Electric car expensive prey for martens
Rodents can cause damage of many thousands of euros to electric cars, which they use to mark their territory. Given the increasing number of EVs on the road, the marten problem is also growing.
Marten attacks under the hood of an electric car? That’s entirely possible, and they can be quite expensive. The reason for the predator’s biting incidents is not that they dislike modern technology, but a manifestation of territorial behavior. Martens seek our proximity and they use our environment to hunt mice and frogs and to eat bird eggs. The furry animal is a loner, attacking anything that looks or smells like a rival. It is precisely this smell that causes problems. When a marten roams its territory, it secretes a substance through scent glands to leave behind its identity. For example, under the hood of a car, because he likes spaces he can squeeze through. If the marten encounters the smell of a competitor there, it becomes unstoppable and will bite into everything that smells of its peers. Electric cars in particular are real marten magnets and that has an amazingly logical explanation: they are often in different places. quiet for an extended period of time. Indeed, to load. In other words: they constantly commute between different territories of the rodents. And that attracts the competition, who want to manifest themselves under the hood.
Expensive repair
For the high voltage cables of an electric car, marten attacks are a big problem because manufacturers do not allow the repair of damaged cables; the entire wiring harness must be replaced. And that can turn out to be very expensive: such a cable set easily costs €7,000, says insurance company Allianz. Some manufacturers use protective covers that you can and may replace. Nice, because that can reduce the repair costs to roughly €200. Marten bites cost insurers and ultimately premium payers a lot of money. In 2020, for example, 217,000 repairs were claimed from the insurance company in Germany. The association of insurers has estimated the damage at €90 million, and that does not include the non-notified cases.
If you only have liability insurance, you will not get any money after a marten attack. This requires at least partial hull coverage. The hull cover also covers consequential damage. If there are signs of a marten visit under the hood – recognizable as scratches – it is essential to have the engine compartment cleaned to remove the odor traces. If you want to protect your car beforehand, install a marten defense system (see box). That works in a similar way to the fence of a meadow; an electric shock is delivered that is harmless to the marten, but keeps it away from the car. Especially with electric cars, a small bite can cause a lot of damage. So check whether your car insurance also covers the consequential damage that is caused as a result. A marten defense system provides extra protection and is therefore recommended by definition. 
The marten receives a harmless electric shock when it touches the two metal plates.
Defense against unwanted visitors
Preventatives such as urinary stones do not keep martens away. Only electric shocks provide effective protection. The easiest way is to mount a system with an autonomous power supply. The control unit and the contact plates of the marten repellent can be secured in the engine compartment with cable ties. Such a system is for sale from approximately €135. With a spray you can remove the odor traces of the marten in the engine compartment and protect the cables from biting incidents.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl