May/June Issue 61 - Flipbook - Page 13
NEWS
ELECTRIC VEHICLES HERE TO STAY
The UK is preparing to bring forward
its ban on sales of new diesel and
petrol car sales from 2040 to 2030.
In less than a decade the landscape
of our industry will have changed
significantly and possibly beyond
all recognition. As we get closer to
that date it is expected that concerns
over range and lack of charging
points will have been addressed and
that there will be more and more
electric vehicles (EV) on UK roads.
By 2030 it will have taken almost 150
years before EVs have become the
mainstream vehicle. Considering how
long they have been in existence, it
is surprising that the general public’s
knowledge of EVs is limited. The same
is true of the recovery industry, our
knowledge of how to handle these
types of vehicles is also somewhat
limited. Many have undertaken the IVR
VR27 awareness course in the past, but
as manufacturers change their designs
and functions, it is important that
technicians keep abreast of sometimes
small but significant changes to the
designs – positioning of components
and colouring of high voltage cabling for
example.
make sure that those few extra hours
made the course even more relevant
to our industry, not to just to bundle
irrelevant information to make up the
seven hours required for Driver CPC.
This work is important because it helps
to provide a competency benchmark
for the roadside operator and a
good base for training towards those
competencies.
Mark Hartell, IVR Vice Chairman
states, “It is not just about awareness
any longer because for those working
roadside in vehicle recovery, it is now
a real scenario. We are being asked
to recover this type of vehicle, more
and more regularly and as 2030 draws
closer, it will become all the more
important that operators are properly
and fully trained in how to move electric
vehicles, not just be aware of them.”
One of the most important decisions
when attending and recovering an EV,
is where the lines are drawn, what can/
can’t a technician do with their level of
training and where should the industry
itself draw the line when it comes to
moving an electric vehicle. This is
where the IVRs purpose becomes
clear and the VR27 comes into its
own – taking the NOS as a starting
point, it clearly draws and explains
those lines and the potential hazards,
whilst demonstrating best practice and
delivering highly relevant content.
Moving the needle on EV Standards
The IVR have recently been involved
in reviewing the current electric vehicle
(EV) National Occupational Standards
(NOS) with the IMI. The IMI develop
and maintain NOS for the motoring
and the recovery industry but to be
clear, they do not own any of the NOS,
nor can they accredit them. IMI work
with relevant sectors to decide on and
coordinate the content of the NOS.
To find an IVR approved, ITSSAR
qualified instructor to discuss your
VR27 Electric (EV) and Hybrid training
requirements, whether awareness
only or, for those working roadside,
the full day version which can include
Driver CPC, visit the IVR website www.
theivrgroup.com.
Awareness vs Vehicle Recovery
The IVR have been running its VR27
EV and Hybrid Vehicle Awareness
course since 2015 and has seen
regular updates but in 2018 the IVR
recognised that a course for the
industry should no longer be just about
awareness and introduced its full day
Driver CPC course. When it became a
Driver CPC course the intention was to
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