More than 68% of independent vehicle repair shops that replied to a recent survey by IMR Inc. report that servicing electric vehicles (EVs) makes up a portion of their business.
Shops in the western and southern regions of the United States reported having higher service percentages than other regions.
Also according to IMR survey results:
- Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) account for less business in vehicle repair shops with one to three service bays than shops that have eight or more bays;
- Of shops that service BEVs, over the past two years 95.6% have seen an increase in the number of those vehicles coming to them for service;
- Of shops that service HEVs, 95.8% have seen a jump in the number of those vehicles coming in for service;
- Shops with one to three bays that do service BEVs and HEVs market that capability less than their larger competitors, but their ability to work on BEVs and HEVs has increased from 15.2% to 33.7% - a significant increase from 2022;
- Among all repair shops that responded, 43% say they have invested in tools and equipment to service BEVs and HEVs, while 42.3% say they have invested in training for their technicians to service BEVs and HEVs;
- Approximately 53.1% of respondents say their primary supplier keeps them up to date on key BEV and HEV trends, while 46.9% say their primary supplier does not;
- Approximately 54.4% of respondents believe that the increasing number of BEVs and HEVs on the road will impact their business over the next two years, while 36.9% do not. Slightly more than 8.5% of respondents say they don’t know when there may be an impact.
In addition, of the 36.9% of respondents that did not believe the growing number of BEVs and HEVs on the road will impact their business in the next 24 months, 44.7% believe it will take a decade or longer to see an impact and 8.9% believe it will never impact their business.
