Repair and servicing sector still ill-equipped for “monumental” EV switch, IMI warns

Around 70,000 EV-trained technicians needed to support 2030 sales ban of new petrol and diesel cars

Repair and servicing sector still ill-equipped for “monumental” EV switch, IMI warns

A failure to properly support the servicing and repair sector will compromise the government’s ambitious plans to end the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has suggested.

Boris Johnson this week confirmed widely anticipated plans to bring forward a sales ban on new petrol and diesel cars to 2030 – first report by Garage Wire in September.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has warned the implications for the automotive industry are “monumental”.

Steve Nash, CEO of the IMI said: “Whilst the devil is certainly going to be in the detail, and the IMI welcomes the opportunity to engage with government to provide input for its plans, we are concerned that, as usual, it seems little thought has been given to the swathe of businesses and individuals employed by the automotive industry beyond manufacturing.

“Yet it is this ecosystem – from the distribution chain of car dealers to service and repair and even accident recovery – that fundamentally underpins the government’s ambitions.

“If the new parc of electric vehicles can’t be serviced and repaired safely the whole plan will stall on the starting grid.”

How the UK is phasing out combustion engines

All new petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2030, while new hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars that can “drive a significant distance without emitting carbon” can continue to be sold until 2035, at which point they too will be banned.

Second-hand cars are unaffected by the ban.

A consultation is also to be launched on phasing out diesel HGVs.

It is part of what the prime minister calls a “green industrial revolution” to tackle climate change and create jobs.

Related: Petrol and diesel car ban to be enforced from 2030, Boris Johnson confirms

Currently just five per cent technicians in the UK are adequately trained to work on electric vehicles, according to IMI figures.

As of October 2020 there were 383,000 plug in cars and vans registered in the UK, a figure that’s predicted to increase to between 2.7 to 10.6 million by 2030.

Taking the top estimate, the IMI calculates that the UK would need approximately 70,500 qualified technicians to support this vehicle parc.

Steve added: “The ramp-up plan for all those who are likely to work on electrical vehicles – from service and repair technicians to those working in the roadside recovery and blue light sectors – now must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

GW Podcast: Vehicle electrification and what it means for independent garages

“And that means some of that £12bn investment promised by the Prime Minister needs to be put towards skills training.”

The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has shown support for the government’s green agenda but warns many issues remain unresolved.

Stuart James, chief executive of the IGA said: “Electric vehicles are highly priced compared to their petrol and diesel counterparts, and the government needs to ensure that consumers have a more affordable choice to maintain their mobility.

Related: ‘Pay-by-the-mile’ tax being considered to cover shortfall following switch to EVs

“There are also many unanswered questions surrounding HEV battery life, the sustainability of producing these batteries, and charging point infrastructure.

“Many consumers are wary of buying a HEV, and until they become more affordable and the driving ranges are seen to increase sales, growth is likely to remain low.

“The independent garage sector is well positioned to support customers with servicing and repairs on these vehicles, and over the past five years have been preparing through over 5,000 HEV awareness and safety courses delivered by the IGA.”

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Home Page Forums Repair and servicing sector still ill-equipped for “monumental” EV switch, IMI warns

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
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  • #204074 Reply

    A failure to properly support the servicing and repair sector will compromise the government’s ambitious plans to end the sale of all new petrol and d
    [See the full post at: Repair and servicing sector still ill-equipped for “monumental” EV switch, IMI warns]

    #204091 Reply
    Meat-Head
    Blocked

    Why are ‘we’ bothering? Perhaps the IMI could come into this very
    Thread and explain about REPAIRING full electric cars, electric drive train

    Say you got a peugoet and the inverter fails, new one enough money for two years
    Mortgage payments, so can you at home or IMI trained workshop fit a second hand one – let’s think – err no – could the IMI explain why not?

    You have a Nissan leaf, HV battery died, because it’s been stored in a field, near
    Hampshire for three years. New battery 20 mortgage payments, why make
    A new battery when you can get one off a write off – IMI does it just swap?
    Err no, let you explain why

    You find you have a Prius, warning light on – fault code inverter –
    Failed because last owner never had coolant changed- turned into snot
    Repairable that’s a no would IMI like to answer why not.

    If someone could Tweet @the_imi and point to this thread please,
    They blocked me for a mis-Tweet. Highly UNPROFESSIONAL of them to do so.

    Then that Lesley Karen Woolley blocked me for no reason!

