Jaguar Land Rover trains thousands of electric car mechanics

JAGUAR Land Rover (JLR) is now training thousands of electric car mechanics as skills shortage is forcing drivers to pay more for repair costs, The Telegraph reports.

According to the Institute of the Motor Industry, only one in five car mechanics in the UK are currently trained to service EVs. Hence the garages that have the expertise charge higher fees.

This has also led to higher insurance premiums for EV drivers. Insurance broker Howden claims the average premium for EVs is roughly double when compared with petrol cars.

JLR said it has trained 1,651 mechanics across its 136 garages in the UK, and globally it has trained more than 10,000.

The carmaker is also training around 2,400 factory workers in Britain in EV production methods, as it prepares for the launch of the first all-electric Range Rover later this year.

JLR expects to deliver electrified Range Rover to drivers by 2025. The trials are currently taking place in Sweden’s Arctic territories.

The carmaker plans to electrify its entire lineup by 2030.

The company also plans to manufacture some EV components in-house to strengthen its supply chain. They include making its electric drive units in Wolverhampton and using batteries made in Somerset by sister company Agratas, also part of the Tata industrial empire.

JLR plans to make other components such as inverters, transmissions, battery packs, battery cells, and control modules.

Meanwhile, industry figures showed that car production fell for the second consecutive month in April, as manufacturers continue to prepare for new electric models.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 61,820 cars were built last month, down by 7 per cent compared to a year earlier.