Written evidence from Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Repair Alliance Ltd (HEVRA) (ELV0033)
Question 20. How prepared are car dealerships, service networks, repairs and maintenance organisations, breakdown services and aftermarket suppliers to meet the growing EV uptake?
HEVRA (Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Repair Alliance) represent close to 300 Hybrid and Electric vehicle repairers in the UK and Ireland. These repairers carry out general servicing on these vehicles and up to and including diagnosing and repairing of High Voltage (HV) components including HV batteries. HEVRA also carry out Research and Development in order to continually support their network.
It is our view that the current targets for the phase out of non-zero emission vehicles are achievable, and we recognise the role that independent garages will play in this transition.
Current Status
The current status of service and repair outlets is that they are well positioned and provide support to the ever-growing EV / Hybrid UK market.
The majority of HEVRA members are able to diagnose and repair a wide variety of issues that occur with EVs, these include high voltage battery repairs, HV components, etc, as well as the networks and thermal management systems, all of which differ from vehicles with an internal combustion engine (ICE).
The growth of the EV market (Fig. 1). has grown and is growing in line with the availability of EV repairers (Fig 2). The graphs below show the historic and estimated number of plug-in vehicles between 3 and 12 years old on the UK roads, against the number of HEVRA member garages across the same time span.
From our experience, vehicles between 3 and 12 years are more likely to use an independent repairer. The graphs show a clear correlation between the growing number of vehicles, to the number of repairers that are able to offer aftermarket support to second and subsequent EV owners.
This is also strengthened by the current number of technicians qualified to work on these vehicles. During 2022, 14,800 new technicians were trained bringing the number of qualified technicians at the end of 2022 to 39,000*.
A major obstacle that faces EV repairers is the lack of aftermarket parts and remanufacturing facilities. This obstacle means that a lot of repairable components have to be replaced rather than being repaired, further impacting the overall green agenda.
Progress to 2030
By our estimations, the number of service and repair outlets required to support the growing EV car parc by 2030, would need to increase by circa 800 additional approved repairers between 2023 and 2026. Clearly, this is a significant increase compared to current numbers, however, if the network continues to follow the current trend, this is achievable.
From our experience the ‘early adopters’ have already taken up the mantle of being an EV ready repairer, however to achieve the volume of service and repair outlets required along with the relevant number of trained technicians, it may be necessary to incentivise independent operators to re-equip and upskill, in order to support the governments targets for 2030 and beyond.
Approximately 15-20 years ago many garages were reluctant to repair diesel vehicles. However, following a significant increase in the number of these vehicles on the roads, garages adapted successively. We think that it is likely that a similar trend will happen with EVs’. The change to maintaining and repairing electric vehicles is a larger change than the change from petrol to diesel vehicles. However, organisations such as ourselves can help with this transition.
We feel that the supply of new and remanufactured parts outside the dealer network needs significant improvement. The increase of such components would allow independent operators to carry out more sustainable repairs, providing consumers with greater confidence when purchasing a used EV. With the HEVRA network being the largest of its kind worldwide, the UK is well placed to be a leader in this sector. Examples of work carried out by our members includes repairs to high voltage components, electric drive motors and hybrid automatic transmissions, which could be supplied to garages on an exchange basis, thus helping consumers manage the total cost of ownership of a used EV.
What is your view on the accuracy of the information in the public domain relating to EVs and their usage?
HEVRA feel that some of the current information in the public domain is inaccurate and misleading. Most of the members of the public will have limited ability to determine the accuracy of that information. We have seen examples including reliability and accessibility of charging locations, the day-to-day running cost of owning an EV, repair options, the UKs national grid ability, as well as inaccurate information on the environmental benefit of owning an electric vehicle. We have also seen misleading information from vehicle manufacturers including terms like ‘self-charging’ which could mislead the consumer.
Consumer confidence is vital to ensure the used EV market is attractive to second and subsequent EV owners.
*https://tide.theimi.org.uk/industry-latest/news/ev-qualified-technicians-reach-39000-2022
*(Figures from the Institute of the Motor Industry).