Silverlake staff train in EV dismantling to keep up with electric revolution

Published by

Daniel Face

From left - Ken Byng, director at NA International; Richard Smith, Silverlake workshop manager; and Greg Rose, continuous improvement manager at Silverlake

Colleagues at Silverlake Automotive Recycling in Hampshire have completed an EV dismantling course as the garage continues to process growing numbers of electric vehicles.

Last year Silverlake dealt with 172 per cent more high voltage vehicles than in 2022, including a 94 per cent increase in fully electric and 218 per cent increase in hybrid vehicles.

The business has therefore been proactive in equipping its staff with the skills needed to keep up with the EV revolution – including the NA International EV dismantling course.

Read the March 2024 issue of The Business Magazine, including our feature on skills

Participants on the course learned how to make high voltage vehicles safe before removing high voltage components and batteries, earning an Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) certificate upon completion.

Tom Harvey, organisation development manager at Silverlake, said: “As of the end of February 2024, there are now over 1,000,000 fully electric cars on UK roads and a further 620,000 plug-in hybrids.

“The automotive industry is evolving and we’re investing in our people and our facilities to serve our customers, futureproof our business and embrace the opportunities presented.

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“This is the second EV training course we’ve undertaken with NA International and we’re impressed by the quality of their trainers and the valuable mix of theory and practical training.”

Ken Byng, director at NA International Group, added: “I was delighted to roll out this inaugural ELEVATE (End of Life Electric Vehicle Advice, Training and Expertise) IMI accredited training course to two of the key staff at Silverlake involved in their industry-leading end of life EV operation.

“ELEVATE will play a crucial part in professionalising the ELV industry via targeted learning outcomes while eliminating the need for complex formal examinations.

“It’s reassuring to see the seriousness with which Silverlake take their responsibilities in both educating their staff and keeping them safe in this area.”

Daniel Face

Born and raised in Berkshire, Dan fell into journalism after completing his bachelor’s degree in English at UCL. Writing for The Business Magazine and local Biz News sites has given him the opportunity to chat with all manner of small business owners and share their success stories with a wider audience. Outside of work, Dan enjoys live music, board games and quiz shows, and is making a slow but persistent effort to learn Spanish.