2026 mobility strategy: why battery science validates your investments

It is April 2026. As fleet greening quotas tighten and the 2027 European Battery Passport is fast approaching, one question remains in executive committees: what is the real value of our electric assets after a 3 or 4-year long-term lease cycle?

While the 2025 Arval Mobility Observatory already showed massive adoption of electrification, field data consolidated by the 2025 Generational Battery Performance Index report and theICCT study are a total game-changer. Degradation is no longer an unknown; it is a controlled metric. The Generational study, the largest ever conducted in the UK with over 8,000 tests performed in 2025, confirms that overall battery performance far exceeds consumer expectations.

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The myth of obsolescence collapses: a 1.5% replacement rate

The benchmark study published by the ICCT is now confirmed by real-world usage: the "battery risk" is statistically negligible.

Reliability superior to internal combustion engines

Analysis of thousands of vehicles reveals that only 1.5% of batteries required replacement over their entire lifecycle. This figure should be viewed in light of the Generational data: the average health of the batteries tested stands at a robust 95.15%.

• Early defects vs. wear: the majority of the rare replacements occur early in the vehicle's life (factory defects covered by warranty) rather than due to chemical wear.
• Impact 2026: for a fleet manager, this means that the depreciation period can be extended. The risk of "sudden battery death" is officially ruled out by the data.

Exceeding warranties: batteries often retain between 88% and 95% of their capacity even after 160,000 km (100,000 miles), far exceeding standard manufacturer warranty thresholds (often set at 70%).

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A State of Health (SoH) that defies expectations

Data shows that even after intensive cycles, batteries maintain robust health. The Generational study highlights that even vehicles aged 8 to 12 years retain a median capacity of 85.04%. The vehicle remains operational well beyond the initially projected 150,000 km, often reaching 200,000 km without major degradation.

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Age and mileage: new value indicators in 2026

One of the major findings of the Generational 2025 study is the shift in valuation models. Unlike internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, mileage is no longer the primary predictor of a vehicle's condition.

• The mileage paradox: data reveals that recent high-mileage vehicles often outperform older low-mileage vehicles in terms of battery health.
• Concrete example: a 3-year-old fleet vehicle with 145,000 km, if maintained with proper charging protocols, can represent a higher-quality asset than a 6-year-old vehicle with only 50,000 km.
• Risk dispersion: While the average is excellent, the gap between high-performing vehicles and "outliers" widens over time (variance increases after 4-5 years). This makes individual audits essential to avoid penalizing the majority of healthy assets due to a failing minority.

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Preparing for the 2027 Battery Passport: The 2026 Challenge

Starting next year, every battery must be accompanied by a Digital Passport. In 2026, your role is to integrate this traceability into your management processes.

SoH certification as a resale lever

The passport will detail the charging history and State of Health (SoH).

• Asset valuation: a vehicle with a battery showing 94% capacity after 4 years will be valued much higher than a simple mileage-based estimate.
• Transparency and trust: according to Generational, uncertainty is currently the main barrier to resale values. Transparent data allows for fairer pricing and lower financing costs.
• Charging audit: the 2027 Passport will prove that your company has met its decarbonization targets, with carbon intensity dropping by 73% compared to gasoline.

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The critical case of PHEVs and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

In 2026, CSR audits based on the ICCT study are becoming stricter for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs). The ICCT report confirms that their real-world emissions are three times higher WLTP figures if employees don't plug them in.

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Why BEVs will win in 2026

The case for CFOs is based on LCA:

• Carbon debt repaid: the tipping point compared to combustion engines is reached on average after just 17,000 km.
• Bottom line: over 20 years, a BEV emits 63 g CO2e/km compared to 235 g for a gasoline vehicle. The proven durability of batteries according to Generational (over 12 years of useful life) secures this environmental gain over the long term.

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The 3 pillars for fleet managers in 2026

Oriway recommends focusing your strategy on three points, supported by 2025 benchmarks:

1. Systematic SoH auditing: transparency has become an essential market infrastructure. Start certifying your batteries to maximize your residual values (RV) without waiting for 2027 to arrive.
2. Extending holding periods: since batteries are performing better than expected (only a 1.5% replacement rate), consider longer leasing contracts (60 months or more) to lower your monthly payments.

Optimizing charging protocols: use health insights to educate drivers on best practices, as usage behavior is now the only real variable affecting SoH.

The Oriway perspective: by 2026, technology is no longer a risk; administrative inertia is. Batteries are ready for 2027—is your fleet management?

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Fleet Manager's Glossary

To navigate sustainable mobility in 2026, here are the essential terms decoded for your strategy:

• LCA (Life Cycle Assessment): an environmental assessment methodology that accounts for a vehicle's impact from battery mineral extraction to final recycling, rather than just tailpipe emissions.
• BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle): a 100% electric vehicle with no internal combustion engine, relying solely on energy stored in its battery.
• BMS (Battery Management System): the battery's electronic brain. It manages cell charging, discharging, and temperature to maximize lifespan (which explains why only 1.5% of batteries are replaced).
• CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive): a European directive requiring companies to publish detailed reports on their environmental impact, including fleet emissions (Scope 3).
• GHG (Greenhouse Gases): emissions responsible for global warming (CO2, methane, etc.). The ICCT study shows that BEVs reduce these emissions by 73% compared to combustion engines.
• Long-Term Leasing (LLD): the primary financing method for businesses. By 2026, battery reliability allows for longer contracts (60 months and up) with no technical risk.
• PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle): plug-in hybrid vehicle. Note: its actual impact depends entirely on charging frequency, which was often overestimated in older fleet calculations.
• SoH (State of Health): battery health status expressed as a percentage (e.g., 95% SoH). This is the key indicator that will appear in the 2027 Battery Passport.
• TCO (Total Cost of Ownership): the total cost of ownership. It includes lease payments, energy, insurance, taxes, and maintenance (reduced by 30% for BEVs according to 2026 data).
• TCM (Total Cost of Mobility): an evolution of TCO that incorporates all employee mobility solutions (shared bikes, sustainable mobility allowances, mobility credits) in addition to company cars.
• VOP (Resale Value): an estimate of a vehicle's resale value. In 2026, it is increasingly indexed to the battery's SoH certificate.

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