EMPLOYEES and residents are taking advantage of a new training course designed to help businesses and motorists get the best out of a switch to an electric vehicle.
Milton Keynes-based Autotech Training is ready to welcome its first batch of delegates on its new EV Driver Essentials course, which is aimed at employers looking to give their workforce the skills they need as the business switches to an EV fleet and at the same time help individuals make the most of owning an electric or hybrid car.
Milton Keynes MPs Ben Everitt and Iain Stewart are pictured below at Autotech’s headquarters on Linford Wood on a visit to hear about what the company is doing to upskill the automotive industry as the EV revolution continues. The EV Driver Essentials course is aimed at anyone who has recently purchased, or is looking to switch to, an electric vehicle, along with employers who are electrifying their fleets and want to equip their workforce with vital EV skills, the EV Driver Essentials Course will help people get the most out of owning an electric or hybrid car.
Milton Keynes MPs Ben Everitt and Iain Stewart are pictured with Gavin White (left), CEO of Autotech Training’s parent company Autotech Group, and Autotech Group’s managing director Simon King. Autotech Training’s HQ at Linford Wood (main picture) houses a dedicated EV training suite with electric vehicle.
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Autotech delivers IMI Levels 1-4 Electric and Hybrid Vehicle training to garages and dealerships across the UK along with organisations and local authorities who are electrifying their fleets. Managing director Simon King said: “It is becoming increasingly clear that a lack of understanding, particularly around range, is impacting take up. For companies who have invested heavily in a new fleet of electric vehicles, the lack of use from employees is rendering fleet electrification as a ‘tick the box’ exercise.”
The two-hour EV Driver Essentials course takes place across two evenings every month from 6pm at Autotech Training’s headquarters in Linford Wood for a maximum of 20 delegates per course. The first 40 to book on to the July dates (July 5 and 26) will receive the training for free. The price from August is £25 per person, including VAT. To book on to Autotech Training’s EV Driver Essentials course, visit https://autotechtraining.co.uk/ev-hybrid-vehicle-driver-essentials or call 01234 240503.
The training will help people recognise the different electric and hybrid technologies, understand the government grants available, regenerative braking and the savings to be gained through company cars.
EV Driver Essentials has also been created to help to overcome range anxiety, with details on the incremental factors which can alter the range of an electric vehicle, including driving styles, outside elements and internal features including heating and air conditioning.
Electric car sales rose by 40 per cent last year and are forecast to overtake the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2025. As part of its Go Ultra Low City scheme, Milton Keynes has made electric vehicle ownership as easy possible and, earlier this year, the government announced that it would be investing more than £1.6 million in installing EV charging points across the city. However, not everyone understands the unique characteristics and challenges that come with driving electric vehicles, which could hinder take up, Mr King said.
“Electric vehicles are becoming more common on the roads and it is crucial that drivers have a foundation level of knowledge to help them get the most out of owning an EV and understand what impacts range to optimise the efficiency of their vehicle,” he added.
