Aftermarket May 2022

MAY 2022 AFTERMARKET 61 www.aftermarketonline.net Above: Hayley Pells Below: The Car Throttle team Vice President Andrea Manenti said: “The survey tells me that we’re all moving in the same direction when it comes to EV travel and we’ll continue to push the boundaries to ensure that Bridgestone is a pioneering company in this area of mobility solutions.” G-Wiz back on the road In an example of how what might constitute a classic car can change over time, A REVA G-Wiz EV that has been off the road for more than a decade has been overhauled via a team-up between GS Yuasa and YouTube channel Car Throttle. The G-Wiz was produced between 2001 and 2012, and is powered by eight 6 Volt batteries, which offers 13kW of power and a range of 50 miles. GS Yuasa supplied and helped to fit eight of Pro Spec batteries, most often seen in golf carts to help make the car roadworthy again. Commenting on the team-up with Car Throttle for the project, Gareth Robinson-Green, Marketing Executive at GS Yuasa Battery Sales UK said: “We absolutely love Car Throttle so were understandably excited to be able to support them as they bring one of the UK’s most unloved cars back to the road with Alex, Jack and Ethan.” Alex Kersten, frontman of the Car Throttle YouTube channel added: “Huge thanks must go to the team at GS Yuasa who came to the aid of our much-depleted G-Wiz. Stocked up with eight GS Yuasa Pro Spec batteries, their expertise helped get the G-Wiz moving for the first time in ten years. Good things are coming for the world’s most misunderstood EV and it wouldn’t have been possible without these guys.” To follow the G-Wiz restoration, follow Car Throttle on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CarThrottle IMI-accredited EV scheme Servicesure, the garage scheme run by GSF Car Parts, has launched a new add-on EV scheme to for its network of 548 member garages. The scheme, EVsure is already being run by 19 Servicesure members. The minimum requirement for a garage is to have at least one technician qualified to the IMI’s Level 3 Techsafe standard. Once signed up, benefits including national branding and promotion, discounted technical advice and equipment, and accredited training and development. Commenting on EVsure, GSF Car Parts Head of Garage Programmes Paul Dineen said: “We believe EVsure is going to be a gamechanger for the aftermarket. Main dealers have held a monopoly on EV maintenance and repair for too long, and we know from experience that independent garage owners can offer excellent value for money alongside outstanding service that matches and often exceeds main dealers. “With the volume of EVs entering the aftermarket now rapidly increasing, it’s imperative for independent garages to prepare and adapt to this huge growth market. There’s also some lost ground to catch up on with PHEVs, which is another market main dealers have dominated for more than a decade. “EVsure will enable our Servicesure members to directly compete with main dealers by offering a qualified, trusted and good value alternative. The Servicesure brand has a fantastic reputation with internal combustion engine vehicle owners and we fully expect EVsure to be held in similarly high regard.” Steve Nash, CEO of the IMI, added: “The launch of EVsure is an important development, not only for Servicesure’s network of independent garages but also for the aftermarket sector as a whole. Consumer appetite to embrace the UK’s EV transition is gathering pace and the industry must step up to ensure the skills are there to meet the service and repair needs of its EV customers. The independent sector embracing this opportunity is crucial in ensuring we continue to offer motorists choice. The EVsure scheme fully recognises this, providing independent garages with the much-needed tools to adapt to emerging technologies, underpinned by professional accreditation.” Hayley Pells runs Avia Autos, which was one of the first Servicesure members to sign up to EVsure. She said: “We’ve been qualified to work on these types of vehicles for some time, but being part of the national EVsure network brings an extra kind of support that is a great addition to my business.” WAI videos show off durability WAI has been looking to showcase its electric vehicle charging extension cables recently via a series of YouTube videos. The videos, available to view across WAI’s social media channels, show what the cables can cope with in terms of day-to-day use, including showing one being dropped from a height and being run over by a car. WAI’s cables range includes Type 2 Female to Type 2 Male 32 Amp Single Phase and Three Phase, Type 2 Female to UK Plug (with controller) 16 Amp and 32 Amp and Type 2 Female to EU Plug (with controller) 16 Amp and 32 Amp, providing extensions for Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Tesla, Jaguar, KIA, Mini, Hyundai, Nissan Leaf 2008, Renault, Smart, Tesla, Toyota, Volvo, Porsche, Range Rover P400e and Lucid Air vehicles. The range also includes Type 1 Female to Type 2 Male 32 Amp, Type 1 Female to UK Plug (with controller) 16 Amp and Type 1 Female to EU Plug (with controller) 16 Amp for Ford Focus Electric, Lia Soul EV, Citroen C-Zero, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Nissan Leaf (2012 – 2017), Toyota Prius, Renault Fluence and Peugeot iOn. Commenting on the videos, WAI Managing Director Richard Welland observed: “WAI’s five and 10-metre electric vehicle charging cables means drivers are no longer faced with the problem of manufacturer-supplied cables that are too short to tether their vehicles to a home wall box for charging.”