Report: Common repair standards required for EVs
Published: 25 July, 2022
Common crash repair standards for EVs are going to be vital going forward, a new report looking at the impact on bodyshops and the insurance industry has suggested.
The report from Trend Tracker; ‘Electric Vehicles (EV), What Happens When Things Go Wrong,’ puts forward the conclusions of a cross-industry group assembled by NBRA Chief Executive Chris Weeks and Kirsty McKno, Managing Director of Cogent Hire.
Chris commented: “EV/AFV are not necessarily any more unsafe than ICE, but whereas the industry has had more than 100 years to develop experience and understanding of ICE, EV/AFV are relatively new. It should really be against the law to work on these vehicles without the required accreditation, methods, and skills. An EV is fine when you are driving it, but when it crashes it is dangerous goods.”
Kirsty pointed out several organisations are looking into common standards for EV, including the ABI and Thatcham, but at present there is no united approach: “EVs may ignite up to four weeks post-accident, which means that having a consistent standard is vital to industry and consumer safety.”
Electrified vehicles are the fastest growing segment within the vehicle parc. In April 26.4% of cars produced in the UK were electrified, boosted by battery electric vehicle (BEV) output up 38.2%. Despite this, the group noted with concern how easy it was to set up a recovery business with no qualifications, and that the industry needs better regulation.
Other concerns highlighted included the provision of short-charges to broken down EVs provided from recovery vans fitted with large batteries, as well as the conversion of existing ICE vehicles into EVs. There is little-to-no legislation to cover either area.
Kirsty added: “Clearly the industry needs to invest in approvals, tooling, additional space requirements and technical skills. That means alternative fuelled vehicles will cost more to repair, but consumers will not want to pay more for insurance, particularly not in this cost of living crisis.”
To view the report, go to: www.trendtracker.co.uk/electric-vehicles-what-happens-when-things-go-wrong/
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As the number of electric vehicles continues to rise in UK, the opportunity for bodyshops that specifically cater for EVs is also increasing. Enfield-based EV Bodyshops is run by Adam Thurman and his team, launched in June 2021 to take advantage of this growing income stream. At the end of last year, EV Bodyshops gained Nissan GB approval, officially becoming the first ‘electric only’ repairer for the vehicle manufacturer.
On the workshop floor, one of the most common jobs the technicians are performing is high-voltage shutdowns and reinstating the high-voltage system once it is safe to do so. This means employing the right product for the job at hand is critical. We sat down with Adam to discuss how he went about choosing the right technology for his business.
“Prior to opening, we knew in-house high voltage repairs would be on our menu of services, so with my background as a main dealer and working with OEM equipment, I knew exactly what I wanted out of the products we purchased.
“Like any good business we did our own research. However, we were also introduced to asTech’s products and remote services by our distribution supplier. This led to a meeting with the asTech team where I explained what we required and the types of vehicles we were working on. On receipt of their answers, they made me feel comfortable that the asTech solution was perfect for us.
“We use asTech products for all our repairs, which includes pre- and post-repair scans. These enable our technicians to understand any historic errors with the vehicle and help clear any issues or errors caused through an accident or the repair process.
“Our team has benefited from the fact that they have access to IMI trained technicians that are using the latest software, and this allows us to see all the faults that other software is unable to deliver. An example of this is on a couple of occasions the software has highlighted faults that we couldn’t see, which meant we dealt with them and stopped the vehicle being brought back in. This, in turn, ensures customers receive the highest levels of service and a right first-time fix, which is what we aim to offer our customers every time.
“Overall, the knowledge, expertise and technology we have access to through asTech has provided us with the confidence needed to repair the types of vehicles that come through the workshop door each day. In addition, I also believe what we have access to will be an asset to the business because as EV vehicle technology evolves, so will the software we use.”
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