The Insurance Problem for Electric Cars By Richard Miller (London)

The real problem with electric cars is the battery, which when it breaks down, is a major cost to repair, needing specialist work. It is no longer the case of taking one’s car to the mechanic down the road to get him to fix things up in the morning for a pickup later in the day. Jonathan Hewett, Chief Executive of Thatcham Research, the motor insurers’ automotive research centre, has said “The challenge is that we have no way of understanding whether the battery has been compromised or damaged in any way.

“The threat of thermal runaway means that a catastrophic fire can take place if the cells of the battery have been damaged in a collision. “What we’re struggling to understand at the moment is how we approach that diagnostic technique. “It’s like a doctor trying to understand what’s wrong with you without any notes or an X-ray.”

Consequently, the cost of insuring electric cars is rising. The future may be that the ordinary person will not be able to run a car at all, if fossil fuel vehicles are banned. But that was the plan of globalists such as the World Economic Forum from the beginning.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/net-zero/electric-cars-risk-becoming-uninsurable/

“Electric cars risk becoming effectively uninsurable as analysts struggle to put a price on battery repairs, according to a researcher for the car insurance industry. The Telegraph:

Jonathan Hewett, Chief Executive of Thatcham Research, the motor insurers’ automotive research centre, said a lack of “insight and understanding” about the cost of repairing damaged electric car batteries was pushing up premiums and resulting in some providers declining to provide cover altogether.

Electric cars can be particularly expensive to repair, costing around a quarter more to fix on average than a petrol or diesel vehicle. Experts have previously warned electric vehicles are being written off after minor bumps because of the cost and complexity of fixing their batteries.

Mr. Hewett said: “The challenge is that we have no way of understanding whether the battery has been compromised or damaged in any way.

“The threat of thermal runaway means that a catastrophic fire can take place if the cells of the battery have been damaged in a collision.

“What we’re struggling to understand at the moment is how we approach that diagnostic technique.

“It’s like a doctor trying to understand what’s wrong with you without any notes or an X-ray.”

John Lewis Financial Services stopped providing car insurance for electric cars last month for new and existing customers, as its underwriter Covéa analysed risks and costs.

Aviva removed insurance products for the Tesla Model Y earlier this year before restoring them several months later.

Vehicle repair costs rose 33pc over the first quarter of 2023 compared to 2022, helping to push annual premiums to record highs, according to the Association of British Insurers.

Average electric car insurance costs rose 72% in the year to September, compared to 29% for petrol and diesel models, according to Confused.com.