Charged EVs | 4R Battery Alliance calls for EV battery testing to be part of the UK’s MOT testing regime
The 4R Battery Alliance is a coalition of stakeholders from across the EV battery supply chain, supported by recell.store, an online marketplace for used EV batteries.
The coalition works to increase awareness of battery health issues, and is advocating for the introduction of EV battery testing into the UK’s MoT testing regime.
In the UK, every vehicle must pass a series of safety tests each year (after its third year of life), a hallowed process familiarly known as an MOT (for Ministry of Transport).
New MOT rules introduced this year added additional safety checks for EVs, including visual inspections of high-voltage cabling and visible battery mountings. However, battery testing is still not part of the testing regime.
By helping detect safety issues, testing would reduce the chances of battery fires and failures, as well as identifying degradation patterns and optimal charging strategies, says the Alliance.
Testing would promote the 4R Battery Alliance’s namesake “four Rs” of battery stewardship: Repair, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle. Improved visibility into battery condition could help identify batteries suitable for repair, reuse or repurposing into second-life applications—as well as those that have reached the end of their useful lives and are headed for the recycling center.
Testing would also support the used EV market, 4R says, by giving buyers more information about battery condition. Uncertainty over battery health is often cited as a barrier to purchasing a used EV. By providing clear, reliable insights into the condition and performance of the battery, an independently applied test would build confidence, supporting a healthier used EV market.
“EV battery testing is one of the key enablers of a circular economy. Without it, we can’t confidently reuse, repurpose or recycle batteries at scale,” said Tom Rumboll, Chair of the 4R Battery Alliance. “We see this as part of a broader, industry-wide effort to normalize battery diagnostics and make them an integral part of EV ownership.”
Source: 4R Battery Alliance
