Editor’s Forum

EDITOR’S FORUM ROSA SOPHIA • MANAGING EDITOR

THE FUTURE IS NOW

As always, when faced with evolving technological changes— in this case, electric vehicles—the best thing to do is keep up and keep learning.

Although the number of electric vehicles on the road today is actually smaller than you’d think—less than one percent—it’s important to consider how these technologies will change the way the 12-volt industry moves forward. At KnowledgeFest Dallas this past August, Chris Cook of Mobile Electronics Association hosted a Connect2Car panel for manufacturers to discuss the topic.

While listening to the presentation, I couldn’t help but think of my own exposure to electric and hybrid vehicles: When I first enrolled in automotive school in 2010, EVs weren’t yet in the curriculum, but the school knew they had to get students thinking about what was to come. While it wasn’t enough, we attended an introductory session on electric vehicles, presented by an outside trainer who used our drivability instructor’s Prius as his demo vehicle. At the time, I thought a lot more people would be driving electric cars in the near future. Yet, the number remains small because there are still issues with the technology, such as charging, whether or not power grids can sustain a larger number of these vehicles and cost that’s often too high for the average person.

HOW WILL ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANUFACTURING IMPACT THE NEAR FUTURE?

At KnowledgeFest Dallas, Steve Greenfield of Automotive Ventures predicted a certain level of tension around any shop or individual who wants to work on EVs. “They’ll want rights to be open so they can integrate technology and get schematics to work on these things,” he said. His next statement reminded me of my experience in college: “Can I touch these cars? Will they kill my technicians? What’s the safest way?”

It’s likely, he said, that OEMs will encourage consumers to go to an authorized repair shop to get work done. Of course, more questions continue to be raised around Right to Repair laws. Will repair shops have access to these vehicles, or will more stringent certification be put into place by governing bodies?

According to Greenfield, some anticipate about half of new car sales might be electric by 2030, and while there are concerns around lithium mining and the global powers that control production, manufacturers are already setting all-EV goals. It’s important to note, he said, that some electric vehicles won’t be as good as others, and more funds will be allocated to building additional charging infrastructure.

During the discussion, attendees and panelists talked about long commutes, which only make sense if a car can be charged quickly. The power grid will have to catch up in order to accommodate more electric cars. It seemed like the main concern was charging. There are also questions around cost to charge and how that might change. For now, an electric vehicle—even a Tesla—might be a tough sell for someone who does a lot of driving.

The takeaway: It’s still a new technology and there’s a lot to be worked out. Our industry has an opportunity to be at the forefront of this evolution.

THE ONLY WAY TO FACE FEAR IS TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE

Phil Cantu of Mobile Toys, Inc. in College Station, Texas said it’s important to be honest with the customer if your shop is new to EVs: “There are things we have to figure out, and we have to make sure we’re giving [the customer] the best product possible,” he said. “If it’s not realistic, it’s not—and we have to be honest with them.”

If the customer wants to continue, he added, explain what it will take and stay in communication with them throughout the process. After all, every technology was new at one time and required some level of research for technicians to understand it and work on it.

Once my short-lived college class on electric vehicles ended, many of my fellow students—including myself—walked away feeling a much larger sense of fear for the prospect of working on these vehicles. If the instructor was trying to get us interested, he didn’t succeed. Instead, many of my classmates walked away determined to never touch them.

Looking back, we were witness to a very real issue we deal with as any technology changes: Learning new technologies can feel overwhelming, and some of us just don’t want to deal. Even the instructor, tasked with passing on this knowledge, might have been doing so half-heartedly. As always, education remains the key to facing uncertainties.

Like most of us, I first became interested in automotive as a child: I spent summer afternoons building model cars. In my teens, I remember feeling a certain level of trepidation around working on real cars. I decided the only way I could overcome that trepidation was by learning, so I committed myself to learning everything I could about my own car. Maybe, someday, a kid will say, “Hey, my great-great-grandmother drove her own car! Can you believe it?”

Who knows. Regardless of where things end up in the future, committing to education continues to be the best way for all of us to move forward.