With the accelerating demand for electric vehicles, many current or future mechanics may be a little worried about their jobs.
After all, the goal of many countries, including the whole of Europe and more recently the USA, is to rid themselves of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2050. This means there will quickly be fewer and fewer traditional gasoline cars on the road as time goes by. And more hybrid cars and electric vehicles.
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It Will Take A While
Even if EVs are set to replace gas vehicles it will not happen overnight. The number of EVs being sold is certainly accelerating, but it was only in the single digits of percent in 2021, so it is going to take a few decades.
On top of this, even with 100% EV sales, replacing all the ICE vehicles (gas cars) on the road will take another few decades. So, it is not going to happen tomorrow!
Cars Will Become More Technical
This is a trend that has been happening for decades anyway. All cars, whether they have a diesel engine or EV batteries, are becoming more technical. Electric cars are definitely more like iPhones on wheels than older cars though.
All sorts of things are now or will be controlled by computers and it will be harder for a non-trained or non-dealer auto mechanic to do. They will need the right tools and software to diagnose issues, way before it even becomes mechanical. This makes it harder for your local auto shop to work with lots of different types of electric cars.
Take Tesla. They have their own in-house team of mechanics and diagnostics. Some of it can even be diagnosed and resolved remotely by an auto technician. Before their remote service team even gets there, or you have even made an appointment.
EVs Will Require Less Servicing
There are far fewer moving parts in an electric vehicle. After all, they don’t have an internal combustion engine. Which honestly, is one of the most complex pieces of machinery around. And it needs engine oil changes, spark plugs, tuning, timing belts, and so on. And as it wears, new gaskets, rings, and more.
Sure, electric vehicles still have suspension, brakes, air conditioning, and other mechanical components. However, electric vehicles require very regular tire changes or rotation. Despite the fact that there is less brake wear due to regenerative braking using the built-in electric motors.
However, in the sum of it all, there will be less regular work in servicing and electric car repairs because there is less to fix. This also means that maintenance costs for owners will be reduced.
That does not mean that auto mechanics won’t have a job. There will just be fewer jobs overall because of electric cars and hybrid vehicles.
There Will Still Be Auto Mechanics
As more and more electric vehicles land on the roads things will continue to change and auto mechanics will have to adapt.
This may mean focusing on specific manufacturers and learning their technology, or retraining to stay relevant in the world of software and batteries.
We are definitely undergoing a huge automotive revolution and no stone will be left unturned.
