ABM_1 - Flipbook - Page 24
Q&A
GENERATIONAL
That’s going to be super important for
the leasing and residual value sectors,
so we are going to start publishing more
and more data. The other thing that
consumers are asking is this: let's say
they’ve got 90% battery health – is that
good compared to other cars on the
market? Where does that rank?
It’s about comparative insight, which is
something we’ll look to start bringing out
more over time.
We have a huge amount of data on
how different manufacturers perform,
how various makes and models perform,
but this is sensitive stuff. You have to do
it the right way. But we hope to show
consumers that second-hand EVs can be
a fantastic proposition.
There are still a lot of doubts. According
to Cox Automotive, the number one
thing people ask about is more detailed
information on battery health and
warranties. It’s the number one barrier
to adoption, and we can help reassure
people that these cars have good
batteries. It’s not always the case – you
do see a degree of variation, and the odd
case of excessively degraded batteries.
There are some finance companies that
are now refusing to finance older EVs for
that reason. We want to make sure that
this is a transparent market, and to help
this segment flourish.
That’s going to be key to the transition.
We can't just pump in loads of
subsidised vehicles that are new, and not
do anything for long-term confidence.
There’s going to be over-supply, and the
demand is not going to be sufficient.
How does this all fit in within the
wider approach to creating a more
sustainable automotive industry?
Residual values are lower than they
should be, because of a lack of
confidence, and one of the main reasons
for that is battery health. Everything we
do to reduce depreciation on EVs reduces
the cost of finance. And the vast majority
of vehicles are financed. If we can
reduce depreciation and show that these
vehicles last a really long time, we can
help make them a lot cheaper, too.
It's pretty common now for us to
see examples of vehicles with over
100,000 miles, and they might have a
battery health even well above 90% if
24
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS Q4 2025
Residual values
are lower than
they should be,
because of a lack
of confidence, and
one of the main
reasons for that is
battery health”
they’ve been well looked after.
Our technology can help with
facilitating the transition, particularly
through addressing residual values.
Another thing we're looking at is
helping people to look after their
EV battery in the right way, with
personalised advice and education to
help identify ways in which they can
maintain this expensive asset and not
excessively degrade the battery.
Environmentally, the biggest factor
is shifting the car parc to be more
electrified. Seven in eight purchases
in the UK are used, not new. We need
confidence in that used market, and you
need to be able to buy and sell these
assets with transparency about whether
they're any good.
How does your tech fit alongside other
innovations helping with this transition,
like smart charging?
Smart charging can help degrade
batteries less, because if you're only
charging the vehicle up to 100% for the
time that you need it, then you're not
leaving it at 100% for as long. Our phones
already do that.
Beyond that, there’s going to be a lot
of interesting innovation over the coming
years in terms of ownership models. If I
look after my battery really well, could I
access cheaper finance, for example?
There’s a lot of cool things to come,
and a lot of it centres on the fact that
you've got a massive computer on
your driveway. It all centres on the
connected car. i
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