307 replies to this topic

[BobbyRicky]

I can't help but feel that there's a lot this piece isn't telling us.  There's not a single source to allow us to verify the information and he makes it sound as though the lightest scratch will result in the car being scrapped.  It's curiously devoid of facts and seems more like a sensationalist piece.  Maybe he's telling the truth, but it's poor journalism

 

The article he is "citing" (https://www.nrk.no/d...len_-1.15232892) is a lot let sensationalistic than this opinion-piece by a random old dude.

The problem isnt neccessarily about EVs, but rather insurance-companies policies regarding the cost of fixing up a crashed vehicle compared to just scrapping it.

Its the same basic problem we have with everyday consumer-goods as well. Its cheaper and easier for a lot of companies to just send you a new item instead of fixing a broken one. 

Edited by BobbyRicky, 07 January 2021 - 15:58.

[Requiem84]

An EV, especially the luxury ones, have many electronics which cost a lot of money to repair. So when you get rear-ended or have a frontal colission, the repair costs are very high and the economic return for the wreck is very good. So yes they get scrapped earlier. A guy in my village (whom I met several times) has a special company wich buys up the battery packs of these cars. They then analyse them and resell them in home/company energy storage systems (like the Tesla Powerwall) or use them in existing cars (EV Citroën 2CV if you'd like). There is a big market for that stuff.

EV’s have much less parts than ICE cars.

[shure]

An EV, especially the luxury ones, have many electronics which cost a lot of money to repair. So when you get rear-ended or have a frontal colission, the repair costs are very high and the economic return for the wreck is very good. So yes they get scrapped earlier. A guy in my village (whom I met several times) has a special company wich buys up the battery packs of these cars. They then analyse them and resell them in home/company energy storage systems (like the Tesla Powerwall) or use them in existing cars (EV Citroën 2CV if you'd like). There is a big market for that stuff.

Most cars have a lot of electronics that cost a lot to repair, particularly as you move up the price range.  Nobody can even service most, if not all, cars at home anymore because it all requires specialist equipment - most dealers plug into the little black box in the car and it tells them what needs doing.

 

And that's not even factoring in that EVs have almost no expensive oily bits that can go wrong.  Around a decade ago when I lived in the UK my car suffered flood damage and it cost just under twenty thousand pounds just to replace the engine, which an EV doesn't even have.  

 

Not saying EVs are easy in comparison, but regular cars aren't cheap either.  I would be interested to see some figures behind the journalist's claims

[BobbyRicky]

Most cars have a lot of electronics that cost a lot to repair, particularly as you move up the price range.  Nobody can even service most, if not all, cars at home anymore because it all requires specialist equipment - most dealers plug into the little black box in the car and it tells them what needs doing.

 

And that's not even factoring in that EVs have almost no expensive oily bits that can go wrong.  Around a decade ago when I lived in the UK my car suffered flood damage and it cost just under twenty thousand pounds just to replace the engine, which an EV doesn't even have.  

 

Not saying EVs are easy in comparison, but regular cars aren't cheap either.  I would be interested to see some figures behind the journalist's claims

 

https://www.nrk.no/d...len_-1.15232892

[Dalton007]

Very soon electronic companies will be able to make EVs from certified off-the-shelf parts, like many smartphone companies do now. The winners will be the ones with the best software, that's where the money will be made. 

[shure]

The article he is "citing" (https://www.nrk.no/d...len_-1.15232892) is a lot let sensationalistic than this opinion-piece by a random old dude.

The problem isnt neccessarily about EVs, but rather insurance-companies policies regarding the cost of fixing up a crashed vehicle compared to just scrapping it.

Its the same basic problem we have with everyday consumer-goods as well. Its cheaper and easier for a lot of companies to just send you a new item instead of fixing a broken one. 

Hmm, thanks.  I've just read it and to say I'm sceptical would be an understatement.

 

The article claims that a simple dent or broken lamp would result in a car being scrapped.  I do get that in borderline cases insurers will often choose to scrap a car rather than repair it and I remember reading an article about it many years ago, so it's not a new phenomenon.  There's definitely an issue there and the industry needs tighter controls.  But I don't believe for a second that a broken lamp on a nearly new EV would result in a total write off.  And if there is a part of the world where they junk cars just because of a damaged light, then I don't see why they would differentiate between an electric or ICE car. 

 

The article says that in order to be written off the repairs have to cost more than 60% of the value of the car.  But it also goes on to describe replacing a headlight for an Audi e-Tron would cost €3.5K - show me where that's 60% of the value of a brand new car and I'll be putting in an order for a dozen that I can resell here.  I'd buy more but for cash-flow.

 

Reading between the lines of the article it does seem that batteries in particular are prohibitively expensive and I can see how an issue with them might result in a car being scrapped.  That is indeed an issue.  But the rest of the article seems a little suspect to me

[BobbyRicky]

Hmm, thanks.  I've just read it and to say I'm sceptical would be an understatement.

 

The article claims that a simple dent or broken lamp would result in a car being scrapped.  I do get that in borderline cases insurers will often choose to scrap a car rather than repair it and I remember reading an article about it many years ago, so it's not a new phenomenon.  There's definitely an issue there and the industry needs tighter controls.  But I don't believe for a second that a broken lamp on a nearly new EV would result in a total write off.  And if there is a part of the world where they junk cars just because of a damaged light, then I don't see why they would differentiate between an electric or ICE car. 

 

The article says that in order to be written off the repairs have to cost more than 60% of the value of the car.  But it also goes on to describe replacing a headlight for an Audi e-Tron would cost €3.5K - show me where that's 60% of the value of a brand new car and I'll be putting in an order for a dozen that I can resell here.  I'd buy more but for cash-flow.

 

Reading between the lines of the article it does seem that batteries in particular are prohibitively expensive and I can see how an issue with them might result in a car being scrapped.  That is indeed an issue.  But the rest of the article seems a little suspect to me

 

Ah, the bit about scrapping a car for a headlight is wrong. The whole point is that a lot of cars wouldnt be scrapped if there was a bigger practice of using used parts to repair a crash-damaged car because the prices are so much lower.

The problem seems to be that the complexity of newer cars makes it so that only the manufacturer themselves (or someone affiliated with them) when the insurance-companies goes for the 60% thingy. Which leads to prices being that high.

Edited by BobbyRicky, 07 January 2021 - 18:05.

[mclara]

I can't help but feel that there's a lot this piece isn't telling us.  There's not a single source to allow us to verify the information and he makes it sound as though the lightest scratch will result in the car being scrapped.  It's curiously devoid of facts and seems more like a sensationalist piece.  Maybe he's telling the truth, but it's poor journalism

This has been reported by several media outlets in Norway. It was originally picked up by NRK, the national broadcaster in Norway. So it is indeed true.