Don’t fear EVs, Matt Cleevely urges workshops at Automechanika

Matt Cleevely, founder of Cleevely EV, delivered two impactful sessions on the opening day of Automechanika Birmingham 2025, urging independent garages to take practical, proactive steps into the EV market.

Drawing crowd to the Workshop Hub, Matt shared the story of how his family-run garage transformed into a nationally recognised EV service centre by committing early to electric. “We didn’t wait for EV customers to walk through the door,” he told attendees. “We built the capability first, gained hands-on experience, and grew as the market matured.”

The presentation covered everything from setting up a basic EV service operation to scaling up mobile support. Today, Cleevely Group operates an 8,000 sq ft workshop, a 4,000 sq ft EV showroom, and a national mobile servicing network with 12 EV technicians on the road.

Matt challenged the belief that EV work requires a huge financial outlay. “You can get started with core safety training, a modest toolkit, and the willingness to learn,” he said. “The real investment is in mindset and confidence and the sooner we get hands-on, the better positioned we’ll be.”

The talk also touched on high-voltage insulation testing, the growing demand for EV tyre replacements, and the ongoing need for regular EV maintenance all illustrated with live demonstrations using a Nissan Leaf.

With the UK’s electric car parc growing rapidly, Matt’s message is timely and clear: “Independent garages are more than capable of leading the EV charge but only if we act now.”