DRIVING AN ELECTRIC REVOLUTION
This month (July) sees the arrival in the UK of new electric cars from Volkswagen, Maserati and Abarth – Fiat’s performance division, following hot on the heels of launches from Skoda, Mercedes, Peugeot, Volvo and Honda earlier in the year. There are more electric cars on the road than ever before, with a growth of more than 40 per cent between 2022 and 2023.
The Accelerating to Zero coalition (A2Z) launched at COP27 in November announced a goal that all sales of new cars and vans would be zero emission by 2040 or earlier, or by no later than 2035 in leading markets.
Meanwhile, DAF trucks will launch two battery electric trucks this year, heralding “new standards in distribution” as online retailers making deliveries seek to drive down their emissions. A glance at job listings shows that manufacturers are searching for electric talent to accelerate battery electric vehicle (BEV) technology, and software developers to take on the challenge of cyber security in electric vehicles, including in commercial fleets.
Charging points are appearing across the UK at a similar rate to vehicles on the road, increasing 35 per cent between 2022 and 2023 to 40,496 electric vehicle charging points in 23,902 locations. There is still a long road ahead however; the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has indicated a need for 250,000 charging points by 2030 to meet demand
The electric revolution is here.
And so, change is well underway in the electrical trade. Universities and colleges nationwide are offering courses in electric vehicle engineering and maintenance. A skills-led green labour market will soon be upon us. There will be no shortage of demand for installers, with great opportunity to either switch career focus or supplement the existing workload.
But what do installers need to do their job? What tools and accessories? How does it differ from a standard electrician’s or electrical contractor’s kit?
As we do with most of our product research and development, we spent some time with our panel of electricians and installers to develop tools and kits specific for this job, to ensure clarity, comfort, control and efficiency on every job. As a result, we have assembled two high quality EV specific kits for both existing and newly qualified installers - an EV Hand Tool Kit and EV Power Tools Accessories (PTA) Kit. Combined they provide an easy one-stop-shop for any installer.
The C.K EV Hand Tool Kit (T5984) is a collection of premium hand tools that provide everything needed to get the job done efficiently and professionally. It includes a state-of-the-art C.K Magma Technician’s Wheeled Case packed full of 25 premium hand tools designed to complete the stages of: inspection and quotation; routing the cable from MCB to charger; mounting the charge point; fitting the cable to the charger point; terminating to MCB; fitting an earthing rod; and re-assembling the charge point.
The C.K PTA Kit (T5985) – which can be purchased separately - provides a great range of power tool accessories including quality drill bits, driver bits and hole saws to help complete the installation for EV chargers with the minimum of fuss.
The new C.K EV specific Kits offer everything needed to complete the steps involved to complete an installation efficiently and professionally.
As the landscape changes over the next decade and the way of powering our vehicles becomes more connected than ever before, the impact on the skill, capabilities, qualifications and accompanying tool kits of the EV charge equipment installer may also change. As a business that has been at the forefront of hand tool manufacturing for more than 100 years, we will continue to ensure our support as the electrical sector navigates one of the biggest demands and opportunities in history on its workforce.