Tackling the skills shortage: service, maintenance and repairs for EV

The UK faces an electric vehicle (EV) skills gap, with too few technicians to service the volume of zero emissions vehicles predicted to be on UK roads by 2030, according to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).

A widening skill gap, lack of garages and several technicians changing careers to take advantage of higher wages is to blame.

The IMI says that 90,000 technicians will be required to provide a sufficient workforce ahead of the Government’s Road to Zero deadline.

Other issues with SMR for EV

Early EV adopters may find it difficult to maintain their vehicles without sufficient service, maintenance and repair (SMR) provision. While a lack of trained technicians is an obvious impactor, there are a variety of other issues affecting the SMR of EVs, including:

• A change in installation rules for home charging points
• A shortage of garages that possess the equipment needed to maintain EVs
• A lack of EV product knowledge due to the infancy of the industry

How Rivus is helping

Upskilling staff

Rivus is tackling the skills shortage challenge by investing in apprentices and upskilling all existing technicians, so we have the capabilities to work on EVs now and in the future, plus can continue to service combustion models.

We believe that the EV industry must invest in young people in order to attract new, diverse talent. Failure to do so may further add to the predicted skills shortage in future. We are planning to onboard a cohort of new apprentice talent every year.

We are also committed to the professional development of all existing technicians, so they are equipped to work on electric vehicles – futureproofing their careers while attempting to prevent the widening skills gap.

We have already upskilled many of our technicians to provide EV capability in all our locations and intend to retrain even more of our team in 2022.

Fully equipped garages

Rivus also recognise that early EV adopters may struggle to maintain their vehicles without the full support of garages investing in training, tooling and safety equipment. Which is why we’re proud to announce that all Rivus EV customers have local access to a Rivus-approved garage, with fully trained EV technicians and the equipment needed to service their vehicles.

Rivus’ proactive approach means we’ll boast an array of fully equipped garages staffed by multi-talented team members all able to adapt to the transition from combustion to electric vehicles ahead of 2030.

Take control of your electric vehicle fleet

Rivus is leading the way when it comes to the service, maintenance and repair of electric vehicles.

We can help you discover which electric fleet is most suited to your company, based on vehicle range and the available infrastructure near your workplace and local area. Plus, provide extensive SMR provision so you’re always moving.

Speak to our team today and find out how to switch over to an electric fleet.