Silverlake Automotive Recycling [Silverlake] has invested in state-of-the-art, bespoke lithium-ion battery storage containers as part of its fire risk assessment and mitigation strategy.  The move reflects the 21% increase in end-of-life hybrid and EV vehicles the business has handled in the last 12 months. 

According to the National Fire Chiefs Council, the reignition of lithium-ion batteries is possible after prolonged periods, after mechanical shock, heating or battery faults. They may also require extended periods of cooling and monitoring after a fire or collision.  Addressing these risks, Silverlake’s battery storage containers have external temperature gauges which monitor the temperature inside the container, alerting staff to any issues before they open the container doors. 

Internally, shelves house batteries of different makes and sizes and every shelf has its own fire suppression system.  Each battery has its own compartment and an individual temperature gauge, testing the air temperature around the battery to indicate any problems with individual batteries.  Internal and external temperature gauges are checked and recorded by staff twice daily.  Thermal imaging cameras are also fitted adjacent to the containers, providing 24 hour monitoring 365 days a year.   

In the event of a fire, external pipework feeds jets inside the storage container, enabling fire fighters to attach their equipment directly to a dedicated external vent to pump water/foam into the container, without having to open the container doors and allow oxygen to accelerate the fire.  Hampshire and IOW Fire & Rescue Services are so impressed with the system they have donated long length hoses, stored at Silverlake’s site, ready for use by fire fighters.    

The battery storage containers are cited in a designated EV area, away from the EV workshop and other site infrastructure and offices, mitigating the fire risk to people, vehicle stock and Silverlake operations.  Swift and easy access for fire engines was also used to help determine their position.

Allen Prebble, managing director at Silverlake said: “Fire risk safety and management is a priority at Silverlake. We saw this investment as an important step to future-proof our business, and keep our people and facilities safe, whilst addressing some of the potential fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries. The Silverlake team has received full training on EV handling and working practices and this training has been extended to include the use of the battery storage containers and monitoring, recording and escalation processes.

“As part of the e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management network, we have been pleased to host site visits for other members to share our experience of these battery storage solutions and we have received considerable interest from the wider market.  We recently successfully passed our annual fire safety inspection and the fire inspector was impressed by the design of the battery storage containers and the processes we have developed to gain maximum fire risk mitigation.  We anticipate battery recycling will continue to be a growing revenue stream for our business, as more EVs and hybrids hit the UK roads, and we plan to invest in further storage containers in 2024.”

Global leader in online vehicle remarketing and recycling, Copart UK, have announced that expansion works have completed at their 80-acre Super Centre in Bristol, making it winter-ready for their customers. 

The recent addition of a further 21 acres establishes this location as an 80-acre ‘Super Centre’ for the Southwest.

The expansion adds 30% more vehicle capacity for Copart’s customers operating in this area, providing secure storage, and enlarged areas for vehicles that require specialist handling like EVs, HEVs, and flood and fire damaged vehicles.

In addition, further improvements to the infrastructure include an eco-friendly office building with strong green credentials, bio-diversity spaces designed to improve air quality and encourage nature, and brand-new vehicle preparation and valeting areas using state-of-the-art technology to inspect and image vehicles.

Jane Pocock, CEO of Copart UK & Ireland, said:

“Our Bristol Super Centre is a flagship ‘fit for the future’ site for Copart, having undergone an extensive expansion and improvement programme to enable us to keep growing our customer offering and operational capabilities to further service our customer needs.

“This expansion at Bristol will enable us to handle over 82,000 vehicles per annum, supporting Copart’s continued growth and industry leading services in the Southwest alongside our Operation Centres in Newbury and Westbury.

“And with winter fast approaching, this additional capacity will enable us to offer unique contingency land following extreme weather events where our insurance customers require our fast and efficient surge management services.”

Hampshire and IOW Fire & Rescue Services [HIOWFRS] presented Steve Diaper, Operations Manager at Silverlake Automotive Recycling [Silverlake], with a Certificate of Appreciation on Tuesday evening, 10 October 2023, for continued support to the organisation.  The presentation took place following the earlier completion of the second HIOWFRS training exercise this year at Silverlake’s site near Southampton.  

