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There’s something that a lot of automotive aftermarket leaders constantly remind industry pros: Electric vehicles are already here. They’re not a far-off fantasy, a pipe dream or a fad. These vehicles are already among us.
The caveat is that there isn’t a lot of them. But with half a million vehicles having at least some kind of electric motor attached to it — be it as a battery electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid — it’s enough to take notice.
The Toyota Prius, a hybrid, has been around for more than 20 years. The electric Nissan Leaf has been around for more than 10 years. The Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid, has been around for just as long. BMW’s electric i3 was released in 2013. Electric vehicles won the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year award — the BMW i4 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, respectively. It’s the first time EVs won top categories in the same year.
So the technology is not new or a surprise at this point. And more are coming. Just under 10 per cent of all new vehicle registrations last year were zero-emission models, a number that has been growing rapidly in recent years.
So even if you haven’t seen an EV roll into your shop, you may soon. And what will you say to that customer? Will you send their business elsewhere? Or will you have the space, technician training and tools in place to service that customer?
Hopefully, it will be the latter. Maybe not in the immediate future but soon enough.
And that’s what EV World is here to help you with. This is our first issue. We will be bringing you perspectives of those immersed in the EV field, tips and strategies on navigating the technology, technical and related guides and more.
And we’re focusing on how this impacts the automotive aftermarket.
That is important to us — providing the aftermarket with what is needed as we journey forward. There’s plenty of news about what the automakers are doing and its effect on dealers. While we’ll keep you abreast of OE developments, there hasn’t been enough of a focus on how this will impact you — the professionals who are working independently to keep these vehicles safe and on the road.
The aftermarket is in a unique position, as MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers president and CEO Paul McCarthy pointed out recently. The long, fat tail of the internal combustion engine era will keep aftermarket businesses busy for decades to come. At the same time, the industry will need prepare for EV development and adapt to service these vehicles.
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Or, as Kevin FitzPatrick senior vice president of North America operations with Opus IVS pointed out, “Today it's a business decision; tomorrow, it's going to be less of a business decision — it's going to be an absolute need.”
As the industry transitions, we hope you find EV World to be a valued and trusted partner along the way.
Adam Malik Managing Editor, CARS
ISSN 2368-9129 Online 2368-9137
We want to hear from you about anything you read in EV World magazine. Send your email to adam@turnkey.media
I find this article interesting. EVs only appeal to the top 4% of Canadians who are able to afford them. Personally, I feel the concept has merit but EVs are being promoted far too fast. Quality issues plague some of the manufacturers because they are being pushed to market. The biggest draw back is the operating range in our climate does not make them attractive. Also our infrastructure will not support charging. How will EV owners charge their vehicles in an apartment complex or town house complex? The cost of bringing electricity there will be prohibitive. How will electric vehicles pay for using our roads. Taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels are put towards road infrastructure so how will electric vehicles pay their share?
Bob Ward, The Auto GuysIn the article, they keep referring to average daily use. What happens when I need to go beyond average daily use and visit my daughters in Ottawa or Peterborough do I rent a gas vehicle or have an internal combustion engine vehicle as a second vehicle. I can’t afford to have extra vehicles. I believe that might be your “cognitive bias” that is holding back your logical buyer.
Fred Dierickx, Autotech Auto Sales and ServicesA few things have to change for the adoption rate to increase besides supply. First off, the marketing has to focus on what customers want most, less maintenance, convenience, etc. Yes, saving the planet is important, and people really want to do their part, but that does not sell cars. The next area is the non-Tesla charging network. Volume is one thing, but reliability is another. You can’t have the single charger at the rest stop down for repairs. We don’t have all the gas pumps down at the same time. And lastly, a single payment processor. Having 10 different apps with funds on all of them is a real turn-off. I own one EV and one ICE.
Shawn Greenberg, Seamless Auto CareThis is ridiculous that the government is pushing EVs down our throats. Not everyone can afford to buy one of these. Where is all the electricity going to come from? We will end up like California over-loading the grid. We have trouble now when it is a hot summer telling us to cut back on the AC.
Kevin Lochhead, ReaderThere’s no denying that EVs are coming. But the current version of them aren’t ready for the mainstream yet. We’re having these forced down our throats by people who don’t have to worry about these problems and don’t understand the technology. When will we see an honest study comparing the impact of modern internal combustion engines to the devastating (both environmentally and socially) impacts of the mining required for EV materials in third world countries?
Geoff, ReaderProspective buyers need to do their homework before purchasing an electric vehicle. One needs to think about the raw material supply needed for battery production and who controls it. Also the depreciation factor is important. Battery replacement costs will often exceed the value of the vehicle at that time so over time the vehicle will not be a good investment. People do not consider the infrastructure needed for charging them. It is far behind demand. Also they do not work well in cold climates. Manufacturers may not disclose any of these details. Manufacturers need to do more development before releasing EVs to the public.
Bob Ward, The Auto GuysI do see a future for EVs but I feel we are putting the cart before the horse. Let’s stop and think about our infrastructure that is currently close to being overloaded especially in the summer months. Let’s stop and think about the people that live in apartment buildings and high rise condos. How are they going to be able to charge their EVs? How about older areas of our cities that don’t have the electrical capacity or houses that will need major upgrades to the electrical panels to support a charger. Are there an abundance of charge stations? Is there a reliable raw material supply for batteries? Are we able to manufacture them without relying on foreign countries? Can most consumers afford to purchase an EV? How is the quality of EVs? Are there many recalls on them? How about the driving range of them especially in the winter months? Lets slow down and get things right so EVs will have a future and consumers will be happy with them. I will definitely purchase one when more of these concerns are addressed.
Bob Ward, The Auto GuysZERO-EMISSION VEHICLES grew 42.6 per cent in 2022 compared to the year before, according to a report from S&P Global Mobility.
These vehicles — which included battery electrics, hybrids and plug-in hybrids — were one of every 11 new vehicle registrations in Canada in 2022. Its share of 8.9 per cent is up from 5.6 per cent the year before.
Battery electric vehicle volume was up 65.4 per cent — a year-over-year increase of 39 per cent — bringing its market share to 7 per cent.
British Columbia once again led the country in new BEV registrations with 15 per cent. But it was Quebec that led in volume, accounting for 36.7 per cent of overall ZEV volume in 2022.
The rise in ZEV registrations comes as the number of light vehicles entering the market drops.
“These figures demonstrate a clear demand for electric and sustainable transportation in Canada,” the quarterly report said.
Ontario saw nearly double (95 per cent) the number of ZEV registrations in 2022 compared with the previous year. The province made up 31.5 per cent of all ZEV registrations in Canada. When looking at BEVs, volume grew 121 per cent, a feat S&P called “impressive” for the year.
Vancouver (22.5 per cent adoption), Montreal (16 per cent) and Toronto (9.4 per cent) make up 58 per cent of ZEV volume in Canada. Toronto had the fastest growth with a 107 per cent volume increase.
Rural communities are also adopting ZEVs at an increasing pace as well. In 2022, the rural ZEV adoption rate in 6.5 per cent, an increase from the 4.4 per cent rate in 2021.
NEW REGULATIONS PUT in place towards the end of last year mean that one-in-five of all passenger vehicles sold in Canada need to be electric by 2026.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the proposal in late December and was made official days later. Furthermore, the mandate will hit 60 per cent by 2030 — up from initial expectations of half. Five years after that, all passenger vehicles sold in Canada must be electric.
Manufacturers or importers that don’t meet the baseline could see a phased-in penalty system under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
For 20 per cent of new vehicles in Canada sold to be electric, some work needs to be done. The federal government did announce it would invest in 50,000 more EV charging stations across the country, for almost 85,000 federally-funded chargers across Canada, by 2027. Under the regulations, the government will track sales by issuing credits for vehicle sales.
THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP and its battery company PowerCo selected St. Thomas, Ontario, to establish Volkswagen’s first overseas gigafactory for cell manufacturing.
The group manages a portfolio of ten companies. The plant is slated to be up and running in 2027.
“Our North American strategy is a key priority in our 10-pointplan that we’ve laid out last year,” said Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group.
“With the decisions for cell production in Canada and a Scout site in South Carolina we’re fast-forwarding the execution of our North American strategy.”
ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAKE up a small percentage of the total vehicle car parc. But they’ll soon be here in an almost-tidal wave effect as more players enter the market, according to an industry expert.
Just because EVs aren’t plentiful, “they are coming,” Todd Campau, automotive aftermarket practice lead at S&P Global Mobility, said at AAPEX 2022 “You do need to have a plan for your business and what you’re going to execute as electric vehicles emerge.”
Don’t stress, but be pragmatic in your plans, he advised. “But definitely get your plans moving for electric vehicles because they will be part of your marketplace.”
And they all won’t be Tesla vehicles rolling into your shop. While Tesla has about 71 per cent of the market in the U.S., that number will shrink to about 10 per cent, Campau predicted. Partly because Teslas can be considered a luxury brand — the cost of the Model 3 is in the same neighbourhood as a BMW 3 Series.
“And while they talked about wanting to be a mainstream brand, they behave like they’re a luxury brand,” he pointed out during his presentation, 5 Trends impacting the North American Aftermarket.
But there’s also the fact that new entrants are getting ready to make a splash — not just traditional automakers. “We’re going to see a huge model proliferation on EVs. We’re going from about 26 to over 250 by 2030,” Campau pointed out.
Not all brands will survive. There will be mergers and acquisitions. There will be change within the bigger change that’s taking place. “It’s probably not sustainable at 250 different models.”
Again, Campau stressed it will take time before EVs are a significant part of the car parc. He compared them to light trucks, which took 20 years to get to its current market share where they are now three out of every four vehicles sold.
“All of this just to illustrate that, without some form of step to push us to electric vehicles or some sort of a [change] where electric vehicles get so compelling, that we all want to run out time. It’s going to take time for the fleet to switch over,” he said. “It’s a huge leap.”
JUST HOW HEALTHY is that battery on an electric vehicle? That’s not just a key question for current owners but especially for those looking at the used market.
vsNew, Inc. recently announced the launch of its EV and Hybrid Battery Health Reports which grade the condition of an EV or hybrid battery compared to when it was new. This helps accurately assess the condition of the battery, adding transparency to the sales process of a used EV or hybrid.
The company’s technology reads information directly from the vehicle’s battery management system (BMS) through the CAN bus. This provides hundreds of data points to accurately assess the battery’s overall condition, percentage of degradation and overall replacement risk. Battery health assessment goes down to the cell/module level.
“The team at vsNEW has worked with CAN bus data across OEMs for over 10 years and our expertise has allowed us to develop technology to create accurate vsNew Battery Health Reports for EVs and hybrids that use the car’s internal data to prove unique insights into a battery’s health,” said Sachin Chaudhry, the company’s co-founder. “And because of our expertise in auto data, we can provide reports across most OEMs including Tesla.”
CANADA HAS CROSSED the tipping point for electric vehicles and sitting idle on necessary infrastructure isn’t an option, an energy management company recently urged.