    #204257 Reply
    Eric Roberts
    Guest

    In my humble opinion then this is just another idiotic plan from people who have never lived in the real world. The government will not be able to pull this mammoth task off! Look what they did to brexit and now the corvid pandemic.
    As a garage owner for all my life I find it impossible to grasp why they have given in the the “climate change brigade”. Where I live the air as never been cleaner! It is time that someone or organisation stood up to this idiotic idea. What i am sick about is that i actually voted for this government who are prepared to smash the family business that we have built over the last 50 years.
    What are all the other people in the present motor trade going to do? The garages, parts stores, gas stations. Including all the people that manufacture replacement parts including millions of lead acid batteries. Millions of people will be affected! Where are all the charging stations going to go many homes are two and three car families. Many drivers on lower incomes will be taken off the car owning list. Electric cars wont be able to tow caravans and trailers unless you can afford one of the bigger models, taking millions of caravan owners off the road. If motorhomes are to be classed as vans then these will be wiped off.
    Also i think that the petrol companies will look at the situation and pull out of the UK even before the ten years are upon us! causing chaos. The list of negatives goes on and on. We will all be left “scraping for the bits” as most of the after service works and repairs on the electric cars will be kept at the main dealers. To finalize i just cant think what the government are thinking or is it that they just dont care. Just like the poor small businesses are having to close during the covid pandemic and the big stores are allowed to open selling the same things. This will be the independent garage sector in ten years time!

    #204261 Reply
    Spanner Man
    Guest

    Last time I looked the vehicle manufacturing business was privately owned with profit going to share holders etc so it’s a bit rich that Mr Nash says the government should step up for training and retraining people. Let us remind ourselves that the IMI is a body that is supposed to represent our industry but has utterly failed the workshop side of the Motor trade in the past and will surely do in the future. Some of us have pushed for training and licencing of our good skilled technicians and engineers for 30 plus years and have largely been ignored. The IMI has presided over our industry in that time and let the skills that we have attained and the job we do be eroded to the point where it is hard to recruit good people because they see no value in staying within or start in in an industry that under values workshop staff. Mr Nash should look at his tenure and those who have gone before and hang their heads in shame. He should not brazenly say government should find the money when the IMI has failed . . . . hypocrites in my book.

    #204262 Reply
    GRAHAM BESTON
    Guest

    The current state of the EV industry is like most of the motor trade with regards to service and repairs. From an independent business prospectus you are better spending your time and efforts looking into other business avenues.

    The training and putting young staff through apprenticeships in the motor trade is a waste of time and money. this is the experience I have had over the last 35 years. Businesses like the fast fits and national breakdown companies have been very successful, in deskilling various elements of the motor trade that they want, and subsequently drag excellent 3rd year apprentice technicians from skilled independent workshops to become nothing more than wheel changers and bad fitting parts fitters. This is achieved by them being in a business position to be able to offer much larger wages at that point in their career because of their size.
    Young lads can easiy be swayed at that time in their life but do you really want to be changing battery’s on the services day in day out for the rest of your life? or alternatively a parts swopper! for the next 30 years of a so called career?

    #204267 Reply
    Eddie Bamber
    Guest

    Bringing g forward the introduction of EV’s is a nonesense. We won’t have the training or the infrastructure as has already been said. Where will all the tower block residents plug their cars in ?. It’s a bit late in the day for the IMI to be bleating on about training. We have been calling for a professional registration scheme for technicians for over 30 years, similar to what gas engineers need to have. The IMI set up a voluntary scheme for which I registered (I am CAE MIMI) but they didn’t push hard enough for it to be made Law. Technicians will leave the garage trade if the training is not there for three very good reasons : 1) Then wages are higher in the motoring organisations due to the inclusion of shift allowances etc. 2) It’s easier work. Much easier changing a wheel or a battery than a timing belt or taking the body off a Range Rover. 3) You’re not in a lifetime of debt to the tool van. Roadside work can be very satisfying and varied. How do I know ?….I did it for over 30 years. It paid for my house and bought me holidays and cars etc. We’ve always had technicians leaving the industry to join other trades or the blue light services. We need better training and wages for people coming into our industry otherwise they whole industry is going to implode in the not too distant future.

    #204271 Reply
    David Green
    Guest

    I have to agree with all that said above. I’ve been a member of the IMI at level 4 since I joined back in 1995. The IMI have never taken me seriously as a member since I joined. many times I wrote to them about career development in my early years but they just completely ignored me. The 12 BN investment caught my eye above saying that it was needed for investment in the training, but if I registered via the IMI tomorrow for EV training, I’d be given at invoice to pay for it, so what do the trainees get out of the 12 BN? Nothing, it’s another management income for selected people only.

    #204272 Reply
    David Green
    Guest

    I have to agree with all that said above. I’ve been a level 4 member of the IMI since 1995. The IMI has never taken me seriously as a member since I joined. Many times during my career I wrote to them asking for career direction and advice, only to be ignored. The 12 BN investment caught my eye above saying that it was needed for investment in training, but if I registered for the training I’d still be paying for it, so the 12 BN goes to the service providers like the IMI who I might add are aministrators and not qualified technicians.

    The 12 BN would be shared out among big businesses trainers like dealers etc I recon and at the end of the day I see no real changes to real peoples lives.

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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