Embracing the Shift to Electrification
Publish date: 27/07/2021
For the past two years there has been an increased shift towards electrification as Government policies meet sustainability goals and new environmental regulations whilst the incentives heavily incentivise newer, cleaner vehicles as part of its 15-year Road to Zero strategy.
The UK vehicle parc has grown rapidly throughout this time. No longer considered a niche or just the car of choice of early adopters willing to pay a premium, a new wave of Electric Vehicles are available in more segments and at a lower price range than ever before. Battery production costs have fallen yet range improves, and the government’s ongoing investment in boosting the public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles has removed charge point anxiety on long journeys. EV’s are looking more attractive than ever as part of a modern mobility solution.
According to the SMMT, sales of BEVs rose from 7,704 in September 2019 to 21,903 in September 2020, a 184% increase, and electric vehicles now represent 7% of market share in the UK. This rapid growth in EVs has had an incidental effect on the repairer industry. We’ve been working closely and proactively with our network of repairers to prepare for this major market change for a number of years, investing time, resource and expertise to ensure we have the repair capacity and capability to maintain a high quality and sustainable vehicle repair supply which continually meets our customers’ evolving needs.
In the past year, FMG has repaired several thousand EVs with capacity for more - over 275 of our repairers having the most advanced machinery, tools, training and skill - to carry out high quality EV repair. Ongoing developments in manufacturing practices and vehicle technology have changed the nature of maintenance and repair, yet we remain a step ahead of market trends thanks to the strength, coverage and experience of our repair network.
The UK government has ambitiously set the stage for a huge rollout of infrastructure to support large-scale electric vehicle adoption and FMG has the depth of experience, expertly trained people and the right systems and infrastructure to confidently embrace this growing market and continually deliver an effortless driver and customer journey.