Electric cars have already been sold in a funk in key markets across the globe. The challenge of finding enough repair technicians threatens to further dampen demand within the UK, where consumer demand has stagnated for nearly two years.
According to insurers and repair firms resembling the AA, which provides roadside assistance across the UK, the shortage of mechanics trained to perform probably the most complex electric vehicle repairs helps to drive up repair costs. Added to this are costs resembling long waiting times for spare parts, and insurers determine to capitulate to vehicles with relatively harmless damage – and electric models find yourself within the scrapyard prematurely.
A seemingly easy accident that damages the battery or battery compartment “can result in the vehicle being totaled,” said Marco Distefano, managing director of insurer Axa SA’s U.K. retail division. “Ultimately, that drives up insurance prices.”
According to the Institute of the Motor Industry, which provides training and certification, fewer than 10% of the UK’s 236,000 automotive mechanics are qualified to work directly on electric vehicle batteries or their casings. While many technicians can perform less demanding tasks, probably the most demanding repairs require additional training given the complexity of the circuits and the chance of electrical shock.
“The stakes have gone up a lot because there really are no mistakes,” said Darren Naughton, an AA coach, during a visit to Birmingham. “On these systems, it’s instant death.”
According to British consulting firm Thatcham Research, drivers also fear that a collision could possibly be more prone to lead to the entire lack of their electric vehicle. Long delivery times and a scarcity of functioning charging stations are also slowing demand for environmentally friendly vehicles, in response to a report from last yr.
With 1 million electric vehicles already on the roads, the crisis is predicted to worsen. Repair shops are beginning to train staff, but IMI estimates there’ll still be a shortage of around 30,000 expert technicians within the UK by 2035, when a ban on the sale of recent internal combustion engine vehicles comes into force.
Sales of battery electric vehicles within the UK have increased Treading water as market share since 2022. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders, they stood at 15% in March. Insurance costs are double those of conventional vehicles, Bloomberg reported in January.
Other aspects contribute to distorting insurers’ once-easy decision to repair or replace a automotive after an accident. Spare parts are expensive and take longer to reach from abroad, increasing downtime for damaged cars and driving up additional costs resembling rental cars.
If settlement costs approach or exceed the worth of the vehicle, the insurer will typically take ownership and scrap it, disassemble it for parts, or repair it and resell it if the damage is minimal. British automotive dismantler Synetiq saw a 55% increase within the disposal of electrical cars and vans last yr, it said in a press release website. An operation has been set as much as recycle expensive battery materials resembling lithium and nickel.
High repair costs have long plagued electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla Inc. because they lack the dedicated service network of traditional automakers. Hertz Global Holdings Inc., the U.S. rental automotive giant, was forced to scrap Teslas when the associated fee of repairing easily damaged parts resembling radar assemblies drove up repair costs.
According to Lee Houston, electric vehicle technical connection engineer on the AA, most of the cars which are dismantled or crushed within the UK may be repaired. Once a battery is dented or damaged, “it’s a replacement which will write off the car”, costing £15,000 to £20,000, he said.
Other countries have mastered the challenges higher. In Germany, Europe’s largest automotive market, the shortage of expert staff is less pronounced than in Britain, in response to ADAC, the country’s principal provider of roadside assistance.
In Norway, where 82% of recent cars sold last yr were electric, there isn’t any problem with electric vehicle skills, a spokesman for the Norwegian Automobile Association said, although there’s a general shortage of mechanics. In Sweden, electric vehicle mechanics’ skills are improving rapidly, the Swedish Motor Vehicle Retail and Repair Association said.
While the extra training required to repair an electrical vehicle battery isn’t low cost, the challenges within the UK aren’t insurmountable. Axa UK put the associated fee at around £2,500 per mechanic for 4 days of coaching – feasible for larger chains, although smaller workshops may have to determine whether or not they wish to make the leap.
At Kwik Fit, one in every of the UK’s largest automotive service groups, only 15 of around 1,500 technicians meet the Level 3 or Level 4 standard required to repair electric vehicle battery cells and modules.
Ben Boot, service, maintenance and repair development manager at Kwik Fit, expects the position will ultimately attract a wider pool of candidates who’re more aware of diagnostic and electrical engineering concepts.
“When it comes to battery repair and getting into individual cell and module repair, there is still some fear of the unknown,” Boot said. Once there are higher trained electrical engineers, “repair rather than replace” will grow to be a more viable solution.
