Shortfall of EV technicians is predicted to reach 16,000 by 2035

10:05 am, August 6, 2024

The automotive industry will be short of 3,000 EV technicians by 2031 – with that figure predicted to rise to 16,000 by 2035.

That’s according to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), whose latest EV TechSafe certification data shows there are now 58,800 technicians qualified to work on electric vehicles.

The figure equates to 24% of the UK automotive workforce, and based on the predicted increase in EVs on UK roads, the IMI is currently forecasting a shortfall of 3,000 technicians by 2031, with the gap expected to reach 16,000 by 2035.

The IMI said its new data also highlights what it calls the current ‘postcode lottery’ for EV skills.

Although London and the south-east of England have the higher proportion of EVs according to the SMMT, the regions don’t boast the larger proportion of EV-certified technicians.

Just 6.1% and 6.4% of technicians in London and the south-east respectively are EV-trained, while plug-in electric vehicles make up 5.9% of all cars in London and the south-east.

The east of England has the highest rate of EV qualifications (9.5%), while Northern Ireland has the lowest at 3.7%.

IMI executive chairman Kevin Finn said: ‘There has been encouraging growth in the number of technicians gaining EV certification so far in 2024.

‘However, with the expected reinstatement of the 2030 ICE ban deadline by the new government, the skills gap remains.

‘Automotive businesses urgently need to prioritise training more technicians so that the expected rising number of EV owners can find a local technician qualified to work safely on their vehicle.’

The list below from the IMI gives the number of technicians per region and the proportion who are EV-trained.

East of England: 18,073 – 9.5%
West Midlands: 18,428 – 8.2%
Scotland: 12,071 – 7.9%
South-East: 22,123 – 6.4%
London: 12,265 – 6.1%
South-West: 15,427 – 6.0%
Wales: 6,910 – 5.9%
North-West: 17,657 – 5.6%
East Midlands: 16,247 – 5.1%
Yorkshire and The Humber: 16,740 – 5.0%
North-East: 6,367 – 4.4%
Northern Ireland: 4,343 – 3.7%