Britain to run out of electric vehicle mechanics by 2030, think-tank warns

Number of skilled technicians to service EVs is not keeping pace with the growth, it says

Britain to run out of electric vehicle mechanics by 2030, think-tank warns

Britain will run out of technicians to service the growing number of electric vehicles on its roads by the end of the decade, a think-tank has warned.

The Social Market Foundation, a cross-party think-tank, is warning of a skills shortfall among mechanics trained to service and repair electric vehicles.

Shortages of qualified technicians risks driving up servicing costs and potentially leaving some drivers unable to have their cars maintained properly.

While the coming shortages could undermine work to decarbonise British transport, the SMF said they also create an opportunity for the creation of more skilled jobs, underlining the potential benefits of the Net Zero agenda.

The number of EVs on UK’s roads is rapidly increasing, and recently reached 1 million.

Related: Independent garage experts to discuss EV opportunities at EV Ready

However, the number of skilled technicians that can service such cars is not keeping pace with the growth in EVs, SMF analysis shows.

The SMF report highlights industry estimates that by 2027 there will not be enough qualified mechanics to maintain all of Britain’s EVs. By 2030, the country could face a shortfall of 25,000 qualified technicians.

The SMF is calling for government to step up work to prepare the British workforce for Net Zero, supporting efforts to recruit and train more workers with the skills needed to maintain EVs.

Those skills are significantly different to those required to maintain internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

“Formalised, professional and accredited training routes to prepare technicians for EV repair and maintenance are needed”, the report said.

Reforms should allow more of the money paid by larger employers for the Apprenticeship Levy to be used to fund that training, the SMF said.

Related: New car market grows fourth month running, up by 23.5% in November

The SMF report highlights concerns that the skills gap could raise the cost of repairs or reduce the quality of repairs, which would decrease consumers’ willingness to make the switch to EVs.

It warns that neither the Department for Education and Department for Transport have examined how growing EV uptake will impact vehicle technicians or developed policies to support workforce growth.

A key challenge identified in the SMF research is attracting new entrants to the sector because of what industry leaders describe as an “image problem” around car maintenance work.

Perceptions of that work as dirty, hard and male-dominated deter some would-be recruits from pursuing a career as a mechanic, the SMF found.

Amy Norman, senior researcher at Social Market Foundation, said: “Electric vehicles are the future of cheaper, greener motoring, but servicing and maintaining them requires a new skills and training.

“Britain is in real danger of running short of the skilled mechanics and technicians needed to keep EVs on the roads.

“More needs to be done to ensure more workers are getting the skills and training needed to keep Britain on the road to Net Zero.

“That means better policies to support skills and training, including more creative use of Apprenticeship Levy funds.

“It also means doing more to attract recruits into this vital trade.

“The men and women who train to keep millions of EVs running smoothly should be seen as green heroes helping Britain speed towards a cleaner future.

“The transition to EVs is a great example of the opportunities that come from the shift to a low-carbon economy – with the right policies in place, the transition in driving can unlock thousands of high-skill blue-collar jobs for current and future generations.”

3 Comments

  1. there are very few mechanics full stop
    we have 2 vacancies for 2 years at high pay rates and not one single applicant
    and the school leavers live in lala land

    Reply
  2. Not a lot you can do. Just change bits as you cant wirebrush stuff
    One mistake. Blind, dead, handless or expensive part with hole init

    Reply
  3. Why would people want to join the industry to service or work on EV vehicles? Most of the technicians I know have a passion for vehicles and a huge chunk of it comes from the most alluring part… the engine. For independent garages, the costs of training and the equipment are already making it not particulary attractive to work on them, so the work often just goes back to main dealers (especially as some vehicles require annual printouts of battery condition(Nissan Leaf), and if that’s not carried out, the battery warranty becomes invalid. Many businesses are finding it extremely difficult to recruit technicians right now, and I can’t really see that improving. There’s also lots of the usual people telling garages you need to prepare for EV and you must be trained on xx or yy, but there are 620,000 EV’s on the road in the UK out of the 33.2 million cars, hardly enough to worry the local independent garage, in fact it’s easier to say we don’t work on EV’s, save money on the training and equipment costs and concentrate on the huge number of ICE vehicles that will come through the door.

    Reply

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