Ex-Wheeler Dealers host finds issue on UK EVs that | Tech News

Former Wheeler Dealers star Edd China has admitted UK electric car homeowners might be overcharged by garages coping with a common EV issue. The ex-host of the traditional car restoration show and prime mechanic steered that a welded contactor has the potential to even “write off” fashions in a critical blow. 

A welded contactor means a very important EV element has been fused shut because of excessive present or heat. According to Edd, contactors are positioned “deep” beneath the vehicle, with garages more likely to substitute the entire battery as an alternative of fixing the affected half. It might see street customers finish up paying up to £10,000 to repair the issue as an alternative of simply a couple of hundred kilos. 

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Edd mentioned: “Today I’m going to borrow Bosch’s workshop to fix a pretty common problem on EVs that can cost thousands to fix and can even write off a vehicle if not done properly. 

“EVs are still a bit of a mystery to some garages and it means even the simplest of faults can be deemed a bit too difficult and therefore are never attempted or a much more expensive route is chosen instead of a simple fix. 

“This Nissan LEAF is actually suffering from a classic EV electrical fault, a welded contactor. Now unfortunately the contactors are actually part of the battery pack and are buried deep underneath the car.”

Edd lifted the car onto the jack and shortly went about checking the cables inside the connector. After diagnosing the issue, Edd confused the contactors have been buried deep within the battery pack which is positioned beneath the car. 

After having access to the broken battery, Ed defined how a “less confident garage” mightcharge for unnecessary new parts instead of replacing individual components. But Edd stressed that owners should not tamper with electric vehicles unless they had Level 4 safety training to work on live equipment.

Edd added: “This is our battery. No, obviously at the moment, this is the bit that’s got a fault because of the faulty contractor. The easiest way to fix it perhaps would be to just get rid of this battery, consign it to the scrapheap or the recyclers, and oit a whole new one in and off you go. 

“It would be nice and quick and nice and simple but the thing is it could cost thousands and thousands of pounds, perhaps up to £10,000 depending on the model. 

“Whereas the component on the inside is considerably cheaper,  the whole pack of contactors is about £150. So clearly even though it’s a bit more effort, this would be the kind of time where a less confident garage would charge a customer a huge amount of money, but, actually you could do the customer a fantastic service by just fixing the thing that’s broken.”