SHOPSMART AUTOS – CUSTOMER INFORMATION – DECEMBER 3, 2021- 3
Who’ll Fix Your Electric Car?
They’re trying to maximize their profit by selling new cars, not fixing the old cars,” Cadam says. “There’s sort of a catch up problem that Tesla has, whereas, if you buy something like a Chevy Volt or a Nissan Leaf, you can get parts for those and the repair process is very simple.” With Biden’s order, and the FTC’s latest decisions, Cadam predicts Tesla won’t be able to protect its stronghold for much longer. With the rise of hybrids and electric vehicles, trade programs have adjusted their curriculum to account for the technological advances and demand for high-skilled technicians. City College of San Francisco was an early adopter in integrating hybrids and electric vehicles into its automotive technical program, according to Nick Rothman, department chair of the automotive, construction, and building maintenance department. In the last five years, he’s seen an increase in students interested in specializing in electric vehicle and hybrid repair. Rothman, who has been at the college for a decade and has worked on cars longer than that, says a lot of the training and techniques used in troubleshooting and repairing an electric vehicle also apply to the modern American car. Hybrid and electric cars, he says, have also had huge impacts on the progression of training programs like the one at City College. “The amount of computer communication in a normal modern vehicle is pretty amazing,” Rothman says. “It’s not just specific to electric cars. You look at a 2021 car, it’s a very complicated machine. I think hybrid and EV materials were sort of a vehicle to bring training programs into the modern era of heavily computerized automotive systems with things such as self-learning software and multiple high-speed data networks.” The seasoned instructor points to the Subaru Outback as a prime example. Newer models of one of the brand’s top-selling cars include technology that will apply the brakes if it senses the car is going to collide with an object. Rothman says many drivers, and even some in the industry, considered the technology unique to hybrids and electric vehicles. That, he adds, led many to think of “standard vehicles as mechanical devices where you listened to how it sounds and that will give you a clue about what could be wrong.” The evolution of automotive classes to include electric vehicles isn’t just happening at the college or trade school level, though. One San Francisco high school has taken steps to teach the basics of electric vehicles. As high schools become more focused on college prep, auto shop programs have been cut from course catalogs over the past few decades. But eight years ago, the automotive technology program made a comeback at George Washington High School. The program is one of the last of its kind in the city and quite possibly the most hands-on shop class in the greater Bay Area, according to instructor Andre Higginbotham. He says Washington High’s program is a pathway for students to pursue the trade over multiple years. While the first year is predominantly focused on safety, vehicle design, and preventative maintenance, subsequent years focus on combustion engines, electrical systems, and electrical diagnoses. Higginbotham says the program is in the early stages of transitioning into learning about hybrids and electric vehicles. However, physically getting their hands on the technology often is out of the school’s “financial grasp” — especially given they serve upwards of 100 students a day. It also creates new liabilities for the school. There are always liabilities in high school shop class as students crawl under two-ton vehicles, Higginbotham says. But because electric cars have a much higher voltage, the liabilities are increased. “Your average car works off of a voltage system that is based around 12 volts,” Higginbotham says. “Twelve volts is going to hurt you, but it’s not going to kill you unless you have some kind of precondition. When we’re talking about voltages that are 300, 400, 500 plus, those are the kind of voltages that can cause cardiac arrest. It can kill you, and it’s a whole new set of safety concerns and definitely the types of safety concerns that have to be taught in order to perform these tasks safely.” In the classroom, they focus on electric vehicle safety, and harness online simulation programs to ensure students are prepared when they do get to work on hybrids or electric cars. For many aspiring auto workers, Higginbotham and Rothman agree that having the skills to repair hybrids and electric vehicles is a pathway to higher wages. “As it’s become more difficult to troubleshoot to repair modern vehicles, the field has become sort of more limited,” Rothman sys. “There aren’t really that many people who are ready to take a diagnostic technician position at a dealership or shop, so the employer has to sweeten the pot and offer a higher salary to get someone to make the huge commitment to learning all the material and getting the licenses.”
For Higginbotham, the issue is two-fold. The trades have fought a stigma for many years, leading to a generation of kids who went to college who “weren’t necessarily ready for it or weren’t necessarily interested, but simply did it because that’s kind of the cultural norm right now.” In addition to the issue of education, the trades also have fought a stigma that they’re not the type of jobs where a person can make a lot of money. Specialized training for hybrids and electric vehicles that can boost salaries higher addresses that, Higginbotham says. In his classroom, Higginbotham says the beauty of mechanics is that “it’s kind of like math in the sense that it’s all based off of principles” and crosses language barriers for students who are classified as English language learners. “When you’re talking about wages that get over $70,000, what you’re in essence talking about is access to better education for your kids, access to better housing, access to better neighborhoods, access to all of this stuff,” Higginbotham says. “In the case of San Francisco, there’s definitely jobs that pay more than others, and a lot of that is a conversation of scarcity. When there’s a lack of resources out there, you can charge more and or get paid more.”
Tags: 2019 Subaru Forester Touring, 2020 BMW iX3, 2020 Chevrolet Suburban, 2020 dodge charger, 2020 EQC, 2020 Ford Super Duty, 2020 Honda Pilot, 2020 Kia Optima, 2020 Mercedes Benz, 2020 Nissan Versa, 2020 Subaru WRX STI, Audi SUV, BMW, Brandon K. Hardison, Chevrolet Car, Chevrolet Sonic, Dodge charger, electric vehicles, honda, Honda Pilot, Hyundai SUV, Mercedes Benz, Nissan Rogue, SUV, upcoming car, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line, Volvo Car
Trackback from your site.
