Cost of EV Maintenance - as per GM Bolt

That's a combination of insurers being cautious, and car companies not sharing data.

Car is in an accident that damages the battery case. The impact that caused that damage could have been transferred to the battery itself, which might internally damage a cell. Maybe that damage will result in a thermal runaway event, and someone's house burns down. All the coulds, mights, and maybes points to a scratched battery case bursting into flames not being high risk. Even with more damage to the case, it is low risk as replacing part of the battery for many models is possible.

With the fire risk, insurance companies want more confidence than a maybe. Since the auto companies aren't allowing others to see the data coming from the battery to determine if the cells have been damaged in a crash, the insurance company takes the safe bet, and calls for replacing the entire battery.

This is one of the issues a right to repair law would help.

 

The article discusses the susceptibility of EV's to battery damage in a crash and how this could make a normally repairable incident unrepairable because of the battery damage- expense and safety that are all different than a normal gasser. Battery pack is not something a gasser has and is no concern for a gasser accident. Thus the difference and the question if anyone is considering this.

It doesn't mean it is right or wrong or a point to vehemently argue it just a fact that this article brings up.

I drive a PHEV with a battery in the back and had never considered how this could complicate and accident repair if it was damaged. It would immediately add another $10,000 to the repair of my vehicle as compared to the HEV model.

Here is a quote from the article. The context is repair/replacement after an accident.

"Battery packs can cost tens of thousands of dollars and represent up to 50% of an EV's price tag, often making it uneconomical to replace them.

While some automakers like Ford Motor Co and General Motors Co said they have made battery packs easier to repair, Tesla Inc has taken the opposite tack with its Texas-built Model Y, whose new structural battery pack has been described by experts as having "zero repairability."":

 

well, its warrantied, 8 years 100k, which isn't as long as you would expect a prius to last, but with the price, I'd be happy if it makes it 10 years. There is a bit of a gamble. But indeed I wouldn't pay 15k to repair a vehicle that I paid 32 for (minus a 7500 tax credit)

 

It is possible to hit a car in a manner that relatively little damage is inflicted on the car, but the airbags are triggered and deployed. There is 7 in the Niro. If they all go off, that could easily be $14k to replace them. That and a few parts like a headlight will be enough for the insurance company to call it a total loss. An accident severe enough to damage the battery in any way was likely severe enough to total the car without the battery. It comes down to the repair cost vs car value, and batteries aren't the only expensive part.

If the structural battery packs lead to higher insurance rates, Tesla will change or customers will go to other brands. They could stay, but that would short term as options increase in the market.

Another quote from the article, "A Reuters search of EV salvage sales in the U.S. and Europe shows a large portion of low-mileage Teslas, but also models from Nissan Motor Co, Hyundai Motor Co, Stellantis, BMW, Renault and others.

EVs constitute only a fraction of vehicles on the road, making industry-wide data hard to come by, but the trend of low-mileage zero-emission cars being written off with minor damage is growing."

How does that compare to non-EV salvage cars?

The growth trend in total loss for newer cars was happening in the 2011 to 2015 time frame.
https://cccis.com/news-and-insights/insurance-carriers/whats-driving-total-loss-frequency/


Today, parts shortages has increased salvage prices(just saw a Model 3 with retail estimate of over $80k at a salvage auction), which is leading insurance companies to write off more cars. There is also an opposite pressure with high used prices having insurance companies repairing cars that should be totaled.
Lower Frequency + Increased Total Losses = A Losing Equation - Greco Publishing

 

someone here had a damaged high voltage cable on his prime, and insurer insisted on replacing the battery for 15k iirc

 

On a different forum for our PHEV an EV owner was posting about a repair he encountered when he had no choice but to run over some road debris that impacted the underside of the vehicle and damaged the high voltage cable in spite of the protective covers which then caused some very expensive issues to repair which may have been a minor event in a gasser car.

Maybe that's just part of the territory when you own an EV or PHEV.

I can live with that and still like my PHEV but the off chance of some very expensive repairs might be something to keep in mind for ownership of these vehicles like PHEV's and EV's.

Typically, road damage is not something warranty covers.

I wonder if insurance premiums will increase for EV's and PHEV's vehicles in the future or they will just roll the cost over to everyone?

 

Or the damage to the gasser could have been just as costly. The oil pans to the engine and transmission aren't hardened metal. It isn't an expensive part, but if the leak isn't noticed...

Cars have gotten expensive(another here about that) in part because of the features and parts increasing in price. Insurance in general will increase in cost, but models with higher than average repair costs will seen higher increases. Right now, I'm not seeing evidence for EV costs being exceptionally more than ICE cars of the same class.