Insurers May Total Electric Cars with Scratched Batteries

Insurance companies are being forced to write off electric vehicles (EVs) with minor damage due to the high cost of repairing or assessing slightly damaged battery packs. This is leading to higher premiums and undercutting the sustainability gains of going electric. 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 have made battery packs easier to repair, Tesla has taken the opposite tack with its new structural battery pack, which experts say has "zero repairability." The lack of repairability is also exposing a hole in the green "circular economy" touted by carmakers.