Longer maintenance time for EVs, says ATS Euromaster

Even if overall service, maintenance and repair (SMR) requirements are lower, it says owners will need to factor in the additional service bay time and cost.

ATS classes hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as high voltage, which all require additional time for the cars to discharge residual electricity before they can be worked on. This requires the vehicle’s keys to be placed in a lock box and left for the time recommended by the manufacturer before they are deemed safe to work on by ATS Euromaster technicians. This allows for any residual electricity to discharge fully.

Mark Holland, operations director at ATS Euromaster, said: “Many people think that high voltage just means fully electric vehicles, but our safety protocols, national safety standards and manufacturer’s specific safety regulations and guidelines cover all types, from hybrids through to full EVs.It means additional time in the service bay and that has a knock-on effect in terms of maintenance costs.”

On average, ATS Euromaster says high-voltage vehicles need an additional 15-20 minutes in the maintenance bay unattended to ensure they are safe to work on.

“While high voltage vehicles often require less maintenance overall thanks to fewer moving parts and the benefits of regenerative braking on brake pad wear, the additional time off-road needs to be considered and cars should be booked in to minimise downtime,” said Marek.

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