Big gaps in the availability of technicians qualified to work on electric vehicles could undermine consumer confidence, new research reveals.

Qualified technician availability is still inconsistent across the UK, despite an increase in EV training in the last year

The report by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has found that qualified technician availability is still inconsistent across the UK, despite an increase in EV training in the last year. And this presents an underlying risk to the Government’s decarbonisation plans.

The analysis looked at the proportion of technicians EV qualified compared to the total technician workforce in each UK local authority. Only seven local authorities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have 10% or more technicians qualified to work on electric vehicles. Worse still, more than 150 local authorities have fewer than 2% of technicians with the necessary qualifications to work safely on electric vehicles.

That’s despite the fact that latest SMMT figures show fully electric cars, plug-in hybrids and hybrids accounted for more than a third (35.4%) of new car registrations in May.

Top 20 Local Authorities with EV Technicians

Croydon                                18.9%

Redditch                               14.4%

West Lancashire                  11.5%

Inverclyde                            11.2%

Winchester                           10.9%

Broadland                             10.7%

Cheltenham                          10%

North Hertfordshire                 9.8%

Rushmoor                               9.2%

Stevenage                              8.3%

Moray                                     8.2%

Basingstoke & Deane            7.7%

Perth and Kinross                  7.6%

Guildford                                6.9%

Rushcliffe                               6.8%

Pendle                                    6.6%

South Tyneside                      5.9%

Worcester                              5.7%

Reading                                 5.5%

Watford                                  5.5%

Bottom 20 Local Authorities with EV Technicians

North East Derbyshire          0.5%

Newry, Mourne and Down    0.5%

Camden                                0.5%

Hackney                                0.5%

South Ribble                         0.5%

North Northamptonshire       0.5%

Charnwood                           0.4%

Runnymede                          0.4%

Sunderland                           0.3%

Islington                                0.3%

Barrow-in-Furness                0.2%

Copeland                              0.2%

Craven                                  0.2%

Isles of Scilly                         0.2%

Knowsley                              0.2%

Maldon                                  0.2%

Redcar and Cleveland          0.2%

Rossendale                           0.2%

Shetland Islands                   0.2%

Thanet                                   0.2%

“Our data reveals the greatest proportion of EV-qualified technicians in the automotive aftermarket workforce in some obvious locations such as London and the South East”, explained Emma Carrigy, research manager at the IMI.  “However, it is a concern that there are also some big gaps in much of the central part of England as well as a number of London Boroughs.”

The IMI is currently predicting that 77,000 IMI TechSafe qualified technicians will be required by 2030 – the date that the Government plans to start phasing out sales of non-electric vehicles – increasing to 89,000 by 2032.

The IMI also analysed the availability of EV-qualified technicians in relation to where the greatest number of public charge points are located. This, it says, provides a good indication of workforce matched to demand – and it again warns of some serious gaps.

“While the top two local authorities for public charge points – Westminster and City of London – probably don’t have a huge demand for technicians, the fact that all other local authorities with the most public charge points have less than 2% of their automotive workforce qualified to work on electric vehicles could seriously damage public confidence and undermine the transition to zero,” added Carrigy.

The IMI says the issues can be addressed though – it has more than 235 centres in its network that can deliver EV qualifications, helping to plug to fill the skills gap and keep technicians safe.

The institute also provides a Professional Register, listing technicians who meet its TechSafe standards, as endorsed by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). The register is available for drivers to access online for free, enabling them to find local qualified EV technicians and garages.

To access the IMI report on ‘Electric Evolution: Examining the Triumphs, Trials and Roadblocks of the UK’s Electric Vehicle Aftermarket’, click here.