The proliferation of EVs will bring extensive changes to bodyshops and automotive repairers, requiring new skills and new investment. However, it may also require a new level of engagement with motorists as the messaging on the simplicity of EV maintenance might make drivers think their vehicle doesn’t need as much professional attention – when in fact the opposite could be true.
Electric vehicles are often celebrated for having fewer moving parts and therefore, says proponents, motorists will save money on maintenance and often not need more than one check-up a year. There is some evidence that routine servicing is cheaper – but repairs are not. Thatcham Research’s recent report into the impact of the EV sector put repairs at 25% higher than ICE costs.
However, the message bodyshops and repairers should be offering customers is that reliability and roadworthiness are two separate things. Reliability is about the vehicle breaking down – if it goes, it’s ‘reliable’. Roadworthiness, however, is about the way in which the various parts of the vehicle perform to prevent and mitigate collision. And that’s a different story.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI)’s report Electric Revolutions contested that EV maintenance was no less necessary than with an ICE. EVs do not need as many lubricants, but most of the safety critical elements tested at MOT are still present. Furthermore, it analysed MOT failure data and found that EVs failed their MOT tests more than petrol vehicles and more often on dangerous items, such as tyres.
MOT are a snapshot of the vehicle’s roadworthiness – ie its safety for operation on the roads. Vehicles that fail first time on safety critical issues were therefore not safe to be on the roads in the months or weeks leading up to the test.
DVSA recently revealed that commercial vehicles receive 10 times as many prohibitions three months after their test as they do at one month post-test. Maintenance is therefore something that must happen daily and weekly, not once a year.
Key areas for maintenance
What is essential is that road users are aware of the need to check their tyres, or have them professionally appraised regularly – particularly as sub-optimal inflation will hasten wear.
Tyres are the only point of contact between the vehicle and the road and motorists must be reminded that they are therefore a key component of safe and responsive handling.
Electric vehicles will by no means be maintenance-light vehicles, and drivers should be encouraged not only to do regular pre-use checks of their own, but also to maintain a regular maintenance schedule with their local garage. The components that can and do fail on any vehicle as it is used and ages are often safety-critical – and they should not be overlooked whatever the driveline.