Electric vehicle sales on the up … are you prepared? Get plugged in today for future success After a slow, stuttering start, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are finally beginning to pick up pace. And that means bodyshops, across Europe, need to start gearing up for a new type of repair. In the UK alone, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 300% more EVs were sold this March than in the previous one, while sales of HEVs have increased 45% year on year. The whole of Europe is reporting similar numbers, with sales having doubled last year to 200,000 units sold. That is on top of a doubling of sales the year before. Globally the world’s biggest car manufacturer, Toyota, is reporting 6.5 million sales of hybrid vehicles since launching the first mass-produced hybrid car in December 1997. And BMW’s global marketing chief, Ian Robertson confirmed, “The market is approaching a tipping point, where battery power will become as normal as petrol or diesel. If you look back over the past three years, the electric car market has multiplied by a factor of 25. There is no doubt that it is coming and it is coming quickly.” Still a long way to go In spite of these impressive figures, however, the market for electric and hybrid vehicles is still a fraction of the millions of cars sold every year in Europe, and not every country is progressing at the same pace. Government subsidies vary from territory to territory, as does the commitment to infrastructure. So while in Amsterdam you may soon be able to reboot your car on almost every street corner, charging points are a still a rare sight in many major towns and cities across Europe. Another barrier lies in the high price of an electric or hybrid vehicle. The major portion of the cost is, of course, the battery, which can be as much as €10,000, but as sales increase the production cost of these cars will begin to drop. As they become less expensive more and more people will opt to drive an EV or HEV, boosting the cycle of exponential growth. An opportunity for bodyshops With Europe on the point of a boom in electric and hybrid vehicles, clearly now is the time for body and paint shops to gear up for the inevitable change in the repair market. In particular, your staff will need a new qualification to work with the high voltages involved in the repair of these vehicles. Indeed, activating and deactivating the electric system potentially exposes employees to over 100 32 Sikkens - Color and Technology Pagina 31
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