EVs are no longer a novelty, EnerSavings noted in a recent announcement. So getting a move on ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place to transition Canadians from internal combustion engine vehicles to those that are battery-powered is essential right now, the company argued.
EnerSavings noted that is has assessed more than 1,000 buildings across Canada. Without proper planning, it said, 99 per cent of buildings in Canada won’t have the electrical capacity to support a full network of EV charging stations.
“The time to have a serious conversation about the future of powering our vehicles is now,” said Kevin Lisso, co-founder and chief executive officer of EnerSavings. “The electric vehicle future is no longer a hope or a theory; it’s here now. The infrastructure supporting vehicles on our roadways is about to become obsolete. We must take steps today to ensure we are ready when the ‘net zero’ future arrives.”
He highlighted the many condos and apartment buildings that occupy major urban centres across Canada — and the parking that is attached to those buildings.
“Suppose everybody is going to be driving an EV within a generation. In that case, every single one of those parking spaces is going to need a charger with the appropriate equipment to support the additional load that is going to be put on the power grid.”
AN INDUSTRY ANALYST projected that battery electric vehicles will have a 10 per cent market share by 2025 and grow to 57 per cent 10 years from now.
And there’s no reason why that shouldn’t happen, according to Daniel Ross, senior automotive analyst at Canadian Black Book.
“Every OEM out there has either got plans or has EVs out there and is developing more to make it before that mandated 2035 timeframe,” he added.
He’s referring to the federal government mandate of all passenger vehicles sold in Canada being a zero-emission vehicle by the middle of the next decade.
Will consumers buy in? Yes, Ross believes so. The main reason is that vehicle range is at a level where most people feel comfortable, at about 400 km.
“The level of range across the board is pretty high,” he said. “We’re around 400-500 kilometres on most vehicles out there — 400 is the real breaking point in terms of when consideration can be had for a lot of users out there of EVs.”
And range is expected to grow to a point where such concerns are lessened.
“We’re at a point now where most consumers can get behind this range and see that it sustains your day-to-day life,” Ross said.
AT LOW SPEEDS, electric and hybrid vehicles make virtually no noise thanks to quiet motors. But that won’t be the case any longer.
The federal government is amending the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations to mandate minimum levels of noise from hybrid and electric vehicles.
As of now, the government pointed out, it is hard to detect the presence of these vehicles. This creates potentially dangerous scenarios for pedestrians, cyclists and those with disabilities.
Under the new requirements, all hybrid and electric vehicles are now required to have sound emitters that would produce noise at low speeds. Automakers can choose the type of sound the vehicle makes but the volume and pitch must allow a road user to hear if a vehicle is speeding up or slowing down.
Some automakers have voluntarily added sound emitters to hybrids and EVs already. The new requirement, which came into effect towards the end of last year, makes the sound emitters mandatory equipment on all new light-duty passenger vehicles sold in Canada.
The noise requirements align with United States and international standards. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires EVs and hybrids to produce sounds ranging from 43 to 64 decibels when they are moving at less than 30 km/h.
THE CSA GROUP,which develops standards, testing, inspection and certifications, published a new report through its CSA Public Policy Centre. The report, Charging Ahead: Toward an equitable and reliable electric vehicle network in Canada, looks at Canada’s current charging infrastructure and examines issues around infrastructure deployment.
“Vehicle electrification should benefit all Canadians,” said Sunil Johal, vice president of public policy at CSA Group. “If the future of mobility is electric, we must build a Canada-wide EV charging network that works for everyone.”
Co-operation between governments, charging network operators and utilities is key, especially by working together early on in the planning stages, the report said. Equity and reliability need to be prioritized.
Four policy considerations for federal policymakers need to be kept in mind as they set out to build an effective and inclusive EV charging network in Canada:
❏ Deploying charging infrastructure equitably to serve communities well
❏ Incorporating barrier-free access design at early stages of planning, designing for physical disabilities as well as cognitive and invisible disabilities
❏ Ensuring reliability for all drivers to improve the driver experience and maintain confidence in EV technology
❏ Promoting inclusive payment options, without barriers such as subscription requirements and fees
“Government leaders can support an inclusive transition to lowcarbon transportation in Canada,” Johal said. “Vehicle electrification offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only address climate change, but also tackle the inequities that have existed in transportation for years.”
MORE THAN HALF of Canadians would prefer to drive an electric vehicle over an internal combustion engine vehicle, says a study.
Financial comparison website Compare the Market surveyed Canadians, Australians and Americans about vehicle preferences. The majority (51.4 per cent) said they want an EV while a third (34.1
per cent) wanted a traditional gas-powered vehicle. The remaining 14.5 per cent had no preference.
These findings are in line with Australians’ feelings, but the inverse from the U.S. Most Americans prefer ICE (53 per cent) and a third (34 per cent) want an EV; 13 per cent having no preference.
For Canadians, the main roadblock to buying an EV was due to purchase price (60.5 per cent), followed by battery life/replacement costs (57.6 per cent) and driving range (49.2 per cent).
Most Canadians want to spend less than $24,999 — 31 per cent of Canadians want to be under this number when buying an ICE vehicle, while 21 per cent of EV shoppers said the same.
EV buyers were more willing spend more than ICE shoppers. For example, 10 per cent of shoppers were willing to spend more than $85,000 on an EV, compared to 3 per cent of ICE vehicle shoppers.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE OWNERS have a different level of expectations from their automotive repairer than those who drive gas-powered vehicles, according to an expert.
