September 2021

W hether they are fully electric, plug-in hybrid or mild hybrid, electrified vehicles are now a permanent fixture in manufacturers’ model ranges. Julian Goulding, Marketing Manager Northern Europe, Delphi Technologies Aftermarket, observed: “For independent garages, it’s a challenging time, but one which also presents a great deal of opportunity. Evolving their offering to cater for EV-owning customers is certainly no small undertaking and, understandably, many garages have a lot of questions, but one thing is for certain; They will need to be able to service electric vehicles to protect their longevity and revenue.” EV experience Julian continued: “Delphi has a huge amount of EV experience to share with the aftermarket and our IMI- accredited H/EV training is now the most in-demand out of our entire course offering. The course content can be incredibly advanced, even to the point of working on a live battery, but what we are finding is that many garages need the very basics in terms of EV maintenance. This can be everything from understanding what PPE equipment they need to invest in to simply how to jack up an electrified vehicle. “We strive to offer a complete solution that gives garages the confidence, knowledge and parts to safely and competently work on electrified vehicles, so as EV 48 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2021 EVS AND HYBRIDS www.aftermarketonline.net With the government pushing for the end of the internal combustion engine, hybrids and EVs are heading your way CHARGING AHEAD technology has grown, so has our offering. To this end, we’re starting to introduce a greater level of blended learning for electrification training, where participants can learn the essentials online via our new e-learning platform before continuing practical assessments at our training centre.” He added: “We’re also continuously evolving our product portfolio with more and more EV applications, too. Obviously, this is in line with these vehicles becoming more popular, but it’s also offering garages the opportunity to optimise revenue from the more routine servicing requirements that EVs have, such as brake and sensor replacement. Seeing the aftermarket embrace electrified vehicles is a huge step in the right direction to ensuring independents can not only survive but also prosper in the future.” Countdown The ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, which comes into force in 2030, will transform the UK motoring industry at every level, according to Martin Brown, Technical Director of asTech, a Repairify company: “When it comes to garages, the countdown to 2030 has seen businesses invest in relevant staff and technical training as well as the correct protective and servicing equipment. This investment will be ongoing as businesses send their technicians and staff on refresher courses and purchase new tools, so they are EV-ready and can keep up with the