Autocraft platform spots EV battery faults early to prevent recalls

Electric vehicle (EV) battery-related recalls have surged by more than 500% in recent years, creating a billion-dollar headache for OEMs. EV battery testing, repair, and remanufacturing company Autocraft EV Solutions has launched Latent-IQ, a breakthrough diagnostic test that identifies latent cell-level faults in high-voltage EV batteries before they escalate into safety risks or unnecessary scrappage.

Without adequate diagnostic insight, many OEMs are left with no choice but to replace entire battery packs; in doing so scrapping their sub-components that are usually still functional. By using a proprietary stress test integrated into Autocraft’s OptEVizer platform, Latent-IQ can detect hidden battery faults such as torn tabs, separator damage, cracked welds, and other internal defects that conventional testing or BMS diagnostics cannot detect with enough accuracy and reliability.

This deep cell-level test from Autocraft delivers results within a matter of hours, enabling manufacturers to triage recalled packs, prioritize those at real risk, and eliminate unnecessary replacements, preventing significant cost and waste. Critically, the test identifies which of the sub-components have to be scrapped and which can be reused and therefore saved.

According to Mike Hague-Morgan, executive director at Autocraft Solutions Group, while rare, these kinds of latent defects can potentially lead to thermal events and costly recalls if left undetected. “Major recalls can undermine public confidence in EVs, which Latent-IQ helps to restore. It’s about smarter, faster decisions that catch faults at the earliest possible stage, before they degrade performance or pose a safety threat. Access to a large number of modules with cells known to contain specific latent defects enabled our engineers to develop targeted tests and data analysis techniques that focus on the unique response signatures of these fault types. This isn’t lab science – we’ve been living and breathing battery repair for years. We know where failures occur, how they develop, and where existing diagnostics fall short. That’s why we’re confident it’s ready for broader deployment, and why we’re inviting more OEMs to get involved now.”

Latent-IQ has already been piloted with multiple OEMs, including successful blind tests where faults were correctly identified without prior knowledge of their location. It is underpinned by Autocraft’s pioneering use of digital twin technology, which draws on thousands of datasets accumulated through years of battery repair to identify deviations from expected performance response models. When a single faulty cell can compromise an entire pack, pinpointing the root cause is essential to restore battery health with precision.

One of the clearest benefits of Latent-IQ is its ability to help OEMs avoid prematurely scrapping batteries that are safe for use. According to academically verified insights from the RECOVAS project, published as part of Autocraft’s recent white paper “Closing the EV confidence gap: the role of battery remanufacturing,” repairing rather than replacing a single 82.5kWh EV battery prevents around 12 tons of avoidable CO₂ emissions. Multiplied over thousands of batteries, this amounts to a significant environmental saving.

Latent-IQ is available today exclusively through Autocraft’s REVIVE outsourced battery repair and remanufacturing service, operating in Grantham, UK and Arnhem, Netherlands. With plans for further global expansion, it offers a scalable solution to growing demand from major vehicle and battery manufacturers. Testing is conducted by Autocraft, with results processed and delivered through its established and proven operational workflow. This enables OEMs to make faster, smarter decisions while shielding them from the financial, environmental, and reputational impact of large-scale battery recalls.