The Prime Minister’s decision last month to delay the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by five years to 2035 sparked a mixed response.
While many motorists welcomed the extended stay of execution for internal combustion engine (ICE) models, manufacturers and industry bodies criticised Rishi Sunak’s moving of the goalposts having already invested billions of pounds in electric vehicle (EV) projects to meet the original deadline of 2030.
However, an industry expert warns there is a major ‘elephant in the room’ that will still be a headache for drivers despite the delay to the petrol-diesel new car ban – a lack of qualified technicians to maintain them.
Will there be enough qualified mechanic to fix and maintain the massive number of EVs on UK roads by 2035? The current growth in training suggests not
Lawrence Whittaker, chief executive at used car warranty provider Warrantywise, says there is an urgent need to ramp-up the number of mechanic and garage technicians to fix EVs when they go wrong and to maintain them for the future.
His concern is that failing to increase qualified mechanic numbers could spark a rise in premiums on warranties and also delays to repairs.
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‘Despite Rishi Sunak’s recent decision to delay the ban of new petrol and diesel vehicles until 2035, a delay of five years on the previous plan, it remains evident that the UK will still likely face a shortage of EV technicians by that time,’ Mr Whittaker explains.
‘I’ve heard arguments from manufacturers, comments from all areas of the automotive and transport industry about how we need a cohesive strategy about the EV implementation and ICE ban.
‘However, no-one is talking about the fact that, regardless of this date moving, we don’t have the talent to look after the EVs of today, and we’re not doing enough to prepare for the future… regardless of if that’s 2030 or 2035.’
Lawrence Whittaker, CEO at used car warranty provider Warrantywise, says there is an urgent need to ramp-up the number of mechanic and garage technicians to fix EVs when they go wrong
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) – the body that represents those working within the sector – has for years warned that the nation is lagging behind in terms of the number of qualified mechanics to work on EVs.
This point was raised back in 2020, shortly after the original 2030 ban on new ICE passenger cars was announced, with the IMI penning an open letter to then-PM Boris Johnson warning of the enormous skills gap in the aftersales sector.
Three years ago, the IMI said just one in twenty technicians had the appropriate qualifications to work on electrified cars.
And the uptake in training is accelerating at a far slower pace than EV ownership.
Steve Nash, chief executive at the IMI, said in August: ‘More electric and hybrid vehicles are joining the UK car parc every day, but the number of technicians trained to safely maintain, service and repair them is simply not keeping pace, creating a real postcode lottery.
‘Urgent attention is required to address the skills gap, enhance training initiatives, and ensure an adequate supply of qualified technicians to meet the evolving demands of the rapidly growing EV sector.’
It warns today that there will be a potential shortage of 20,000 qualified ‘TechSafe’ technicians to work on EVs by 2030, rising to a 36,000 shortage by 2032.
‘What will we need in 2035? Who knows, but the problem isn’t going away judging by these figures,’ Whittaker said.
This IMI graph shows the forecasted skills gap created by a lack of training mechanics to work on EVs over the next decade
The general assumption is that EVs are easier to maintain due to having fewer moving mechanical parts, but issues with their advanced hardware and software requires additional training and qualifications
The Climate Change Committee predicts the number of EVs in the UK will increase from 1.1million recorded in early 2023 to 28million by 2035, with the help of the recently-confirmed zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate forcing car makers to sell an larger proportion of battery vehicles each year from 2024.
While EVs have fewer moving parts than cars that run on petrol or diesel, only those with a TechSafe qualification can work on them.
‘It’s worth highlighting that EVs are, however, more complex due to the added technology versus a traditional ICE-powered car – and while they have fewer ‘moving parts’, it’s this added hardware and software that cause them to have a habit of going wrong in different ways than their ICE counterparts, ‘ Whittaker says.
READ MORE: Which brands WON’T be selling you a petrol and diesel car from 2030?
‘It’s why they [EVs] will always require trained, certified technicians to fix and maintain them.
‘Yet, despite a push from the UK government including education regulators such as Ofqual, SQA, CCEA, and Qualifications Wales, IMI warns current economic pressures may result in cuts to funds usually available for training, leading to fewer businesses investing in the necessary TechSafe qualification for its technicians.’
And the IMI says there has already been a slowdown in the uptake of TechSafe training.
During the first quarter of 2023, it certified just 3,345 skilled technicians – that’s a 10 per cent drop in EV qualifications in comparison to the same period in 2022.
The IMI concluded that growing economic pressures are having an unprecedented impact on businesses, leaving less money to spend on training technicians.
Another reason for this decline could also be down to the automotive industry’s vacancy rate, which currently stands at approximately 26,000 unfilled positions.