For instance, they’re digital natives. They use their mobile device as the key to their vehicle. And they’re not afraid to use the internet to educate themselves on how their car should work, noted Jake Rodenroth, manager of body repair program operations at Lucid Motors.
“As a repairer, product knowledge is king and understanding exactly how the cars are built and being able to talk intelligently about them is key,” he said at the MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers Technology Conference.
Even when approaching their vehicles, some are used to having it light up and the door handles present themselves After being in a shop, it should continue to do these things.
“We have to make sure that all of those things boot the way they’re supposed to so the owner has a seamless experience,” Rodenroth said.
Repairers need to think about installing charging infrastructure in their shops. So that means looking at what you can do in your shop
“Some vehicle owners use their portable chargers in their home garages. And quite honestly, they’re not thinking about you when they drop the car off,” Rodenroth said. “So they may leave that portable charger at their house. And if you don’t have the ability to charge the car, it becomes a bad customer experience.”
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By The NumbersStats that put the North American automotive aftermarket into perspective
551,654
About 5% of all vehicles in Canada are zero-emission vehicles at the end of 2021: 303,073 hybrids, 152,685 BEVs and 95,896 plug-ins were registered.
3.9
vehicles in the last 12 months, higher than internal combustion engine vehicle services at 2.8 per visit.
North American Dealers Association
7.2%
The number of new vehicle registrations that were zero-emissions vehicles in the first half of 2022, which was well above the 5.2% that were registered in 2021.
633
On a 1,000-point scale, satisfaction with public Level 2 charging among EV owners in the U.S. That’s down from 643 one year ago.
J.D. Power
255.81%
The cost of an electric vehicle as percentage of average income in Canada, ranking it fourth in the world. Norway (181.29%), U.S. (205.32%) and Switzerland (221.63%) finished ahead.
Zutobi
51.4%
Most Canadians surveyed said they want an EV while 34.1 per cent wanted a traditional gas-powered vehicle. The remaining 14.5 per cent had no preference.
6.12
Canada’s score out of 10, which ties it with France for eighth in a ranking of countries to buy an electric vehicle. The U.S. topped the list with a score of 8.19.
Zutobi
2.9
Average number of service visits for electric vehicles has outpaced service visits of internal combustion engine vehicles in the last 12 months. ICE vehicles averaged 2.3 visits.
North American Dealers Association
55%
Independent U.S. repair shops indicate a portion of their business is from servicing battery electric vehicles. When it comes to hybrids, 72% said they get business from these vehicles.
AutomotiveResearch.com
By Adam Malik
The number of electric vehicles available to consumers is set to explode. Will the automotive aftermarket be ready? When speaking privately and publicly to aftermarket professionals, their opinions scatter the spectrum. Many governments around the world, including Canada, set 2035 as the date when the sale of new internal combustion engines for consumer vehicles will stop. Automakers of all stripes have announced they will convert their vehicles to an all-electric fleet. New companies, seeing the opportunity, have emerged. No longer is the competitive landscape owned by traditional automakers. Alongside the Fords and Toyotas of the world are the Lucids and BYDs.
Today, there are few options for full battery electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicles — zero-emission vehicles, collectively. Most traditional automakers have a, EV model or two available — Ford has the Mach-E and F-150 Lightning; Kia has the Niro; Hyundai the Ioniq 5, which was named the 2023 Utility Vehicle of the year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada; BMW’s allelectric i4 won Car of the Year.
Buying an EV up to this point has appeared to be more of a status symbol rather than an effort to combat emissions. The costs of an EV mostly mirror those in the luxury vehicle segment.
“There’s not yet a full range of vehicle types that people need particularly around that lower, entry-level threshold,” observed Nino Di Cara, founder and president of Electric Autonomy Canada. “So there’s still a tremendous amount that needs to happen and change in order for us to really cement this transition.”
Relative to internal combustion options, the list of options is small. But it won’t be long until the choices feel endless.
By 2025, industry estimates figure the North American market will have 135 models of electric vehicles as automakers pour in a tremendous amount of investment. Globally, that list will reach 500 models.
Geographically, one out of every 10 cars bought in Europe is electric. In China, it’s one out of every five. In Canada, battery electrics made up 7 per cent of the share of new vehicle registrations, according to S&P Global Mobility last year. When looking
at zero-emission vehicle as a whole, the share bumped up to 8.9 per cent.
“These figures demonstrate a clear demand for electric and sustainable transportation in Canada,” S&P’s report said.
And that’s considering the fact that most Canadians haven’t been behind the wheel of an EV, let alone a passenger.
“And EVs have been, in their early days, positioned as a solution to the climate crisis, which they are, but they also really superior technology to combustion vehicles: Fewer moving parts, more efficient use of energy, a lot less cost to maintain and fuel and more fun and responsive to drive. And that message has not gone through to the general public for the most part,” Di Cara told
“But as the adoption line increases, your neighbour is going to start to have one; your colleague at work, the person at your local gym is going to start talking about it. And when you see your neighbour get a car and you see how happy they are and they take you out for a ride in it — rather than you having to go to a showroom to get a test drive or whatever it may be — it’s going to really start amplifying; the speed is going to start rapidly increasing.”
Even a small action by government can rapidly change things. That’s why many leaders are pushing the aftermarket to think about how they can adapt to the coming wave now.
New Zealand might be the best example of how a nation’s car parc can shift quickly. Zero-emission vehicles make up more than a third of vehicles in the country. Battery electrics alone accounted for 20 per cent of sales in December 2022. About 44 per cent of vehicles in the country are gas (plus another 20 per cent are diesel) as of February, according to EVDB, which collects data on EV ownership in the country.
