Delegates from National Windscreens attended I Love Claims EV-OLUTION conference at the manufacturing and technology centre in Coventry. With the impending release of our inaugural sustainability report, the event was an ideal opportunity for the team to speak with attendees and industry experts about the successes, challenges and opportunities of electric vehicles (EVs).
Craig Gibson, ESG manager, said: “The conference was mainly focused on the vehicle body repair industry and the volumes of EVs likely to be on the UK roads in the near term, as well as how the repair industry will need to invest in training and adapting their repair sites to accommodate these vehicles.
“From an ESG perspective, there were some excellent insights on the projected EV sales and distribution across the UK and the variables that impact in certain areas, such as ULEZ in London and other major cities,” said Craig.
Amongst many fascinating speakers, Raul Yuste Sepulveda, Global Key Account Manager from BASF, spoke about EV battery recycling and developments in this area across Europe. The aim of BASF is to “close the loop” with lithium-ion battery recycling for the automotive industry across the globe.
Thatcham Research urged for cross-industry plans to address their research that suggests that ‘repairs of electric vehicles are about 25% more expensive than ICE equivalents and take 14% longer’. This will have a sizable effect on the vehicle repair industry with their report predicting a rise in 9,400 EV accidents that could have damaged batteries in 2022, to reach up to 260,000 vehicles annually by 2035.
Craig continues: “A common criticism of EVs is the mining process to extract the metals required to create the batteries is as harmful to the environment as burning fossil fuels. Battery recycling would go some way to close the loop and create a more circular economy.
“EVs continue to grow in prominence on UK roads so addressing the recycling of the batteries is an essential step for the automotive industry. Circular resourcing is a crucial part of our work at National Windscreens, and we strive to recycle 100% of our replaced materials and look to purchase materials that are made from recycled components, wherever possible.
“We also work with our recycling partners to ensure that 100% of the replaced windscreens are transported to recycling facilities and around 90 percent of the material can be recycled and used for other purposes. These mostly becoming insulation products for the construction industry and raw material for new glass products.
“We are on the verge of releasing the sustainability report which will delve into our circular achievements and our carbon neutrality across Scopes 1,2 and 3. We are aiming to set the environmental standard in the industry and the report will present our near-term targets and the sustainability opportunities across the business in the future,” said Craig.