EV - The Future of Workshops and Mechanics

Recently while sending my daily for its regular service at my neighbourhood workshop, I glanced upon a new Kia EV6 parked close-by. Seeing this I decided to strike up a conversation with my mechanic on what he thinks of his future livelihood? Sensitive question I agree but nevertheless unavoidable. For a second the chatty chap went silent and just stared blankly. This must be a topic that he (or most in his position) are not prepared to deal with. He does understand that change is unavoidable and coming but have little to no know-how on how to prepare for what’s coming.

To add on most traditional mechanics are not tech savvy to undergo the required training in handling EV's highly complex software and electronics. They still stand by the old ways of on-the-field training. Furthermore, there is no single government body that is looking at this aspect of the industry and they are left to figure it out themselves. 

As for the whole EV eco-system, what we can notice is nearly all manufacturers taking this opportunity to shift and become the sole service provider to their customers thus cutting out the need to use external service providers indefinitely. Most EV's sold have long service intervals and should the buyers have any battery or motor issues they would have to head only to the authorised centres as manufacturers slowly set stringent parts control. Vehicle update too is just a few click of the screen away via OTA. All this further cementing the fact that traditional service centres one day fade away. So, to adapt and still be relevant what are the changes the traditional service centre has to go thru? 

From what we can see, one service that would never be affected but will only flourish would be the need for replacement tyre. This is due to the fact that EV's have higher tyre wear due to its higher weight and high instant torque. As an example, ICE vehicles could go 60,000km on a set of tyres, while most EV would require replacement tyres at about 30,000km. 

What other industries do you think our local mechanics can evolve to in the automotive field of the future?

(Images Source: Google)