The New Zealand government gave large financial incentives to buy ZEVs. Most are used and coming from China, pointed out Martyn Johns, national director for NAPA Autopro and emerging technologies.
“In literally 12 months, it has changed their entire car parc,” he said during the NAPA Ontario Associate Owner’s Conference.
The change has been so rapid that shops aren’t fully prepared to service these vehicles. They don’t have the training or parts yet.
“So this isn’t a Canadian problem. It is a global issue. And every single jurisdiction around the world is trying to figure out a solution to it right now,” Johns observed.
Hence the need to move towards change. Electrics are part of the vehicles landscape already. The Toyota Pruis has been around since 2001. As the number of electrics grow, the greater the stress on the
aftermarket to be able to service them. Take a look at Tesla, as an example. The company said it wants its customers to have their vehicles serviced within 48 hours and 100 miles of their homes. With a limited network of service centres, they will need the help of the aftermarket. “The only way that they do that, it’s us in this room. It’s through the aftermarket, both in the U.S. and in Canada,” Johns said.
A Google search will show that Tesla owners have been venting about the time it takes to get their vehicles repaired — and that started long before the pandemic when supply chains ground to a halt. So the aftermarket can draw in customers with the ability to service customers quickly. Price isn’t a pain point for most EV owners — it’s speed of service.
“That’s our competitive advantage,” Johns said. “Like we normally are in the aftermarket, we need to be more nimble.”
A question New York-based Kevin FitzPatrick often fields is just how many EVs are shops going to see this year and in the years down the road. For the senior vice president of North America operations with Opus IVS, which provides diagnostics, programming and live repair guidance, he can’t put an exact number on it. That said, whatever is being seen now is only going to increase as the years go on, especially as most people who need a new vehicle are debating whether they should go electric or stick with an internal combustion engine.
“I think most shop owners are seeing a large percentage of their customers now make this decision,” he said in an interview with EV World
The demand is only growing, Di Cara observed. “The waiting list, as I understand it, is longer for EVs typically than it is for a combustion vehicle right now. So the issue is people want them; it’s just very difficult to get their hands on them.”
And it’s for this reason that shop owners can’t ignore the change that is on their doorstep. “You’d be doing your business a disservice if you’re not readying now,” FitzPatrick said. “If you’re a technician today, to say, ‘Well, this is going to be negative for our business,’ that’s not necessarily true.
He went through the list of services electrics will need done by shops. There are the tires and suspension; heating and cooling
systems; fluids are essential in EVs as well.
“It’s a choice for the shops when went to dive in. But to ignore the fact that a percentage of your business will be electrified would be a mistake,” said FitzPatrick, who is an ASE certified master tech with L1 and has co-owned a shop since 1996 on Long Island, New York.
And to wait much longer would mean the change will be forced upon you, he warned. “I think it’s going to be less of a business decision in two or three years as more and more of their present customers make the buying decision to move to EVs,” he said. “Today it’s a business decision; tomorrow, it’s going to be less of a business decision — it’s going to be an absolute need.”
Making the transition is how the aftermarket can expect to succeed in the year ahead, he added.
“We want to see we want to see shops flourish. We don’t want to see the aftermarket dwindle. We don’t want these cars going back to the dealership. We want these vehicles in independent, small local shops,” FitzPatrick said. “The only way to make that happen is to make sure that the technicians are trained up and ready to work on them.”
This is just another moment in a long line of technological advancements for the aftermarket.
“The industry overall has overcome challenge after challenge after challenge in the last 50 or so years,” FitzPatrick observed. “I remember transitioning from carburetors to fuel injection, active suspension and everything else. This is just another in a long line of industry changes and challenges.”
Nissan launched one of the original modern-day electric vehicles in Canada with the Leaf in 2011. It’s been their intention to go fully electric, meaning no hybrid vehicles.
“So it was always 100 per cent [electric],” said Francois Lefevre, senior manager of corporate planning and market intelligence at Nissan Canada. “Not bridging the gap or having that complexity of having two technologies working together to drive the vehicle forward.”
At Chevrolet, their focus was to have purpose-built EVs. “That obviously provides a ton of advantages in driving dynamics, storage capacity — when you don’t have a big drive tunnel powertrain tunnel right through the vehicle you have more storage space,” said James Hodge, brand director at Chevrolet Canada. “And just really overall driving dynamics are better.”
And like other brands, they’ve seen positive consumer response to their electrified offerings — about 40 per cent of customers walking into dealerships are asking about EVs, according to Hodge.
“It’s an exciting time and everyone’s getting themselves ready for these EVs for a bigger adoption, whether it be consumers, charging infrastructure, as well as our dealer network as well,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can to get everyone up to speed and ready to adopt EVs as quickly as we can.”
But infrastructure has always been a challenge. There were no public chargers 12 years ago when the Leaf was introduced. The only option for consumers was to charge at home. Today, many consumers don’t consider infrastructure strong enough to warrant an electric vehicle purchase.
“So of course, it’s not going to attract tons of people saying, ‘Oh, yeah, I want that vehicle.’ They can be, obviously, easily stranded going from Ottawa to Toronto, for example,” Lefevre said.
Kia Canada’s vice president and chief operating officer Elias ElAchhab acknowledged the infrastructure challenge in a discussion with EV World, especially in this nation.
“Canada’s a vast country. It’s very easy for a small European country to set up infrastructure — it’s a little bit harder in Canada. We drive longer distances, our cities are further apart, we have a lot of inclement weather that we have to deal with,” he said. “And so it’s an expensive and time-consuming endeavour to set up the infrastructure. You have to upgrade the grid in a lot of places and make sure you can get clean electricity. So that’s more of where we are trying to navigate and work through the long-term plans.”
