Logistics UK launches courses to close EV technician gap

By Jed Nykolle Harme

August 19, 2026

Photo Credits: Green Car Guide

Logistics UK has announced the launch of its autumn programme of EV technician training courses, warning that a shortfall of qualified electric vehicle technicians is set to reach 43,000 by 2035; this is a training launch rather than a transaction, so no consideration applies. It matters because it puts a concrete number on a capability gap that could directly slow fleet electrification timelines operators are already committed to.

Logistics UK is a UK trade body representing the logistics sector, delivering EV training including a half-day electric vehicle safety awareness course and an IMI Level 2/3 award in preparing electric vehicles for repair.

The IMI Level 2/3 award is delivered in partnership with Loughborough College Group as a two-day course covering safe work on electric and hybrid heavy goods vehicles during repairs and testing, based at the Stephenson Campus in Coalville.

Data from the Institute of the Motor Industry shows almost 75,000 technicians now hold an EV qualification, still only one in three of the UK's technician workforce, with demand for EV technicians expected to increase sharply from the early 2030s.

Logistics UK director of operations Chris Lipscomb said: "The sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles is set to end in less than 10 years for the lightest road freight vehicles, and under 15 for the heaviest. Logistics operators need to prioritise investment in EV technicians now, to ensure electric and hybrid vehicles can be integrated into fleets as smoothly as possible."

He added that operators have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to provide EV awareness and practical training for staff who operate or come into contact with electric vehicles, as the range of electrified vehicle types in daily use widens.

Lipscomb said a shortage of EV technicians could act as a barrier for operators considering upgrading their fleets and delay the switch to cleaner vehicles, tying the skills gap directly to the pace of decarbonisation across the sector.

For the sector, the warning signals that operators treating EV adoption purely as a procurement decision risk hitting a workforce bottleneck that procurement budgets alone cannot solve, making technician training a prerequisite for fleet transition rather than a follow-on cost.

Source: Transport + Energy