Does your business have the skills for an electrified future?

Are you ready for plug-in electric vehicles to roll into your workshop? A recent survey by automotive aftermarket data firm GiPA suggesting that 44% of businesses cannot serve plug-in motorists.

That’s a large number, especially as the number of electrified vehicles on the roads continues to grow. In 2022 battery electric car sales grew 40% to over 265,000 units – three times more than the number of diesels sold according to SMMT figures.

The sharp rise in the number of motorists switching to a hybrid or fully electric vehicle comes in anticipation of the UK Government’s combustion-engine ban in 2030. In addition to the rise in new registrations, there is also a growing parc of used EVs, leading more drivers to seek the services of a local independent garage.

With only a little over half of all garages able to offer EV services, and a further 41% only offering limited EV services, drivers face a narrow choice of specialists for repair and service work.

For consumers it’s important that number grows to give them more choice, and for businesses it’s critical they upskill staff and make sure equipment is up to date to take advantage in the boon in EVs on the road.

“Understandably, many independent garages have been biding their time before investing in the necessary skills, training and equipment to maintain EVs,” said Nick Taylor, General Manager of Eurorepar Car Service. “But with demand increasing, this year looks like it could be the turning point for many garages receiving customer enquires that they simply can’t service.

“Not only are independent garages missing out on a growing revenue stream, but they’re also missing out on the opportunity to build customer loyalty. That might be particularly important if there’s only a handful of local garages providing EV services.”

Garages looking to offer EV services must ensure that employees are thoroughly trained and insured to work on battery-electric vehicles and that the correct equipment is used. Maintaining an EV is a highly skilled job and attempting to do so without the necessary training and qualifications could be dangerous. The onus is on the automotive aftermarket to encourage customers to be vigilant of unaccredited sites.

Making sure technical staff have the skills means investing to send them to the right training centres and picking the right courses, but also making sure that you cover soft service skills such as customer relationship management and upselling.

Electric vehicle sales are still heading up, and that’s unlikely to change, so preparing staff and businesses to work on these vehicles – and talk with customers about what to expect – is incredibly important.

So as Eurorepar Car Service suggests, maybe independent garages should make 2023 the year of the electric vehicle.

Checkout the range of electric vehicles courses offers to help you prepare for the electrified future