Problems in Assessing EV Battery Health - Report
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Electrify Europe and ZEVA Global launch over-the-air battery intelligence reporting, challenging how battery health is measured across the EV industry.
Millions of electric vehicle owners rely on a battery metric called State of Health (SoH) to assess the condition of their battery. According to Electrify Europe and ZEVA Global, that's a growing issue. Contd
While SoH is widely used throughout the EV industry, it measures only the remaining battery capacity, not whether a battery is balanced, developing faults, experiencing moisture intrusion, or showing signs of premature degradation.
With replacement battery costs often ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars depending on vehicle model, battery condition remains one of the largest financial risks associated with EV ownership.
"A battery can display an acceptable State of Health score while simultaneously exhibiting severe cell imbalance, moisture contamination, or battery management system faults," said Sven Van Passel, Founder of Electrify Europe. "After years of diagnosing and repairing EV batteries, we've seen firsthand that capacity alone does not tell the full story."
The issue comes at a pivotal moment for the EV market. Cox Automotive and J.D. Power are reporting a 185% to 230% year-over-year spike in off-lease EV volumes, while battery replacement costs remain one of the largest financial concerns among EV owners.
To address what the companies describe as a battery transparency gap, Electrify Europe and ZEVA Global have partnered to launch the world's first over-the-air battery intelligence reporting capable of remotely analyzing battery condition without hardware installations, OBD devices, workshop appointments, or battery discharge testing.
"Consumers deserve greater transparency into the condition of the most expensive component in their vehicle," said Cedric Blijweert, Managing Director of Electrify Europe. "Our battery intelligence reporting helps owners identify potential issues earlier, better understand replacement risk, and make more informed decisions throughout the lifecycle of their vehicle."
The companies believe battery intelligence will become as essential to EV ownership as vehicle history reports are to buying a used car, creating a new standard for battery transparency as the global EV fleet ages.
"The EV industry has invested heavily in helping drivers understand range, charging, and energy consumption, but battery condition has largely remained a black box," said Raymond Reid, Founder of ZEVA Global. "We believe the next chapter of electric mobility is battery transparency, where owners can understand the condition of their battery with the same confidence they understand their fuel gauge or odometer today."
