Whether you're a gas and diesel mechanic or starting your career in the mechanic industry, focusing on EV skills is going to be highly advantageous in the future.
Millions of drivers will need car mechanics who can maintain their new batteries-on-wheels as the number of electric vehicles on the road is expected to rise this decade. However, the great majority of auto repair experts lack the necessary knowledge and equipment to service electric vehicles, which are physically distinct from their gasoline-powered forebears.
As a result, many early EV users have been forced to rely on vehicle manufacturers and dealerships for maintenance, which can drive up repair prices and lead to excruciatingly long wait times. Globally, we're on the verge of a massive electric vehicle boom. So, how does this influence a career as a regular vehicle mechanic?
Electric cars are made up of a variety of components. Different equipment and tools will be required, and technicians will need to be taught on how to utilize them. The equipment used to diagnosis electric machines [motors or generators], power inverters, and batteries is one issue, but the equipment used to diagnose electric machines [motors or generators], power inverters, and batteries are all different. And if small shops want to get into mending these components instead of just installing a new unit, they'll need to receive some training.
EV mechanics are vastly different from traditional mechanic skills
This is in contrast to what dealerships have been doing. Rather than attempting to balance a battery or replacing the cells and then balancing it, most dealerships will replace the entire battery. Because more of these vehicles are out of warranty and people are buying them used, consumers will want to save money by not having to pay for the complete component and instead having it serviced. Then, if someone is buying a used car, it's helpful to know what condition it's in before making the purchase.
So, similar to a compression test on a gasoline or diesel engine, some predictive maintenance can be performed to see how the motor is performing. You can undertake some type of predictive testing to find out how worn the engine is before you buy the automobile. There is also predictive testing available for electric vehicles.
Electric Car Mechanics courses have been created in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand to help with EV and hybrid vehicle repairs.
Points of Focus in an EV Mechanic Course
Also course curriculums differs, the basics are for trainers to examine how safety systems function and test them to ensure they are in working order. Then it's the ins and outs of performing battery testing, balancing, and reconditioning. You can recondition an older battery to make it last for many years. Studies also include fundamentals of motor generators and how to diagnose them, as well as power inverters and air conditioning compressors. Almost all of the high-voltage systems are affected.
Qualified EV mechanics can setup these services in their shops once they've completed the expert course to manage the steady stream of hybrids and EVs flowing through their doors. Services that cover maintenance, predictive maintenance, and repair can be useful and profitable services for mechanics and dealerships to provide to their customers.
The Right to Repair
The right-to-repair movement has helped to open up the independent vehicle repair scene, but some repair supporters are afraid that as EVs become more prevalent, new repair restrictions may develop. The term "right to repair" refers to legal safeguards that require corporations to keep components for older items in stock and allow customers to select who performs their repairs.
The Right to Repair Act will give consumers the option of having their electronic items and appliances repaired by any repair shop or service provider of their choosing, a practice that was formerly commonplace but is now becoming increasingly rare in a world of planned obsolescence.
