LKQ Academy partners VARTA for battery diagnosis course
27 January 2025 
Aftermarket training provider LKQ Academy has partnered with battery manufacturer VARTA to launch a course on servicing hybrid, pure electric and hydrogen low voltage batteries.
The new course, suitable for all garage staff including technicians and front of house teams, seeks to unpack the science and technology behind the 12V battery — the “living component which plays an integral role” in the performance of hybrid, pure electric and hydrogen vehicles, the academy said.
An overview of what comprises a battery and the quality control practices employed by OEMs, as well as details on how vehicle manufactures use intelligent battery sensors (IBS) for complex battery management, is included in the course.
Participants can also benefit from guidance on how to best test 12V batteries and understand the results with confidence.
This comes as data automotive aftermarket intelligence firm GiPA showed that 29% of workshops would like to learn more about servicing hybrid and EVs, making it the most sought-after topic for training in 2024.
‘Essential’
In 2024, LKQ Academy saw its customer base grow to more than 21,000 registered technicians. It also opened a flagship site at its West Midlands HQ in Tamworth and further sites in Glasgow and Manchester.
Lee Chapman, head of support and LKQ Academy, said: “The importance of battery health in determining vehicle performance is often overlooked. However, with uptake of hybrid, pure electric and hydrogen vehicles continuing to increase, technicians should see it as essential that they’re able to diagnose and service battery issues.”
Andy Cook, key account manager at VARTA, said: “The development of a low-voltage battery’s performance throughout its lifecycle means that it’s often labelled a ‘living’ component, and technicians that fail to identify potential issues or quirks that arise during this lifecycle risk sending vehicles out onto the road with performance issues.”
Slots are already available on the first set of courses, which launched on January 22. For more information, click here.