As electric vehicle development gathers momentum in the field with almost all of the major manufacturers, more motorists than ever before are considering waving goodbye to the more conventional petrol and diesels offerings and welcoming an electric vehicle.
To keep up with this rapid new trend sweeping the globe, garages are taking steps to keep pace. A new study has found that many garages are gearing up for the arrival of electric cars by employing new technology across their operations. Servicing Stop asked its network of over 1,500 garages the steps they were taking to embrace electric vehicle servicing and if they were ready for the transition. The overwhelming majority said yes.
The majority of the company’s garage-network said they were preparing for the expected increase in electric vehicles by installing new equipment and introducing new technology; while a large amount said they were already servicing electric cars on a daily basis and already had the facilities to accommodate them.
Despite gearing up for the newer type of car, garages are not expecting a massive influx of electric vehicles in the next 12 months. The network unanimously said they expect less than 5% of bookings to be electric in the next 12 months. This suggests the evolution of consumer cars – from conventional fuel types to electric – will be a lengthy transition. Even motorists who have already purchased an electric vehicle shouldn’t be needing a service in the immediate future (3 years is standard in keeping with the MOT).
Despite garages across the UK welcoming the gradual introduction of electric vehicles, they are unanimously against any proposed ban on fossil fuelled vehicles as this would be detrimental to the car servicing industry as a whole.
Servicing Stop also spoke to motorists regarding electric vehicles. Out of 1,337 drivers surveyed, almost a third were positive about electric vehicles, citing lower driving costs as a primary factor; 91% of motorists overall believe that electric cars are a cheaper alternative.
The second most popular answer was the positive effect electric cars can have on the environment; more than a quarter of motorists said that the government grant of up to £4,500 was an attractive incentive. A further 11% said that the lower service costs of electric vehicles was a good reason to purchase one.
While motorists are clearly behind electric cars as a cheaper alternative to petrol and diesel vehicles, how do the prices of services stack up to cars running on fossil fuel?
Servicing Stop boasts prices of 60% less than the main dealers; its services are the cheapest on the market. The company doesn’t believe electric vehicles will present much of a change to their hugely competitive prices. The cheapest EV services are expected to start around £50.
CEO and founder of Servicing Stop, Oly Richmond, said: “The automotive industry, and the development of electric vehicles in particular, continues to move at an incredible pace. While it’s encouraging to see these new developments, it’s important the car servicing sector keeps pace alongside. Across the UK, our garages are gearing up in preparation of servicing more electric vehicles than ever before and making sure the cost of servicing electric remains equally affordable.”
