With individual parts or whole damaged vehicles available, EV breakers have grown to be the leading second hand EV supplier in the UK and Ireland. Supplying both trade and private customers both online and on site, EV Breaker has big plans to expand the business and become the “broadest” business in the UK specialising solely in EV parts.
Auto Scene recently caught up with EV Breakers founder and director Calvin Beatite. Here is what he had to say;
When did you set up EV Breakers?
EV Breakers have been operating for approximately 3 years now. It all came about when I bought myself a damaged Tesla Model S and couldn’t find any second-hand parts in the UK to repair the car. I had to buy all new parts from Tesla, it was the most expensive car I’ve fixed but they are fabulous to drive. I have done quite a bit of rallying but nothing compares to the acceleration when using launch control in ludicrous plus mode.
What is your background?
My dad has been breaking cars for around 30 years, starting off selling second hand rear wheel drive twincam corolla. He reckons between breaking and selling them he had about 500 pass through his hands over the years, there are a lot of photos at home. After the craze for them died down in Ireland, he focused mainly on Toyota’s as they were very popular in Northern Ireland in the 90’s and 00’s. Having growing up around cars, I also worked at my dad’s yard on weekends and summer holidays. After I left school I went to university, getting a degree in mechanical engineering and started working as a design engineer. A while after leaving uni I bought a damaged Tesla Model S and a short time later I left my job and started EV Breakers.
Where do you find your stock?
We get our stock from insurance companies, salvage auction websites and some from private customers.
What made you decide to specialise in EV?
Back to the Model S story, that’s where it all came from. With the government setting the deadline for 2030 on banning new petrol and diesel cars, we believed it was a good time to start and get established as the leading dismantler of EV’s. We ship parts worldwide as some customers can’t get a used part for their EV in their own country.
Why buy second hand?
Affordability. New EV’s are more expensive than the equivalent petrol/diesel sized car. Having a used EV market will make them more affordable for the majority of people. As EV’s get older it is inevitable that parts become faulty and break. That’s where EV Breakers step in to help everyone, from garages based in various locations to someone simply changing a broken door handle at home.
Do you need special training or qualifications to dismantle an EV?
All employees have a minimum level 3 hybrid/electric training to work for us. Employees dismantling parts have to have the level 4, they must know how to make a car safe and remove HV components.
How does a garage order a part from you?
A lot of our customers come directly via phone, email or whatsapp. Whatsapp is great, as we can video call a customer who wants to show us a part but doesn’t know the correct name. It’s also better for sending photos instead of using emails. We have an ever-growing online presence via our website and ebay store. Some customers prefer to find the part online and order it, the best way to find a part online is via the part number.
Where do you see the business in 10 years?
10 years from now we will plan to be one of the broadest companies in the UK and Ireland focusing solely on everything EV. By this I mean we are currently setting up a used EV sales trading as EV Power Motors. We will be selling all makes and models of second hand EV’s offering customers HP and PCP helping them make the change from ICE to battery power, we plan to be fully operating by the end of the year. We also install domestic charge points locally as EV Power and have been doing this since 2020. Customers who purchase a used EV can have the option for us to fit a charge point at home for a reduced price. Another potential add-on we are considering within the next 3-5 years is using the batteries from damaged EV’s, combining them with solar panels, a charge point and an EV. With enough battery storage in place you can live completely off-grid with no utility or fuel bills, and a pay-back time on the investment from 10-15 years.
EV Breakers have parts available for most EV’s and ship to public and trade worldwide. Check out their website for more information.
