Mechanics trying to fix electric cars could end up killing themselves or their customers unless the Government takes action to prevent unqualified cowboys from servicing the new vehicles, the motor industry has warned, writes .

In the next few weeks, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) will launch a campaign to persuade Whitehall that new regulations are required to ensure mechanics are properly trained to work with electric motors.

Ecars can contain circuits running at more than three times the 230 volts found in the mains supply, posing a real risk of electrocution and fire unless properly handled.

Steve Nash, the IMI’s chief executive, said there was a pressing need to set up a licensing system for electric car mechanics to ensure they were properly trained.

“Sooner or later somebody is going to attempt to do something they shouldn’t do and they are going to fry themselves. That will either be the person working on it who gets a 600- or 700-volt shock or it might be a member of the public exposed to a fire risk,” he said.

“It’s that serious. It’s not scaremongering. It’s real.”

There are about 180,000 car mechanics working in the country, of whom only 40,000 are on the IMI’s professional register. The remaining 140,000 are likely to have been trained but could potentially include people who have decided they have a talent for fixing cars, despite lacking real knowledge.

There are about 45,000 electric cars on the roads and 1,000 people trained to fix them.

bbabo.Net