Recovery firm tells islanders not to buy electric cars over disposal costs

A Manx vehicle recovery company has told islanders not to buy electric vehicles (EVs), arguing that damaged and end-of-life cars are expensive and awkward to deal with.

Mann Recovery Services set out its view in a social media post, Energy FM reported on 29 October. The firm said it had shipped three written-off Nissan Leafs off the island in one week.

According to Energy FM, the high-voltage lithium-ion batteries in EVs mean a damaged car may need specialist care when it is moved, stored or transported. The outlet said damaged cells can, in some cases, go into thermal runaway, a reaction that spreads from cell to cell and can produce fires that are very difficult to extinguish.

Energy FM said there had not yet been a major incident on the island involving a badly damaged EV battery. It added that recovery operators believe one is likely eventually.

The outlet said the problem weighs more heavily here because nearly every vehicle, and almost all scrap and salvage, eventually has to be taken away by sea. It reported that the Steam Packet applies strict conditions to carrying EVs that are broken down, damaged, or being moved as salvage or scrap. Mann Recovery believes those terms make the work hard to justify financially, according to Energy FM.

In its post, the company said many owners did not consider what would happen if their car broke down, needed specialist repairs, was damaged in a collision or reached the end of its life.

“Everyday people who purchase such vehicles probably don’t give a thought to what happens with the vehicle when it’s broken down,” the company said, adding that shipping a car off the island could cost “hundreds/thousands of pounds”.

Mann Recovery also asked whether enough preparation had been made for the time when a badly damaged battery pack needs specialist attention on the island. Its post concluded: “In short… don’t buy an EV.”

Energy FM said the Isle of Man Government had worked hard to encourage a move towards lower-emission transport, with EVs frequently presented as central to its climate plans. The outlet said critics believe the discussion has focused on the environmental case while giving less weight to disposal, salvage costs, fire risk and specialist recovery.

3FM also covered the post, under the headline “Don’t buy electric cars, says Manx salvage firm”.

Neither the Government nor the Steam Packet was quoted in the coverage.