EVs are billed as the future. But a potential skills gap is sparking concerns about cost and safety
A mechanic working on an electric car at a garage in Carquefou, France, in November 2022. The EU is looking to increase the number of EVs on its roads in the coming years.
Loic Venance | AFP | Getty Images
From seatbelts to airbags and radios to parking sensors, today’s cars are packed with innovations that have transformed the vehicles we drive.
Thanks to growing concerns about emissions from road-based transportation, several big economies are gearing up for another huge change: the mass rollout of electric vehicles.
The U.K., for instance, wants to stop the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars and vans by 2030 and will require, from 2035, all new cars and vans to have zero tailpipe emissions.
The European Union, which the U.K. left on Jan. 31, 2020, is pursuing similar targets. And over in the U.S., California — America’s most populous state — is banning the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
The above goals above are years away but, bit by bit, changes are already being seen on the ground.
Take the U.K., for example. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 2022 saw factories there produce 234,066 battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid electric vehicles, a record number that accounted for 30.2% of total car production.
“Total BEV production rose 4.8%, with hybrid volumes up 4.3%, and boosting output of these vehicles will be critical in the attainment of net zero, for both the UK and major overseas markets,” the industry body said.
As the number of EVs on our roads increases, a workforce with the knowledge to fix and properly maintain them will be needed.
There are concerns, however, that a skills gap may emerge in the near future, creating a big headache for both the automotive sector and drivers.
In January, the Institute of the Motor Industry — a professional association for those employed in the sector — said roughly 16% of technicians in the U.K. had the relevant qualifications to work on electrified vehicles.
“The IMI predicts that the number of IMI TechSafe qualified technicians required to work with electric vehicles by 2030 is 77,000, increasing to 89,000 by 2032,” it said.
“Aligned to Auto Trader Insight predictions, this suggests the skills gap — when there won’t be enough technicians to service the electrified vehicle parc — will appear in 2029,” it added. “Parc” is a term the SMMT says represents the “total stock of cars on the roads.”
The size of this skills gap, according to the IMI’s January 2023 forecast, will leap from 700 in 2029 to 13,100 in 2032.
But what would such a scenario actually look like? Steve Nash, the IMI’s CEO, told CNBC there were “a couple of potential issues.”
“One is just the convenience issue of people having to go a lot further than they would want to go to find somebody who’s appropriately qualified to do the work,” he said.
“The other one is potentially cost because, of course, the more demand and the less people there are around [to work on the vehicles] … that could affect the cost of servicing as well.”
Safety is another worry. “That’s always the concern … that if the work is there, and there aren’t the people to do it, then certain people will take a risk — and it genuinely is a risk,” Nash said.
“Some of these vehicles are operating on anything up to sort of 800 volts of direct current … I mean, you don’t need anything like that to be lethal, of course,” he added.
Breaking things down
Nash acknowledged the importance of viewing the new generation of vehicles as being “electrified” and made up of pure electrics, hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
“But fundamentally, electric vehicles are totally different to internal combustion engine vehicles,” he said.
“So somebody who has spent their life working on internal combustion engines can’t simply make the switch from one to the other.”
“And there are inherent risks involved in that because … electrified vehicles operate at very high voltages.”
During his interview, Nash stressed the importance of having a skilled workforce. He argued that while those working on cars face the biggest risk, “it isn’t a risk if you know what you’re doing, it isn’t a risk at all.”
“There are risks associated with working on internal combustion engines, but … we’ve had 100 years to get used to that.”
The IMI is not alone in keeping a close eye on how the increasing numbers of electric vehicles on our roads will play out.
In a statement sent to CNBC, AVERE, The European Association for Electromobility, touched upon the changes taking place in the automotive workforce.
“There is a shift in the market, with jobs moving from vehicle production, as EVs require less intensive work than fossil fuel vehicles, to the production of batteries,” it said. “We see more EVs on the roads and more charging infrastructure installed.”
This transition, it added, is creating “a significant demand for skilled labourers to fill the many upcoming open positions.”
“As e-mobility growth becomes more important by the year, there is a pressing need to fill this gap,” it said.
‘Chipping away at the skills gap’
In January, the IMI expressed concern that “the pace of training” was “waning” despite over 11,500 technicians carrying out the training and qualifications needed to get its IMI TechSafe professional recognition in the first nine months of 2022.
At the time, Nash said it was “crucial the sector continues to train and skill its workforce at significant rates.”
“But with current economic pressures there is concern that training budgets will be the first to be cut,” he added.
Nash went on to describe government support for training as being “vital,” a message he reinforced during his interview with CNBC.
“As far as the technician population is concerned … the people who are working on the cars, I think we just need to see the continuation of the efforts that are going [on] … at the moment.”
“We are chipping away at the skills gap, but that … just needs to be sustained.”
In a statement sent to CNBC, a government spokesperson said that the “number of qualified mechanics for electric vehicles in the UK is currently well ahead of demand.”
