As a growing number of people are making the switch to electric cars over gas cars, some insurance companies are looking at not only how they can help the transition, but also how they can attract new customers. While some insurance companies are charging a premium for EV coverage or perhaps even trying to limit coverage, others are adding features that may appeal to electric car owners.
AAA announced that in an attempt to help alleviate EV owners' range anxiety, it will add monthly battery reports as part of its membership benefits. AAA's Club Alliance (ACA) is partnering with Recurrent to give owners a detailed look at their EVs' battery pack. This way, they'll be made aware of the battery's health on a periodic basis. ACA's Colleen St. Leger explained:
“With this new partnership between ACA and Recurrent, we can provide AAA members who drive electric vehicles with personalized monthly battery reports as a benefit of Membership."
While it may seem range anxiety is probably a thing of the past for many electric car owners, that's not the case across the board. Many factors influence whether or not EV owners are concerned about electric driving range. It depends on how much range their EV has, the distance they have to travel, the weather, their home charging situation, the proximity and availability of public DC Fast Charging networks, and the list goes on and on. To no surprise, it also depends on the health of their battery pack, especially as their EV begins to age.
AAA's recent poll suggested that EV owners' biggest concerns are the high price of today's electric cars and the lack of widespread public charging infrastructure. However, while 60 percent of respondents shared these concerns, 58 percent said they also had range anxiety.
Now that most EVs have 250 miles of range or more, and many models charge much more quickly than they used to, most people probably don't need to be concerned about range. This is especially true for electric vehicle owners who can charge successfully at home and who aren't regularly using their EVs for long road trips. However, for some, the anxiety is going to remain no matter the situation.
Regardless of any of these points, AAA notes that it's important for people to be aware of the health of their EV's battery pack, its expected range, and how quickly it might charge. With this information at an owner's disposal, they just may begin to relax and not worry so much about their car's driving range.