But times are changing. Infrastructure is growing — whether it is keeping up with demand is debatable, but there are growing options for drivers to charge their vehicles, be it at their office, shopping mall or at public stations.
Still, range is a priority so drivers don’t have to find a place to charge so often. “We’ve been really focused on that — delivering a vehicle that could provide the right amount of range, depending on what you do,” Lefevre said.
Consumers can choose to buy a Leaf or Aria with one or two batteries. If a customer is using their electric vehicle locally, spending the extra money for an extra battery isn’t necessary. “We need to provide the choice to the customer.”
Canada’s a vast country. It’s very easy for a small European country to set up infrastructure — it’s a little bit harder in Canada.."
The automotive aftermarket is in the middle of a unique opportunity. It can benefit from traditional vehicle technology for decades to come — and set itself up to benefit from incoming electrics
// By Adam MalikElectric vehicles aren’t coming. They’re here.
Automotive aftermarket service and repair shops across Canada are seeing EVs roll in. Whether it’s for tires, HVAC issues or battery problems, consumers are looking for alternatives to the dealer when in need of maintenance and repair needs.
The good news is that there isn't an avalanche of service requests as the car parc is small. There is time. Not as much as one may think, but enough to get prepared.
It’s expected that electrified components will make up about 4 per cent of the replacement parts market by 2030. Not very much, acknowledged Paul McCarthy, president of MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers — a group made up of the unification of three aftermarket-focused groups under the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.
“So most of what we’re selling at 2030, is what we’re selling [currently],” he pointed out during the recent MEMA Global Summit.
Even looking out to 2045, the majority of the aftermarket will be driven by segments industry professionals know well and sell.
“So I think one of the takeaways is that we have this long, fat tail — and we think profitable tail — for existing businesses,” he said.
But the growth of electrification isn’t something to put on the backburner, he stressed. The market is growing and will continue to grow due to demand from consumers, government mandates and automaker production.
“That is a market that we can’t ignore,” McCarthy said.
Even though today’s aftermarket products will continue to be the dominant segment in 20 years, they won’t be growing. Growth areas for the future are all on the electric side of the spectrum.
“So if we as business leaders want to grow at the pace of the market, we need to be prepared for that,” he said.
That means the industry can’t put its collective heads in the sand. “We do need to innovate. And we are seeing the entrepreneurial aftermarket respond to this opportunity to say there is a place for EVs,” he observed.
There will indeed be fewer components on electrics that need servicing. But that doesn’t translate into lost revenue for
the aftermarket.
“There’s going to be a shift in some of the segments,” McCarthy said, highlighting drive belts, spark plugs and the routine oil change as areas that will see gradually reduced demand.
He pointed to tires, the “poster child” of a part of the electric vehicle that will require replacement far more often than on an internal combustion engine vehicle. The weight of an EV alone wears them out faster.
“One of the cool things about EVs is you get 100 per cent of the engine torque … That’s fun to drive but it also wears out tires,” McCarthy said.
To improve range, low-rolling resistance tires are typically installed on EVs. But they wear out faster and are more expensive than typical ones. Noise also becomes an issue with EVs. Without the hum of the engine in the background, drivers hear more road noise. So EV tires have a foam insert to reduce noise — adding to the cost of the tire.
“So we’re talking about the impact of EVs on tires is a lot more money, a lot more replacement,” McCarthy explained.
He pointed to suspension as well, which takes an added beating thanks to the extra weight of an EV. Lightweighting is playing a role — reducing weight to increase range makes components more fragile. “Without that white noise machine of the ICE engine, consumers feel the motion of the car more. It’s an interesting dynamic — we have sensory deprivation without the engine [and] we feel this more,” McCarthy said. “So you see more sophisticated, more expensive suspensions on EVs, as they also deal with the weight of that vehicle. So when something does need replacing, it costs more.”
The HVAC system of an EV is also far more complicated than an ICE vehicle. He singled out the Ford Mach-E, which has 30 different hoses and 60 feet of hose under the hood.
And the HVAC system of an EV is paramount to the health of an EV — it needs to keep that battery cool.
“It needs to make that battery work well because, otherwise, you’re going to ruin or take the lifespan off this $20,000 battery pack,” McCarthy said.
Perhaps the most important job of the HVAC system is to keep the driver and passengers safe. The cooling system is now also a safety system — it needs to operate properly or else the vehicle is at risk to catch on fire.
So you see more sophisticated, more expensive suspensions on EVs, as they also deal with the weight of that vehicle. So when something does need replacing, it costs more.”
“We thought the market was going to shrink. It’s actually going to expand quite significantly,” McCarthy said about this segment.
Anyone even thinking about working on an electric vehicle needs to pay close attention to everything they do.
Ignoring the details or not respecting them could have serious consequences.
“We don’t need to be scared, but we should be respectful,” said Ben Johnson, director of product management at Mitchell 1, during a past AAPEX session.
His quick advice: If it’s orange, don’t touch it. Mess around with it improperly and you could have 800 volts going through your body. “Just need to have some common sense,” he said.
Better yet, if you haven’t been trained or are otherwise not qualified to work on an EV, then stay away, advised Jake Rodenroth, manager of body repair program operations at Lucid Motors during last fall’s Technology Conference hosted by MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers.
“The thing about EVs is, as a repairer, you can either hurt them, or they can hurt you. So if you’re not qualified to work on one, you’ve never been through the approved training and do not have the approved tooling, it’s just not worth it to take on something like that until you’ve done so,” Rodenroth explained.
