Startup introduces EV battery health measurement system

vsNEW, a startup that provides battery health reports for used electric and hybrid vehicles, launches its comprehensive two minute EV battery health report. By collecting and analyzing hundreds of diagnostic data points from a vehicle's battery management system (BMS), vsNEW offers dealerships and used EV buyers transparency to the overall condition of a vehicle's battery.

vsNEW is attending Used Car Week at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona from November 18 to 21 at booth 316. CEO Sachin Chaudhry spoke on Monday, November 18 about how to avoid bad batteries when buying used EVs.

vsNEW's technology can assess EV and hybrid batteries across all OEMs. It generates reports based on each vehicle's actual data, without using estimates and assumptions often used by telematics-based predictions or lab-based models. This capability is critical for both dealers and consumers as the number of used EVs is expected to grow 170% over the next 3 years. vsNEW's technology fills an important gap by detecting the three main causes of battery failure in EVs - degradation, irreparable cell imbalance, and physical pack damage.

Degradation is the slow decrease of battery capacity and resulting range over time, which is measured in vsNEW's battery health report by comparing overall battery capacity and range as a percentage compared to when the battery was new.  For instance, if a battery's overall capacity and the vehicle's range has decreased by 15%, then vsNEW would show those metrics as 85% vs. new.

Irreparable cell imbalance is often an undetected condition that can lead to premature battery failure. Unlike degradation, which is noticeable by a driver over time, cell imbalance can only be detected by analyzing each cell's voltage in comparison to the others in the pack. Any outlying cells can lead to a catastrophic failure, where the battery will be restricted to 50% or less of its original range.

"Cell imbalance is the hidden killer of EV batteries," says Chaudhry. "Used EVs of any age or mileage can suffer from irreparable cell imbalance and it's often hard to detect until it is too late. Our technology can provide an early warning signal for dealers and buyers before more serious issues occur. Approximately 5% of the used EVs we see show early warning signs of this type of failure."

EV batteries also fail due to physical pack damage, which can be caused by a road hazard incident or when a vehicle has been in an accident. vsNEW's technology assesses for pack damage to assure the overall integrity of the pack is sound.

"After several years of developing and fine tuning our technology, we are pleased to formally launch our offer to the market in order to provide dealers insight into the health of used EVs and Hybrid vehicles on their lots," states Dave Berlin, vsNEW's CMO. "We couldn't think of a better place to introduce vsNEW to the dealers and auctions that will be here in Scottsdale. vsNEW's first of its kind comprehensive report allows dealers and auctions to accurately assess trade-ins and provides potential buyers peace of mind regarding the battery's health – the #1 concern of used EV buyers."