Britain’s electric car dream threatened by shortage of mechanics

THE UK could suffer major shortages of electric vehicle (EV) technicians by the end of the decade, a think tank warned, imperilling the country’s push to phase out sales of petrol and diesel powered cars by the same year.

The Social Market Foundation said on Wednesday (Dec 7) that Britain faces a shortage of 25,000 qualified technicians by 2030, which could drive up servicing costs and risk some EV owners not being able to properly maintain their vehicles.

The SMF called on the UK government to develop a plan to ramp up training in the skills needed for EV maintenance, as well as mandatory licencing for EV repair technicians, as maintenance involves working with high-voltage electricity.

“The men and women who train to keep millions of EVs running smoothly should be seen as green heroes helping Britain speed towards a cleaner future,” said Amy Norman, senior researcher and author of the report.

EV sales have been a rare bright spot for the UK automotive industry, with more than one in five cars sold in the country last month being purely battery powered. The UK plans to phase out the sale of cars with internal combustion engines from 2030, with hybrids facing the end of the road five years later. BLOOMBERG