“Government is working closely with industry to maintain the UK’s momentum, and we’re confident manufacturers will help ensure they have the trained staff they need to keep up with growing demand,” they added.
“We are making sure that the UK has the skills to remain at the forefront of the EV industry with Skills Bootcamps, as well as through the Electrification Skills Boost and investment in apprenticeships, which will increase to £2.7 billion by 2024-25.”
Environment
Beta Technologies founder completes first test flight in its production-intent eCTOL [Video]
![Beta Technologies founder completes first test flight in its production-intent eCTOL [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Beta-test-flight-eCTOL-mountains.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
All-electric aircraft developer BETA Technologies has shared another important milestone in bringing its first two vessels to market. Most recently, BETA’s founder, CEO, and test pilot Kyle Clark took the production version of its ALIA eCTOL up for its first flight, as seen in the video below.
BETA Technologies is a fully integrated electric aircraft and systems developer based in Vermont. Three years ago, it debuted its first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the ALIA–250. That BETA vessel has since been renamed the ALIA VTOL and completed a piloted test flight transitioning mid-air this past April.
In addition to the ALIA VTOL, BETA has also been developing an electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) plane called the ALIA CTOL. To date, it has flown tens of thousands of test miles en route to evaluation flights for FAA certification. That aircraft is targeting full approval for commercial operations by 2025.
As BETA moves closer to bringing the ALIA CTOL to the public, it has completed its first bonafide production build in South Burlington. Following a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), BETA has successfully taken its production-ready ALIA CTOL up for a test flight, piloted by its founder and CEO.
Watch BETA’s founder complete a CTOL test flight
BETA Technologies shared details of its first successful production CTOL test flight today alongside the images above and the full video below.
Once the production-intent build of the ALIA CTOL was complete, the FAA inspected the aircraft for safety and compliance before granting BETA a Multipurpose Special Airworthiness Certificate for Experimental Research & Development, Market Survey, and Crew Training, signing-off approval for test flights.
On November 13, BETA CEO, founder, and test pilot Kyle Clark conducted the first test flight of the ALIA CTOL aircraft, which lasted nearly an hour. The test included a conventional runway takeoff before the aircraft climbed to 7,000 feet.
While in the air, Clark tested the aircraft’s handling qualities, stability, control test points, and initial airspeed expansion before completing several approaches ahead of a normal landing. Clark spoke following the successful flight:
This start of our production CX300 flight test campaign is a result of years of hard work and focus on studying customer requirements, hard engineering, manufacturing, production, quality and test. It represents a significant milestone for BETA, and is the beginning of an exciting new phase for the business. With this, we’re one step closer to putting this technology into the hands of our customers.
We learned a lot from this first production build. We weren’t just building an aircraft company, we were building and refining a system to build high quality aircraft efficiently. This first build allowed the team to collect data and insight on manufacturing labor, tooling design, processes, yields and sequences, all of which are being used to refine our production systems.
With its production test flight campaign now underway, BETA says it will continue testing the ALIA CTOL aircraft for the standard 50 hours required before qualifying for a Market Survey and Crew Training certificate. That next certificate will enable BETA to fly outside of Burlington and Plattsburgh and continue training additional pilots on the aircraft.
The company shared it will also continue production of additional aircraft, including ALIA CTOL and ALIA VTOL configurations, the latter of which was recently teased in October. You can view footage of BETA’s CTOL flight below.
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Crude oil futures rose slightly on Thursday, with the U.S. benchmark trading around $69 per barrel, though the market outlook remains bearish.
Global crude supplies are expected to outstrip demand by more than 1 million barrels per day next year led by robust growth in the U.S., according to the International Energy Agency’s monthly market report.
Here are today’s energy prices by 8:07 a.m. ET:
- West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.92 per barrel, up 49 cents, or 0.7%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil is down more than 3%.
- Brent January contract: $72.78 per barrel, up 50 cents, or 0.7%. Year to date, the global benchmark is down more than 5%.
- RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.9711 per gallon, up 0.3%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen nearly 6%.
- Natural Gas December contract: $2.966 per thousand cubic feet, down 0.6%. Year to date, gas has gained nearly 18%.
UBS slashed its price forecast for global benchmark Brent to $80 per barrel from $87 previously on weakening demand in China, the world’s largest crude importer.
OPEC on Tuesday cut its demand growth forecast for the fourth month in a row earlier this week.
U.S. crude oil has shed about 4% and Brent is down 3.5% since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential as the dollar has surged. A stronger U.S. dollar can depress oil demand among buyers that hold other currencies.
Leading electric vehicle analyst, author, and industry thought leaders Loren McDonald and Bill Ferro stop by Quick Charge to discuss EV Adoption’s acquisition by Paren, the “crisis” of EV charging reliability, and the real state of the EV market.
Depending on who you listen, EVs are either driving brands to record growth and are about cross that critical 10% of the overall market nationwide, or the future is bleak, the market is down, and EVs just aren’t selling. What’s really going on? Loren and Bill (probably) have some answers.
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Click here to learn more.
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Read more: All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin.
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