The electric car debate is ramping up, with a number of announcements made recently around the number owned, electric vs. petrol/diesel, maintenance, and how our infrastructures can adapt to a boost in take up of vehicles.

Groupe PSA are the most recent to pledge that their Peugeot Expert, Citroen Dispatch and Vauxhall Vivaro will be available in all-electric variants from 2020. Having already made all new models launched in 2019 all-electric and or plug-in hybrids, they have made significant steps to becoming all electric and have set a relatively short time frame of 2025, within which to have all passenger cars and LCV’s electrified by 2025.

So, what does this all mean for the accident repair industry?

We are already in a competitive market and work tirelessly to keep pushing progress and development, from improving the customer experience to software and technology, continually bettering the process. With the vast array of brand and age range of cars on the roads, and as more auto brands follow suit of PSA, repair centres need to be ready for anything that comes through the door. National know this and have quickly boosted the knowledge and experience of their network, with over 300 repair centres fully equipped with electric and hybrid capabilities. With strict minimum standards in place for technicians, repairers that offer this service must have level 2 electric vehicle and ATA qualifications to be able to work on these vehicles.

By doing this, National are able to extend electric and hybrid repair services out to their insurer clients too, further expanding their reach, and with the unique position of being able to deploy a job to any postcode and repair centre across the UK, customer experience is kept positive, cycle times are kept down and overall disruption is reduced; regardless of the type of engine involved.