EVs can’t be worked on like an ICE vehicle — there’s no ‘learning as you go along.’ One mistake can be fatal.
“You’re either going to hurt yourself, or you’re going to damage a very expensive component in a high-tech vehicle,” Rodenroth said. “And I don’t think we want either one. So I can’t stress the training and tooling part of it enough.”
Chris Besemer, owner and president of CG Motorsports in Richmond, B.C., explained the process of moving into servicing electrics.
His shop specializes in BMWs, a brand that has had an electric model since 2014 when it introduced the i3. Last year, he made the move to make his shop fully capable of servicing electrics. That meant having a sectioned-off area, getting grounding stations, mats and the like.
In a conversation with then-Automotive Industries
Association of Canada chairman Jason Yurchak during an episode of Curbside Chat, he compared the work area to a hospital room. The area is barricaded off with signs warning of high voltage. No one is allowed to enter the area when an electric vehicle is being worked on.
“It’s really just outfitting the shop with safety zones and lights for high voltage — ‘working area, stay clear’ and stuff like that,” Besemer said.
He didn’t see the expense of the upgrade as a burden. There are unique items like battery charging stations that need to be installed — but it’s no different than in years past when shops had to invest in new tools and equipment as vehicles changed, like when OBD-II ports became the standard.
“It’s just the cost of doing business,” Besemer said. “In a nutshell, it’s nothing that we’re not used to. Running a shop, you have to spend the money sometimes to keep yourself current. And this, it’s new stuff that we’re buying, but it’s not [an] extra expense for anything that’s above and beyond from what we’re used to.”
The automotive aftermarket has a bit of an advantage when it comes to stability and strength going forward. The future is coming by way of electrification and can be seen — but the traditional market is still here and going to be a primary source of business for years to come.
“So what that means for us is we have two challenges,” McCarthy observed. “The first is the journey may be as important as the destination — you can’t just run to the future and ignore the present. We need to manage our profitability across both of those.”
This is not an opportunity to be squandered, he stressed.
“[It] is so rare in the business world to say, ‘We know somewhat of what this future looks like.’ We need to grow our businesses, be prepared for that and take advantage,” McCarthy said.
[It] is so rare in the business world to say, ‘We know somewhat of what this future looks like.’ We need to grow our businesses, be prepared for that and take advantage.”
You’ve probably heard about the safety concerns when working with EVs.
Here’s a deeper dive into why and how to maintain safety in your shop //
By Mike BaileyAutomotive aftermarket shops fall into two categories.
The first are the proactive. They are those who embrace change enthusiastically and invest in their facility, equipment, business and talent. Equipment and software are purchased, services are advertised and staff are trained. When vehicles equipped with the ‘new’ technology require service and repair, the shop and staff are ready.
Then there are the shops which embrace change slowly — the reactive. These are the shops that wait until vehicles sporting the said ‘new’ technology are in their bays. These shops then realize they are ill-equipped to repair these vehicles. There are stark reasons why the vehicle with this technology is not serviceable at this shop, such as inadequate service information, a lack of proper equipment on the premises or staff who do not have the proper training. Those falling under this category require the most time to rectify the deficiency. Training takes time.
These examples have been the norm for decades. I could not begin to count the number of Friday afternoon phone calls I’ve taken from technicians and shop owners asking for diagnostic help on a vehicle.
Many times, the technician has taken a training class on the topic and may want to double-check their data or needs to clarify a key point we discussed during class.
Then there are the others, like those who wait until they are neck-deep in a problem vehicle and don’t have the training or skills to get through the diagnosis. In either case, I am happy to help as best I can, usually with positive results. Often, on a Friday afternoon.
Now add hybrid and battery electric vehicles into the mix. Unless the technician calling has taken training, they get a flat-out “No, sorry, you should not be working on this vehicle.”
To quote the words of a friend: “Some may say the waves are far from the shore.” Those days have passed. According to
Statistics Canada, in 2021, there were more than 303,00 hybrids and more than 152,00 EVs on our roads.
Since then, numbers have increased dramatically. Older hybrids that were sitting idle may be back on the road. Stats also show that hybrids and battery electric vehicles are also increasing in popularity in rural and northern communities.
The service and repair of hybrids and BEVs requires preparation. Businesses need to be ready. Gone are the glory days of ‘muddling through’ modern technology. These vehicles are different. These are entirely different propulsion systems.
When it comes to hybrids and EVs, learning by making mistakes can be fatal. Period.
Safety must be policy if you plan to service BEVs. Business owners and technicians have heard about it for years now. Technicians might have taken classes — a long time ago — where safety was discussed. It’s time to consider all the pieces to the safety puzzle for an automotive repair business.
If your business model includes operating a towing/recovery service, consider the daily activities of your operators.
There is the obvious possibility of damage to the vehicle during recovery or while securing one to the towing vehicle. Components in these vehicles reduce weight by design and are easily damaged. Lockout service or boosting may require special procedures.
What are the limits to roadside service and what is safe to touch on a hybrid or BEV?
Shop owners might want to install Level 2 chargers in their parking lot to help promote their electric services. Have you carefully considered the location of your charger(s)? This may also be the time to decide on a safe area to locate EV-specific parking spots. Does your insurance company have anything to say about this? Should you designate “EV tow-in” spaces?
Counter staff require training to do their jobs around EVs. This goes beyond the obvious requirement to understand EV components and their operation for quoting and explanation of work to customers. All staff must require training to safely interact with technicians who are performing work on
exposed high-voltage systems. A safe distance should exist from the dangerous area.
