Toronto, Ontario — Canadian repairers are becoming more capable when it comes to complex EV repairs, according to the debut “Plugged-In: EV Collision Insights” report published by Mitchell on Wednesday.
The Canadian collision industry has seen EV repairable claims frequency rise to a rate of 2.26 percent in Q4 2022, along with the average percentage of EV parts repaired, which climbed from 11.05 percent to 12.16 percent quarter-over-quarter, demonstrating an improved capability on the part of repairers to fix the lighter weight materials commonly found on EVs.
While Tesla still continues to hold the majority of EV market share in Canada, Mitchell’s report found that a sole Ford F-150 Lightning EV was reported to have been repaired in a Canadian collision facility for the first time in Q4 2022, following the debut appearance of the truck in the U.S. collision sector in Q3.
Unlike our southern neighbours, however, Canadian repairers have yet to encounter the massively heavy GMC Hummer EV, which was first spotted in an American repair facility in Q4.
Repairers are also putting in, on average, 1.7 more labour hours into completing EV repairs as compared to ICE, according to damage appraisals analyzed by Mitchell.
“The management of the high-voltage battery system and the extra time spent de-energizing EVs coupled with resolving disruptions in the vehicles’ complex network of interconnected systems accounts for most of this additional labor [sic],” according to the report.
When these complex EV repairs are able to be made, repairers manage to use 90.11 percent OEM-approved parts, the report found.
On a model-by-model basis, the Tesla Model 3 makes up 45 percent of the EV repair mix for Canadian collision shops, followed by the Model Y at 17.29 percent, the Nissan Leaf at 7.24 percent, the Hyundai Kona EV at 6.91 percent and the Chevrolet Bolt at 5.19 percent.
Concerning repairable claims frequency in various North American EV markets, British Columbia leads the way with an average of 4.47 percent, followed by California with a rate of 3.37 percent and Quebec, which sits at 2.75 percent.
Mitchell’s director of claims performance and author of the report, Ryan Mandell, said “EVs introduce some unique challenges to both insurers and repairers.”
“Their more complex, interconnected electronic systems and reliance on lightweight materials can complicate the repair process and increase claims costs. With the release of our new report, we hope to provide the industry with the information it needs to prepare for this growing segment of the car parc and the impact it will have on auto insurance claims.”
Mitchell’s full EV collision insights report can be found here.
The post EV Educated: EV repairable claims frequency trending upward, more parts repaired, Mitchell report says appeared first on Collision Repair Magazine.
