At Automechanika 2023, Our Head of Secret Service, Paul Jordan, delivered a presentation covering the topic “Electrified Future: what does it look like for the service and repair industry.”
Here are the Five key things that you need to know from his presentation:
OK, no surprises here! However, the scale and pace of change is not something that garages can afford to ignore. Such is the growth, that according to data from GIPA by 2030 as much as 27% of the Car Parc will be made up of BEVs; approximately 9.1 million vehicles. Combined with this, the average age of remaining ICE vehicles will be 13 years old.
Currently EV owners have an average household income that’s 84% higher that the UK average. They are demanding early adopters who expect a highly connected experience. However, as EVs become more mainstream this will change and EV owners will value a connected experience and social impact, as well as being more focussed on usage rather than traditional ownership models. This means garages and workshops need to get used to the idea of working with fleet managers responsible for hundreds if not thousands of vehicles, rather than the traditional one vehicle per customer model.
In a recent survey by GIPA, 57% of EV owners admitted to having changed workshops since purchasing an EV. Their reasons for changing are: 1) because their previous workshop didn’t offer EV servicing 2) they didn’t have the right tools or 3) they didn’t have a qualified technician. With the growing rate of EV adoption that we’ve already mentioned, this is a huge revenue stream that is growing daily - garages and workshops not embracing it are missing a huge opportunity.
Despite the huge changes in vehicle technology, some things remain the same and garages need to embrace them. Whilst BEVs no longer need oil changes, fuel filters or clutches, they do still have traditional tyres, suspension and steering. What’s more, due to their increased weight they’re more needy in these areas. Offering tyre fitting is therefore going to become even more important for garages, for example. Furthermore, with BEVs offering more opportunities for remote diagnostics and “over-the-air” services, there will be increased opportunities for businesses with technicians that are trained to offer this service.
With so many changes happening in unison, it is understandable if you’re somewhat bewildered by it all. But don’t worry, BookMyGarage can help you. We believe the challenge can be tackled by breaking it down into three key areas: One, making sure you’re set up and ready for the changes. Two, helping you to successfully market your new EV services to customers and; Three, helping you to educate customers on what their vehicle maintenance requirements are.
We know that this change can be daunting, but together we can turn the challenges into opportunities. Get in touch right away to find out how we can help you to adapt, overcome and flourish in the Electric Future.