Britain is driving head on into a skills shortage of technicians trained to work on electric vehicles, according to one industry expert.
Comment from Lawrence Whittaker (below), CEO at Warrantywise said, “Electric vehicles (EVs) continue to grace our headlines, whether it’s a comment on the perceived lack of EV charging infrastructure, confirmation of increased road tax for EVs alongside the government-mandated ban on internal combustion engines and worries of EV-specific insurance cost increases.”
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as I can see – we’re still running head-first into one of the most concerning skills shortages we might see in the 21st century; the lack of trained TechSafe EV technicians.
“Why am I standing on my soap box again now, after I shouted from the rooftops in March 2022 and September 2023. Well, the Institute of Motor Industry issued yet another worrying report showing that there’s still a huge skills gap of trained EV technicians, risking EV uptake and driver satisfaction.”
The IMI’s latest EV TechSafe certification data shows only 58,800 technicians are now qualified to work on electric vehicles, representing just 24 per cent of the UK automotive workforce. That’s not enough when you consider that there are over 1,190,000 fully electric cars on UK roads.
However, based on the forecast increase in EVs on UK roads, the IMI is currently predicting a shortfall of 3,000 technicians by 2031. The gap is expected to reach 16,000 by 2035 according to this most recent report. Moreover, it’s not just the lack of technicians, but where they’re located in the UK, that seems to be the new concern.
“The IMI is also calling it a ‘postcode lottery’ for EV skills, meaning that there’s a lack of skills being distributed up and down the UK. One worrying state was that while London and the South East have the higher proportion of EVs, the regions don’t have a larger proportion of EV-certified technicians to look after them. Just 6.1 and 6.4 per cent of technicians in London and the South East respectively are EV-trained.
“Alarming when you consider that plug-in electric vehicles make up 5.9 per cent of all cars in London and the South East. For further context of the disparity, the East of England has the highest rate of EV qualifications (9.5 per cent), while Northern Ireland has the lowest rate (3.7 per cent).”
He concluded, “Without enough qualified TechSafe EV technicians, I believe the rapid adoption of electric vehicles could stall, leading to safety risks, delayed repairs, and stunted growth in the EV industry. As demand for electric vehicles surges, the pressure on the industry to train and certify technicians is mounting, making this shortage a critical bottleneck that could undermine the transition to greener transportation.
“That sounds severe, but as our maintenance option for internal combustion engine vehicles continues with our plans for vehicles up to 15 years old, and older with our classic car plans, our aim is to always provide the best levels of service for all our customers. This is why I continue to highlight the issue with EV technicians and emphasise the need to focus on our EV ecosystem.”
The implications of this skills shortage extend far beyond just vehicle maintenance. As electric vehicles become more complex, with advanced software, battery systems, and high-voltage components, the expertise required to service and repair them goes beyond what traditional automotive technicians are trained to handle, hence having to go through a stand-alone TechSafe training.
