A new analysis has revealed that the shortage of technicians who are qualified to work on electric vehicles has created a postcode lottery that could undermine consumer confidence.
Research by The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has revealed significant gaps in qualified technicians to work on electric vehicles.
The findings, published in a report titled Electric Evolution: Examining the Triumphs, Trials and Roadblocks of the UK’s Electric Vehicle Aftermarket, show that despite an increase in EV training in the last year, qualified technician availability is still inconsistent across the UK, presenting 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.
Worryingly more than 150 local authorities have less than 2% of technicians with the necessary qualifications to work safely on electric vehicles.
Emma Carrigy, research manager at the IMI, observed that there was an uneven distribution of qualified technicians.
‘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,’ she said.
‘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.’
Sign up here to receive our free weekly news bulletin and quarterly e-book.
