Repairers urged to get EV ready

Repairers without EV skills in the workshop have been urged to get the training necessary to meet industry needs.

Vincent St Claire, managing director of Fleet Assist, says bodyshops need to ensure their technicians are trained up to IMI level 2 or above.

He said: “We have seen a rapid expansion of dealer and independent sites that are capable of servicing hybrid or battery electric vehicles across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over the last year, but with it the fleet industry continues to adopt BEV, hybrid and even hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at or above the rate we are currently seeing, there is a danger that some garages will be left behind, and the industry might find itself underserved.

“We continue to work hard and refer to the IMI to ensure that we provide our view to the garages on our network as to the training and qualification requirements not just for today, but for the future. Part of this has been readying our network for the rising numbers of EV and fuel cell vehicles which are hitting our roads in rapidly increasing number.

“If the UK is to reach the levels of EV market penetration as seen in Norway, with 80% of the new vehicle order book being electric, we need to ensure that the SMR infrastructure around these vehicles is set up accordingly.

“A good example of this can be seen across nine garages within our network which are set up and fully qualified to service and repair hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles, but we would urge others to follow suit in order to keep up with the shift in technology which we know is coming.”