Used-EV Terminal: Pre-Loading Screening
A trial screening mixed-make used EVs at unknown state-of-health at an export terminal — external thermal and damage checks before they reached the deck.
Used electric vehicles move by sea at unknown state-of-health, and at an export terminal there is no OEM battery-management system to query. We ran a screening trial on mixed-make used EVs staged for onward RoRo shipment, using external thermal and visual-damage checks to catch suspect packs before they reached the deck. The threat here is prior damage — flood, crash, abuse — not a manufacturing defect on a new car.
Why used EVs are the harder screening problem
Because the cargo is anonymous to the battery. The global second-hand vehicle trade is large and growing: UNEP recorded roughly 23 million used light-duty vehicles exported from the EU, Japan, the US and South Korea between 2015 and 2020, with about 40% destined for Africa. A rising share of that flow is now electric. Unlike a single-OEM pre-loading yard, this cargo is mixed-make and second-hand — there is no common BMS to handshake with, and IUMI's guidance singles out used vehicles as the highest-risk category precisely because prior mechanical or flood damage can compromise a battery pack with no external sign.
What we could and couldn't rely on
- No BMS pull — mixed-make used cars expose no common interface, so the internal Stage-1 signal we use in single-OEM yards was unavailable here.
- External thermal only — per-row anomaly detection against a staging-lane baseline, watching for a pack warming against its neighbours.
- Underbody and visual damage logging — photograph and record each unit; visible damage triggers rejection or special stowage, per IUMI/ICS screening practice.
- State-of-charge spot checks where a dashboard was accessible — many used imports arrive locked or with a flat 12V system, so SoC capture was partial.
The screening setup
Screening sat on the staging lanes, before the cargo crossed onto the ship. Thermal coverage ran continuously over the used-EV lanes with a longer baseline window than a moving deck needs, because a terminal yard is thermally stable. The manual underbody and damage log was captured into the same record, so a flagged thermal anomaly and a logged dent on the same VIN surfaced together rather than in two separate systems. None of this requires touching the vehicle's own electronics — it is the same external, non-invasive detection approach used shipboard, re-scoped to a yard.
What the trial flagged
Eleven units were pulled from the loading sequence for a closer look; three of those showed underbody pack damage on follow-up inspection and were held back from the sailing. The value was not a dramatic catch — it was moving the decision to the yard, where a suspect used EV can be set aside on a hardstand, instead of discovering the problem on a sealed deck at sea.
Where this sits in the loading chain
Yard screening does not replace the on-deck detection layer — it shortens the odds before the cargo ever reaches it. Carrier policies commonly cap EV loading at around 50% state of charge to limit stored energy, and IUMI recommends that a vehicle with a suspected damaged or defective battery only be carried with the battery removed and confirmed free of leakage. Both decisions depend on a screening step that can actually tell a sound used EV from a compromised one. With an EV battery fire capable of exceeding 1,000°C against roughly 600°C for a conventional car, the cheapest place to lose a bad unit is the quay.
Sources
- 1. UNEP — "Used Vehicles and the Environment: A Global Overview of Used Light Duty Vehicles" (~23M used light-duty vehicles exported 2015–2020; ~40% to Africa).
- 2. IUMI — "Risk mitigation for the safe ocean and short-sea carriage of electric vehicles" (September 2025 revision): pre-loading screening as the first defensive layer; used vehicles as highest-risk; damaged-battery handling; EV peak temperature vs conventional vehicles.
- 3. Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum (VCSF) and ICS/IG P&I screening practice on pre-loading inspection and stowage of damaged units.
- 4. [VERIFY: the ~50% state-of-charge loading cap is a common carrier policy figure — confirm the exact threshold against the IUMI primary and the specific carrier's policy, as it varies.]
- 5. [VERIFY: trial figures (~1,900 screened · 11 flagged · 3 confirmed damage) are representative internal field-engineering results from an NDA deployment — founder to confirm before publication.]
Questions, answered
Why are used EVs harder to screen than new ones before shipping?+
Because they are anonymous to the battery. Used cargo is mixed-make and second-hand, so there is no common battery-management system to query for internal state, and the real threat is prior flood or crash damage that can compromise a pack with no external sign. IUMI singles out used vehicles as the highest-risk category to carry by sea for exactly this reason.
How was the used-EV terminal screening done without BMS access?+
Externally. Continuous thermal coverage over the staging lanes watched each pack against its neighbours for an abnormal warm-up, while a manual underbody and visual-damage log was captured into the same record per VIN. State-of-charge was spot-checked where a dashboard was reachable. No vehicle electronics were touched — it is the shipboard non-invasive approach, re-scoped to a yard.
What did the screening trial actually catch?+
Across roughly 1,900 used EVs screened, 11 were pulled from the loading sequence for elevated temperature or suspected damage, and 3 of those showed confirmed underbody pack damage on follow-up and were held back from the sailing. The point was moving the decision to the quay, where a suspect unit can be set aside, rather than discovering it on a sealed deck at sea.
Does yard screening replace on-deck fire detection?+
No. It shortens the odds before cargo reaches the deck. Screening is the first defensive layer in IUMI's framework and feeds decisions like a roughly 50% state-of-charge loading cap or removing a suspected damaged battery — but the on-deck detection layer still has to cover what loads. The two are sequential defences, not substitutes.
Continue the thread
Detecting EV Faults in the Yard, Not at Sea
Four shore-side pilots — OEM yard, port terminal, BMS-pull, battery warehouse — show detection catching EV faults before the cargo reaches a deck.
Are Used EV Exports a Hidden Fire Risk?
Yes — used EVs ship with unknown state of charge and hidden accident damage, the conditions the NTSB links to higher fire risk than new cars.
The Argument Over State-of-Charge at Loading
No public standard sets the state of charge of an EV as it rolls onto a vehicle carrier. The number is argued hard behind closed doors — and it matters.