Firefighters took part in a multi-vehicle road-traffic-collision training exercise which saw six on-call teams challenged with rescuing three casualties trapped inside the wreckage. Of the four vehicles provided by Silverlake, one was chosen to be electric, testing the team’s knowledge of the latest procedures with dealing with these modern cars. The firefighters were also assessed on their medical skills as they treated the extricated casualties.  

Watch Manager Rob Barrow said:

“Without Silverlake’s support we wouldn’t be able to test the skills of our firefighters in realistic, challenging scenarios, and on the actual vehicles that our teams find out on the roads at real incidents. Our partnership with Silverlake means we have the opportunity to train outside of our weekly drill nights at a fantastic venue using a range of salvage vehicles in road traffic collision simulations. 

“This was a fantastic opportunity to not just test our on-call team’s road traffic collision techniques, but also their medical care skills.

“How firefighters deal with electric vehicle incidents is a fast-moving subject. As the technology advances, so must our knowledge and procedures.”

Steve Diaper, Operations Manager at Silverlake said: 

“To be able to help Hampshire and IOW Fire & Rescue Services [HIOWFRS] by providing the vehicles and local facilities for simulated training exercises at our site is an honour.  

“It is great to have facilitated this second, larger and even more involved, training exercise at our site this year. We will continue to offer this support and explore how we might assist further.  

“Silverlake has been based in this area for 77 years and we are committed to giving back to the community that has supported our business over the years.  As a regional community, we all rely on and owe a debt of gratitude to HIOWFRS who work hard to keep us safe; rising to challenges in sometimes dangerous circumstances.” 

Global leader in vehicle remarketing and recycling, Copart UK, has announced their newly acquired status as an IMI approved accreditation centre, which will enable them to deliver essential IMI TechSafe electric and hybrid vehicle training across their nationwide Operation Centres.

The company will initially be focused on delivering IMI training for the Level 2 Award in Electric/Hybrid Vehicle Routine Maintenance Activities and the Level 3 Award in Electric/Hybrid Vehicle System Repair and Replacement.

The courses which Copart are now accredited to deliver will continue to provide their operational teams with the knowledge and skills required to work safely with electric/hybrid vehicles (which may have sustained damage to their high energy/electrical systems) during maintenance, diagnostic, testing, and repair activities. 

Long term, the company plans to stay ahead of the curve and offer a wide range of training courses in line with further sustainability developments within the automotive industry, such as hydrogen vehicle awareness.

Sarah Oakman, Training Manager at Copart, said:

“We’re delighted to have met the rigorous requirements of the IMI to achieve accredited training provider status and expand our remit to offer further qualifications to our teammates which will provide them with expert knowledge and technical skills development.

“We are now fully focused on establishing Copart as a high-quality and high pass rate centre for EV courses, initially operating out of our HQ in Bedfordshire with a view to setting up further locations to cover the North and South of England in the future.”

Duncan MacRae, Head of Performance, Quality & Risk, added:

“At Copart, we continually invest in training and upskilling our teammates to ensure that their knowledge is always relevant and up to date, enabling us to maximise value and deliver a world-class quality level of service to our customers, whilst delivering our Plan Net Zero sustainability commitment.

“With the electric car parc continuing to grow and evolve, it’s vital that we remain strongly focused on delivering specialist training alongside the EV handling infrastructure, equipment, and processes we’ve already established over the last decade.”

Steve Nash, CEO of the IMI acknowledged the important role Copart is playing in upskilling the sector. 

“Our data shows that the automotive sector is not keeping up with the growing EV car parc. It’s therefore hugely encouraging that businesses like Copart are making a real difference by committing to their own training and accreditation.”

Copart, which has the largest, fully qualified, vehicle engineering team in the UK salvage industry, will be externally regulated against a strict quality assurance process in line with IMI standards going forward.

In addition, the company has trained, and continues to train, over 240 drivers on IVR VR27 – Electric (EV) and Hybrid Vehicle, ensuring the safe handling of these vehicle types during recovery and transportation and further boosting their industry leading position within this field.

Copart is also an approved IVR UK Training Provider (Institute of Vehicle Recovery) and is currently in the process of being assessed to deliver IOSH-certified training (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health), which will begin a roll-out of ‘IOSH Managing Safely’ to all management level teammates.