Black Book introduced the industry’s first electric vehicle valuations, dubbed Battery Adjusted Values, which incorporate battery condition adjustments based on data from Recurrent, the foremost authority in EV analytics.

Using battery condition that is derived from vehicle-specific information and battery data from thousands of similar vehicles from Recurrent’s database, Battery Adjusted Values will apply an additional increase or decrease to Black Book’s industry-leading, VIN-specific valuations.

This is an important milestone because used EV values to date are shaped by criteria from the combustion engine era, prioritizing metrics like odometer readings that are easily accessible, but do not directly reflect battery aging.

The battery is the most expensive part of an EV and its condition impacts maximum vehicle range. Over time, all EV batteries degrade naturally in their capacity, though the rate varies widely based on battery chemistry, manufacturing processes and how each vehicle was charged and cared for after its initial purchase. Until now, critical information about battery condition has not been accounted for in used EV values.

“While electric vehicles are still vehicles, a single component – the battery – has never played such a significant role in a used vehicle’s value,” said Jared Kalfus, president of Black Book. “Recurrent has the most comprehensive and actionable EV data available and we’re excited to be able to translate their battery ratings into value adjustments for our customers. It is the next, logical step in our ongoing mission of VIN-specific precision.”

Battery Adjusted Values will first be available in Cherry, a mobile and desktop application, in late January, and they will soon be rolled out across the entire Black Book portfolio, providing access to all Black Book customers.

Early analysis shows that battery transparency increases the average value of used cars. This may not be surprising since 94% of EVs evaluated by Recurrent have a Range Score of 90 or above.