We all know customers should not be on the shop floor. They may try to enter the shop through the reception area or open bay doors. Supervision is necessary.
While ordering promotional signage to advertise your shop’s hybrid/EV repair expertise, it may be time to upgrade or install signage to help keep customers out of the service bays. “Danger –High Voltage” signage applies here.
The EV service area should be strategically located. High-traffic areas are not appropriate. The bay next to the front counter is not the best choice. Traction batteries and interior panels, when removed, require space. Not all battery packs are serviceable but for those that are, the work area must be suitably spacious. Consider the storage of a removed battery pack after the workday is over.
Identify EVs undergoing high voltage system service in the shop as “dangerous” using a buffer zone. Warning cones and boundary tape work for this. Emergency equipment for electrocution and fire should be readily available in this area. In the unlikely event that an EV must move outside in an emergency, it should have a straight path leading outside and away from the building.
Your shop may already have equipment that is useful and safe to use on EVs. CAT III 1000v is the standard for digital multimeters. Lab scopes will require differential probes. High voltage glove certification expires every six months. Battery packs are heavy and may be located inside or underneath a vehicle. Inspect tools and equipment before every use. An assortment of insulated tools rated at 1000v should be on-hand.
The last piece of the safety puzzle is the technician. They require hybrid/EV training. This instructor is a firm believer in hands-on training. Safe work habits develop and become routine through this training model.
Testing and wearing proper PPE should become automatic. A vehicle safe-down and confirmation should become automatic. Proper work methods and procedures should become automatic. Eliminating the possibility of becoming part of a live high-voltage circuit should be automatic. Using equipment safely should become automatic.
This is too much to implement on a Friday afternoon.
Mike Bailey is chief technical and developmental officer and cofounder of Environmental Motorworks. He is a licensed 310S and 310T Technician in Ontario and is certified to deliver HRAI’s Ozone Depletion Certification Program, as well as the EPA Section 609 Automotive Refrigerant Training Program in the U.S.
The service and repair of hybrids and BEVs requires preparation. Businesses need to be ready. Gone are the glory days of ‘muddling through’ modern technology.
Liqui Moly has released the Fuel Cell Coolant FCF 20. Based on ethylene glycol, combined with non-ionic additives, it provides low electrical conductivity. The product also combines optimum thermal dissipation with material compatibility and aging stability. There is significant heat development in batteries and fuel cells. Optimal thermal release is essential with fuel cells, as the heat generated can be higher than with classic, comparatively powerful combustion engines The coolant is designed to meet the demands of fuel cell vehicles and ensure the maximum service life of components.
www.liqui-moly.com
Autel has released the MaxiCharger Home and Commercial Level 2 AC chargers. These are available in 40 amp and 50 amp flexible charging configurations and are compatible with all plug-in electric vehicles. The 40 amp chargers are available as either an in-body holster or a separate holster, with either a NEMA 6-50 or a NEMA 14-50 plug. The MaxiCharger Home 50 amp is an in-Body Holster style and is ready for hard-wire installation. The Commercial Level 2 AC charger offers 50 amp flexible charging. It features a J1772 standard charging port compatible with all EVs, 25-foot charging cable with a specially designed, ergonomic charging connector, LED lights to show charge status at a glance, is Wi-Fi-enabled for remote access and over-the-air firmware upgrades and more.
www.autelenergy.us
KW V3 Leveling suspension for Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3 provides better driving dynamics, handling and roll comfort combined with minimal lowering or optional ride height adjustment. This stainless steel suspension comes with individually adjustable compression and rebound damping. Users can choose between ‘comfort’ or ‘plus’ sporty ride setting. The standard ground clearance of the Teslas can be increased by five millimeters. Alternatively, a discreet, continuously variable lowering of zero to 20 millimeters is possible on both axles. The KW V3 Leveling suspensions are available for all Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y with all-wheel drive. www.kwsuspensions.net
Continental has expanded its line of hybrid battery cooling fans. The company now provides direct replacement fans for the Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala and Volt, Ford C-Max and Fusion, Honda Civic,
Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Toyota Camry and Prius hybrid models and more from 2003-2021. The fans are designed as an exact replacement for the original fan to restore the original battery cooling performance to the vehicle. A properly functioning is critical to maintaining the health of the battery and the vehicle’s overall fuel economy. The fans feature an OE design, including identical mounting locations and plug-and-play electrical connections, to help ensure an easy installation.
www.continentalaftermarket.com
Bosch’s EV300 Level 2 EV Charging Station and EV3000 DC Fast Charger for electric vehicles are fully UL and cUL compliant. The EV300 charges up to four times faster than a standard plug outlet while the EV3000 charges up to four times faster than a standard Level 2 charging station. The EV300 is a compact indoor/outdoor charger. It has a 16-foot cable for areas with limited space. It is designed to provide a lowmaintenance alternative. No app is required to charge. Owners can pre-set times and length of charging in the vehicle and the EV300 informs battery status through a blinking light. The EV3000 was developed for EVs parked for a few hours and is ideal for workplaces, public parking lots, dealerships and fleets. It’s compatible with most BEVs in North America and exceeds IP 55 standards allowing safe charging indoors or outdoors in many types of weather, including rain, snow and sleet.
www.boschevsolutions.com
The Top Tec Gear EV 510 gear oil has been released by Liqui Moly solely for electric vehicles. These vehicles do require oils, notably transmission lubricant. Given the torque of EVs, the right fluid is needed. This product has been developed exclusively for electric vehicles and meets the strict manufacturer requirements of Tesla.
www.liqui-moly.com
