ADVICE INDUSTRY ASK MIKE:

How Can “EV Isolation” Save Techs from Harm?

This month, we “ASK MIKE” for his thoughts on “EV isolation” and other matters affecting electric vehicle repair and safety. We at Hammer & Dolly hope you find the following exchange useful, and we encourage you to reach out to us if you have a question for Mike on this or any industryrelated matter that he can answer in a future issue.

Hammer & Dolly: As we both know, there is always something new coming down the pike in this industry. This is definitely true when it comes to electric vehicles (EVs). What is “EV isolation,” and how does it play into the greater picture of what needs to be done with these vehicles?

Mike Anderson: As many readers may be aware, I’ve had the honor and privilege of working with the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) to create a series of videos that come out on a weekly basis. Recently, we had the honor to go to I-CAR’s new facility in Chicago and shoot some videos. While we were there, we shot one in regard to EV isolation. One of the things that I was not privy to but became familiar with is the importance of protecting any electrical connector we disconnect. One of the things that was brought to our attention – and I was unaware of it – is that if you get any dust in there, or if you see any primer or paint overspray in there, it could actually cause a catastrophic event if the connector gets plugged back in. So, it’s really important that we protect those connectors when we disconnect them. I-CAR invested in a 3D printer and made some plastic caps that they would put over the plugs to protect them versus someone trying to use a baggy or something that might be on an AC line, for example.

As we’ve been doing research, we’ve found that some EV manufacturers have very specific curing times and maximum temps to bake an EV when you paint it. The average painter probably bakes a vehicle at 140 to 160 degrees F, but I’ve seen some EV manufacturers say you can’t exceed 131 degrees F for longer than 20 minutes. Another manufacturer said 140 degrees. Another one said that when you go to paint the vehicle, you can’t have more than a 20 percent charge on the battery. If there is more than a 20 percent charge, the manufacturer wants you to drive the vehicle in circles with all the accessories turned on so the battery will have a lesser charge. As we start to work more on EVs, we’ll see more precautions in the manufacturers’ procedures that we really need to research and watch.

I’d like to add that I’ve had some shops report that they’ve ordered gloves through a major online marketplace, and those gloves were expired when they received them. I have been told there are one or two companies that can recertify those gloves if you send them to them.

H&D: Obviously, you’re still learning new things all the time about EVs. From your experience, how would you gauge where the industry is in terms of embracing EVs as an ongoing concern? We’ve been talking about EVs for years now, but what are you seeing out there?

MA: To give credit to Lucid and Rivian, as you see some of those new vehicle manufacturers being introduced, I think they’re doing a great job of bringing us up to speed on some of the things that are needed. To paraphrase something Jake Rodenroth from Lucid has said, ‘A vehicle can kill a person now if they don’t do something right.’ We’re not trying to be fearmongers, but people really need to make sure to do the research before they start to work on something. It’s important to look up what the precautions are to disconnect a battery or work on the vehicle. With today’s EVs, it’s

BY MIKE ANDERSON

more than just making sure you don’t cause any harm to the car; it’s also to make sure you don’t harm yourself

H&D: We’ve talked a lot about technicians’ safety when it comes to EVs. What’s your impression of shop owners’ preparedness in making sure their facilities have the level of safety needed to work on these vehicles?

MA: There’s still a lot of uncertainty in terms of what shops need to do to prepare; there are still a lot of questions that are going to evolve. If you have to charge a battery, which requires electricity, who’s responsible for the electricity that it takes while the vehicle is in the shop being worked on? Will someone say that’s a cost of doing business? Will someone else say that’s a billable item? Electricity costs money – especially when you’re working on 10 or 20 EVs. That could be a cost every month. It’s also about taking a look at the infrastructure of your facility to support chargers. There’s a website, clippercreek.com, that sells EV chargers. If you go to that site, there’s a ‘rebates and incentives’ link that tells you any rebates that

Mike Anderson is an Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) and the former owner of Wagonwork Collision Centers, two highly acclaimed shops located in Alexandria, VA. He has served as a member of many industry organizations throughout his career, including the WMABA Board of Directors, the Mitchell Advisory Board, the MOTOR Advisory Board, the ASE Test Review Committee, the National Auto Body Council, the Collision Industry Conference and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists. Additionally, he is a past Virginia SkillsUSA chairman, serves as a facilitator for Axalta Coating Systems’ highly recognized Business Council 20 Groups in both the US and Canada and facilitates numerous courses for Axalta Coating Systems’ Educational Series. He currently offers expert industry consulting via his latest venture, Collision Advice (collisionadvice.com). H&D are available in each state if you install an EV charger. If a shop works on EVs and they have chargers, there are a lot of EV charging apps that customers have on their phones that shops can take advantage of by being listed there.

I’m confident that the OEMs will give us the right training to perform safe and proper repairs on EVs, but it’s going to take a change in the way we see things. EVs are going to do to this industry what aluminum never did. Aluminum kind of separated shops a little bit; you have some shops that became certified to fix many European cars that had restricted parts sales. Some of the shops couldn’t work on the cars because they couldn’t buy the parts. EVs will separate shops even more due to the investment in equipment, training and tooling.

SCRS’ “Quick Tip” videos on EV isolation and more are available at youtube.com/SCRSCollision.com). H&D