In his third instalment, Matt Cleevely argues garages need to stop burying their heads in the sand when it comes to EVs in the UK.
There are more than one million pure battery electric cars and vans on the road in the UK and, with new regulation requiring vehicle manufacturers to sell an increasing number of EVs each year, there will soon be many more. The sale of all new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the UK by 2035 as part of the government’s zero emission mandate and under Labour this could be sooner.
This year, VMs must ensure at least 22 per cent of all new cars sold in the UK are zero emission. This figure will rise to 80 per cent by 2030. VMs could be fined up to £15,000 for each non-zero-emission vehicle sold outside of the allowance. What we’ve seen so far – and what we’ll continue to see – is the exponential growth of EVs. The Nissan Leaf has been on our roads for more than ten years now. Look at what happened during that time and then consider the impact of the zero emission mandate. Like them or not, EVs are here to stay and, for garages prepared to integrate them into their day-to-day workload, they’re bringing an untapped opportunity for growth.
Cleevely EV happened to be the UK’s first independent EV specialist – that’s why we’ve seen the success we have. I’m appealing to other independents to be the first in their county, city or town because there’s plenty of EV work for all of us. I’m not saying close the door on ICE vehicles. Around 55 per cent of the jobs in our workshop are still on ICE. But it’s about preparing now to secure your future, a future in which EVs will play an increasingly important role.
The irony is that even main dealers still aren’t ready to work on EVs in volume either. That’s why independent garages have a genuine opportunity to come out on top, capture and retain a new customer base.
For more from this series, click here.
