model 3 and Model Y being the quickest cars to leave UK dealer forecourts in July.Sales of used electric cars have soared in recent months, which has been partly driven by fuel price hikes caused by the Middle East conflict.
