We are now enthusiastically ready to say “Goodbye to internal combustion engines!” But everyone is clear that so far virtually no one is involved in preparing car repair shops for their new tasks.
This is a very serious matter. He deals with the after-sales service of electric vehicles. The fact is that proper maintenance with them will require market participants: both dealer structures and independent garages, very significant investments in specific garage equipment and training of the necessary staff.
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After-sales service of the electric car
In addition to special lifting equipment for the electric vehicle itself and batteries, which alone can weigh up to 700 kg and more, the company must provide electricians with personal protective equipment. In addition, special multi-testers will be needed, with the help of which service specialists will be able to de-energize the car, measure the insulation resistance and many other important electrical parameters for diagnostics.
At the same time, the mass introduction of electrification and digitalisation, according to experts, will limit the opportunities for growth in the services sector until 2030. Therefore, independent car repair shops will face additional difficulties and a significant increase in competition.
According to a study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the car service business in Western Europe will grow by only 1-2% per year over the next ten years. This is due, on the one hand, to the fact that the cost to owners of battery vehicles is half as low as that of petrol and diesel cars, as they do not need engine oil and operations to replace it. . In practice, electric cars do not have wearing parts and propulsion elements.
A study by the Central Association of the German Automobile Industry (ZDK) found that the achievable labor cost would be reduced by an average of 45%. The loss in sales of spare parts and consumables will reach 75%.
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Manufacturers are preparing half a trillion dollars in investments in electric vehicles
The German VW Group leads in terms of investments
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On the other hand, the growing proliferation of driver assistance systems will reduce the number of accidents by 10-20% by 2030. This, of course, sounds good and sounds very positive, but car repair shops will have to say goodbye to a decent share of revenue and your profits.
As a result, competition in the independent workshop segment will increase significantly. Why independent? Because car manufacturers and their branded repair shops will try to make the most of the growing fleet of electric vehicles through their dominant position.
Proactive data collection will allow them to diagnose remotely and offer early support. This will increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and hence focus primarily on them. In ten years, half of the vehicles will be connected and authorized dealers will be able to increase their market share in Europe by up to 40%.
Overall, the European car market is expected to grow from € 225 billion in 2020 to € 282 billion in 2030. But not everyone will take a piece of this pie – many garages simply will not survive this decade.
Source: Volkswagen
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Technical information
When working with electric vehicles and hybrids, the availability of up-to-date reference and technological information becomes even more important. Without it, it will be impossible to perform, without exaggeration, any service operation.
At the very least, even before you continue to generally repair a hybrid or electric vehicle, you need to know exactly how and where to turn off the battery, that is, how to deactivate it. This is the only way to avoid serious injuries to service personnel, to ensure the safety of your customers and to ensure compliance with the standards prescribed by the vehicle manufacturer.
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In a few years, electric cars will be cheaper to maintain than conventional models
According to a new report
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That is, the service must have the latest repair instructions, containing step-by-step algorithms for activating and deactivating high-voltage systems, as well as for the mode of maintenance or diagnostics of electric and hybrid vehicles. In addition, they must include regulated values of the measured parameters, a description of the purpose of the various contacts and color codes of connectors and cables and, most importantly, instructions and safety warnings.
Who will provide all this information and under what conditions? Here is another issue that is currently struggling with specialized associations and departments, trying to prevent its monopolization by car manufacturers, writes yandex.ru.
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