Brinley Buckley-Roberts, Product Marketing Executive at C.K Tools, looks at how the big charging infrastructure question is placing a spotlight on the electrical trade.
The rise of the electric vehicle is well and truly upon us, and we are currently witnessing a proliferation of more affordable vehicles hitting the market; it feels very much like 2022 is going to be game-changer for the automotive sector – but also the electrical trade.
Indeed, the electrical sector will be under one of the biggest spotlights it has ever experienced with designers, specifiers and installers all having roles to play.
On the installer front, the electrical sector has got on the front foot in partnership with education and training partners across the country, with qualifications now available for practicing electricians interested in understanding how to install the equipment and systems available in public, private and commercial locations.
A long road ahead
There’s a long road ahead for the UK’s charging infrastructure; the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has suggested that the UK needs to increase on its 25,000 charging stations ten-fold by 2030 to meet demand. This means there is set to be no shortage of demand for installers, with a 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 are required? How does it differ from a standard electricians or electrical contractor’s kit?
The IET has launched its own code of practice to provide a clear directive on the considerations and mandatories for every type of EV charger equipment installation, in line with the very latest amendment to BS 7671. While a tight code of practice (as you would expect), there is no specific requirement for new tools or accessories that aren’t readily available to the everyday electrician, more a requirement of specific tools and accessories to use.
Tools for the trade
As 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’ve assembled two high quality EV specific kits for both existing and newly qualified installers – the EV Hand Tool Kit and the 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 holesaws to help complete the installation of EV chargers with the minimum of fuss.
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 skills, 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’ll continue to ensure our support.
To get more details about the C.K EV specific kits, click here
