Alex Prindiville has a problem. He owns London Electric Centre, a one-stop shop for electric mobility that services and repairs more than two hundred vehicles each month. Most are Private Carriage Office (PCO) and Private Hire Vehicles (PHV), and Prindiville’s team of 25 technicians, who work across three sites, also maintain hundreds of privately-owned vehicles every year.
But Prindiville simply cannot hire enough skilled staff, something seen across the entire battery electric vehicle aftermarket.
Prindiville, who describes himself as “an engineer and entrepreneur”, was quick to find a solution, however. His answer was to start a training school, which provides new recruits with the knowledge and experience they need to secure a Level 3 & 4 EV qualification.
He explains, “It has proved to be highly successful. We usually re-train mechanics to maintain and repair electric and hybrid vehicles as they already have the mechanical knowledge required to do so. It is much harder to teach somebody the basics, who has never stripped an engine or a gear box.”
With more than 1.3 million Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) on the road and growing, Martyn Rowley, the Executive Director of the National Body Repair Association, agrees with Prindiville that the shortage of skilled technicians trained to service and repair these vehicles “is a critical issue”.
Rowley believes that AI holds incredible “potential to reshape the UK aftermarket”, especially as the industry “grapples with challenges posed by the rapid electrification of vehicles”. He thinks that AI-powered platforms have the potential to transform how training is delivered within the industry.
Rowley explains, “Interactive AI systems – such as Virtual Reality, which means that technicians can learn in a risk-free environment – and Real-Time Assistance technology – which could provide AI mentoring – can provide mechanics with virtual hands-on experience, simulating BEV repairs in real-time, and tailoring learning paths to individual skill levels.
Prindiville partly agrees. Virtual Reality platforms excite him and he has set up a separate business, which aims to improve BEV service and repair skillsets in Africa.
“The BEV market is growing in Africa at a rapid pace, so we are sending virtual reality headsets to our clients and with the help of a Starlink set-up, we will be able to operate a virtual training hub, where we can teach the basics.”
Rowley believes that this approach could make training “more accessible and cost-effective” for independent repair shops, as it enables upskilling “without needing to significantly invest in traditional classroom-style programmes”.
However, Prindiville is not so sure. “While I think virtual reality is a game-changer for training technicians, it should not be seen as a panacea. There are key elements of training, where technicians need to be in the same room as their trainers, and so I don’t see it ever fully replacing traditional face-to-face training in real-world environments.”
It is a view shared by Mike Nightingale, a senior executive at City & Guilds, a global leader in skills development & apprenticeship schemes. Nightingale, who is City & Guilds’ Automotive, Rail and Marine Industry Manager, says that “ultimately, skills training in electric vehicle repair is likely to remain a combination of theory and practical work”.
He explains, “At this point, AI and VR have an important role to play in reinforcing learning, and represent a great opportunity to improve engagement with different types of learners, for instance neuro-divergent individuals who prefer to learn in specific ways.”
In the longer term, Nightingale says that with suitable investment, City & Guilds would expect AI “to enhance diagnostic software, facilitating servicing and live repairs”.
David Bailey agrees. He thinks AI technology could be deployed to great effect by service and repair centres as a digital mentor.
Bailey, a Professor of Business Economics at the Birmingham Business School, explains, “Being able to consult in real-time during a live repair could improve fault diagnosis and enhance repair capability. That would not only accelerate skills development, but would potentially cut costs in terms of car maintenance.”
While the potential benefits of AI as a highly effective training tool are clear to see, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), which benchmarks skills and develops relevant qualifications, told Car Aftermarket Trader that it does not “currently formally approve AI as a way of summative assessment”.
However, a spokesperson added that the IMI is working closely with qualification and apprenticeship regulators and its IMI Centre Member network “to continually identify how technology-based tools can aid automotive education providers”.
For Professor Bailey formally recognising AI as training tool in the UK automotive sector can’t come soon enough, “If we are to keep pace with other nations, we are going to have to train people throughout their lives – and perhaps several times over. Some countries, such as Singapore are very good at this, but the UK is not. AI can play an integral role in accelerating training, thus ensuring that the UK automotive sector flourishes in the future.
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