IMI warns of 2030 ban pitfalls

The IMI has warned the government that bringing forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel would place a huge strain on skills.

There is strong speculation the government will announce the ban will now come into effect in 2030. But the IMI has insisted that a strong programme of training would be needed to make it successful.

It has pointed out that there are between 13,000 and 20,000 technicians currently qualified to work on electric vehicles. It thinks the UK would need approximately 70,500 qualified technicians to support the EV vehicle parc by 2030.

IMI CEO Steve Nash said: “The rumours are now strong that a 2030 ban for the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles will be announced this week. And whilst we haven’t seen the detail yet, we will be concerned that a key factor in achieving success will be missing.

“Currently around five per cent of UK automotive technicians are adequately trained to work on electric vehicles. How do you ramp up electric vehicle adoption if the myriad of users – from private motorists to fleets operating cars and vans, blue light vehicles and more – can’t be confident they will be able to access the expertise to service and repair these vehicles safely?

“And if the critical mass of skills doesn’t exist, the support infrastructure for zero emissions will be undermined too; insurers will keep premiums high if they can’t be confident they will be able to access a repair network that matches need.

“To achieve its goal, government has to recognise that amongst all of those calling for assistance in funding – from manufacturers to those creating the charging network – the basic fundamental of accredited skills needs to come near the front of the queue. Users of electrified vehicles want to know that they can hand over their vehicle to someone who has the right skills. Those who aren’t properly trained or equipped to work on electrified vehicles would be risking serious injury or fatality.

“The IMI TechSafe standards, endorsed by OLEV at the end of 2019, mean that electrified vehicle users can access the IMI Professional Register to check the electric vehicle technical competencies of technicians at their local garage. But we are currently a long way off achieving a critical mass of technicians qualified, with Covid-19 setting us back significantly in reaching optimum numbers in time for 2035, let alone 2030. Government action is needed urgently to encourage automotive employers to re-ignite their EV training plans.”