Robin Roberts writes:
The MoT test may need a radical shakeup to reflect the arrival of electric power and very sophisticated technology fitted to the latest vehicles.
That’s the view of KwikFit, which tests about a million vehicles annually, and head of their service Eric Smith.
He points out that currently hybrid models and battery electric vehicles are not tested for emissions and these and other cars have features such as automatic braking and collision avoidance systems.
It asked drivers what they believed should be included as the MoT evolves over coming years and there are a few surprises.
Most controversially the drivers suggested the source of electricity used to charge vehicles should be included, but this creates massive data, audit and reporting implications to ensure the generation of electricity is tracked and recorded for a future MoT.
The efficiency of batteries as they deteriorate is also a possible test to be covered as some systems put a greater demand on cheaper traction batteries and they effectively expire and need recycling sooner than others. He said, “This research does highlight that millions of drivers believe there should be a way of testing overall emissions for vehicles using electricity. “It’s worth remembering that currently hybrid vehicles are not tested for emissions in the MOT, even though they still run on petrol or diesel for some of the time, so perhaps the first change to make should be to include emissions testing for hybrids.”
Looking further under the bonnet into computer controls, 52% of drivers thought emergency braking systems should be tested annually while a third want radar and camera systems used for cruise settings to be added and just a few less want lane assist technology examined.
Roughly a quarter have complained about start stop technology, parking sensors and rear view cameras which may give rise to issues.
