The_Assessor_Spring 2026 web - Flipbook - Page 20
JOURNAL
Dean Lander, Head of
Repair Sector Services at
Thatcham Research.
TECHNICAL
Dan Harrowell, Thatcham Research’s Principal Advanced Technologies Engineer, authored the EV Blueprint which
was launched at an Electri昀椀cation Day where he is pictured with guests and a High Voltage (HV) battery.
SETTING SIGHTS ON
EV SUSTAINABILITY
With a new research report just published and progress being made on EV skills,
Dean Lander, Head of Repair Sector Services, Thatcham Research, outlines why industry
attention should now focus onto the wider issue of sustainable electri昀椀cation.
concerted effort to
upskill the repair
workforce and a recent
slowdown in volumes
have combined to
leave most bodyshop businesses in a
better position than they were when a
skills crisis seemed likely to engulf the
sector.
A
Although we remain in the midst of a
skills de昀椀cit, the lion’s share of teams
now includes at least one Electric
Vehicle (EV) repair specialist fully
trained to handle High Voltage (HV)
systems and return damaged vehicles
to the road safely and in good time.
We should applaud the sector’s
collective efforts to reach the point
where EV skill levels are no longer the
crisis they might have become. But that
doesn’t mean the UK’s repair workforce
is now wholly equipped to handle
growing EV volumes or relentlessly
evolving technology. Signi昀椀cant
challenges remain.
To that end, Thatcham Research
is continuing our ongoing mission
to identify emerging and future
issues with EVs as the drive to full
20
electri昀椀cation of the UK car parc goes
on. One aspect that clearly bears
urgent attention is sustainable vehicle
production and repair.
Unveiling a blueprint for EV
sustainability
Our recent research report, Insurability
Blueprint for Electri昀椀ed Vehicles:
Requirements for a Sustainable Future,
considers current challenges and,
vitally, sets out eight requirements for
sustainable electri昀椀cation (see panel
opposite).
It will come as little surprise to a repair
audience that HV batteries pose the
biggest threat to truly sustainable
operations. The industry knows this
– and so do consumers.
A poll conducted by the Centre for
Economics and Business Research on
behalf of Thatcham Research found
battery longevity and performance to
be 44% of consumers’ primary concern
about EV ownership. In addition, 72%
were concerned about the long-term
environmental effects of HV batteries
– an anxiety echoed by 45% of insurers
and 42% of repair professionals.
Since batteries can account for up
to 40% of the total value of an EV,
sustainable repair as an alternative to
total loss is something we must get to
grips with as soon as possible.
Ultimately, the goal for HV batteries
– and EVs as a whole – is for as many
damaged vehicles as possible to be
restored rather than going to land昀椀ll;
what we dub ‘long life, not end of life’.
Strategies for battery
diagnostics and repair
Our Insurability Blueprint explains at
some length how we might establish a
more sustainable approach to battery
repair and longevity. Replacement and
recycling should be last resorts, with
repair and reuse taking precedence.
Several of the report’s requirements
stand out for repair businesses. The
昀椀rst is accessible diagnostics. This
proposes EVs should offer easy access
to HV system diagnostic information
using straightforward equipment.
In this way, bodyshops will be able to
access accurate assessments of battery
condition after incidents, including
evaluations of physical damage and
THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL | SPRING 2026 | www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor
