Motor Industry Leaders Voice Electric Concerns

Motor industry leaders have voiced concern that the industry will be ill-equipped to deal with the mass change to electric vehicles.

An open letter by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), has stated that, currently, five per cent of the UK automotive workforce works on around 380,000 plug-in cars and vans.

The letter says; “Ramp-up the numbers based on the Government’s Green Plan and the capacity is simply not there to support the transition the government wants.”

This is a notable word of caution as the major announcements that make the headlines need to be supported by tangible moves in the industry.

The letter continues; “Yes, we have Electricity at Work regulations, but right now only five per cent of the technicians working in garages and dealerships are appropriately qualified to work on these vehicles.

“Unless we start to discuss these issues, the plan will be compromised and – much more important – the UK won’t meet its net-zero targets.”

This follows a survey of drivers which found 40% wanted more investment in the infrastructure of the electric vehicle network, including the addition of more charging points, with greater availability across the road network to alleviate concerns about running out of electric charge.

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