As the automotive aftermarket prepares for a future featuring more electric vehicles, independent auto repair shops have an important decision regarding how they will approach not only service and repair but the training of their technicians.
Once novel, electric vehicles are becoming more prominent on the highway. According to S&P Global Mobility’s data, electric vehicle sales in the United States “could reach 40% of total passenger car sales by 2030.” If so, independent repair shops still have time to capture this opportunity by investing in quality training and proper tools to prepare their technicians for EV maintenance and repair.
As reported in the 2024 Ratchet+Wrench Industry Survey Report, 47% of auto repair shop owners have set their sights on electric vehicle work within the next five years. Endeavor Business Media automotive research firm IMR reports show that 59.2% of shop owners with 4-7 bays have invested in training for their technicians to work on electric vehicles with 54.6% of those shops reporting that they believe the increase of EVs and hybrids on the road will impact their shops.
With the Biden Administration pushing for an all-electric, sustainable future and automakers caught in the crossfire of meeting that federal demand while the consumer market shifts its position on EVs (it’s less confident), shops now have a renewed opportunity to get caught up on the training necessary to work on these vehicles.
Ratchet+Wrench spoke to three industry professionals to get their position on the importance and necessity of electric vehicle training, each with a different perspective, but whose outcome echoes the same message: train now.
The Educator
David Macholz is the founder of Advanced Vehicle Technology Group, an organization dedicated to educating technicians. He has a background in automotive education and technician training—on the high school, collegiate level, and professional circuit—with a focus on vehicle electrification, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and other emerging technologies.
Macholz’s says his primary goal is to get students excited about the industry. In the classroom, he adds that the 168 automotive students who entered the program at Suffolk Community College (New York) are excited about the automotive industry, its career possibilities, and the opportunity to go to school for something they're passionate about.
“They're excited about technological changes in the industry and I think a lot of students are starting to see this as more of a technological field than dirty (one)—you know, sort of the perception of what we've been trying to fight as an industry for years that this is a dirty job that kids who don't do so well in school should take,” Macholz says.
One of the challenges he faces as a classroom educator is access. Since electric vehicle service and repair is new to many automotive programs in higher education, schools are still looking for ways to purchase EVs for students to work on and acquire the necessary tools and equipment.
What differentiates this generation of student techs from working techs in training is how they see EVs—today’s students see them as any other car, which means their education is integrated and not additional.
“If you think about the aftermarket, we have a lot of shops that have said for years, and this started when hybrids came out, I don't think I want to work on that. That's not something I want to learn, or it’s something I may be a little bit afraid to work on it. But this generation of students, as they start, when these vehicles are in their training programs and they're working on that vehicle the same way they would as an ICE engine vehicle, they don't have that same perception. (They say) this is just my job,” Macholz says.
Macholz says young techs coming into shops are ready to work on advanced technology and want to work in an environment that will nurture that curiosity and desire and provide them with a clear career path forward. Today’s students look at automotive with the same pride they would a career in IT or cybersecurity. They’re also eager to learn and continue their personal and professional growth beyond the classroom and eventually beyond the shop, which he thinks shop owners should embrace and encourage.
“What we have to do is we have to paint a picture for individuals that enter shops to show them what are the steps that it takes to get to the next level. And what's the level after that? And how do they keep going? And how do they keep stacking new skills and new experiences and maybe new certifications to move up the career ladder? I think that's going to be paramount for shops in terms of retention to keep them engaged,” Macholz says.
In creating Advanced Vehicle Technology Group, Macholz seeks to become that resource for continuing technician training in electric vehicles and emerging technologies. He wants his outfit to be a spoke in the hub of high-quality training that can be found around the industry.
“I think we have to have a continuing education plan for the industry as well to make sure that folks are engaging with what resources are out there and available, whether it's in-person or online training or some of the new software and app-based programs that are out there to just engage them,” Macholz says.
“I think also the challenge for employers is realizing no matter how good of a job a school does, they're going to have to have a role in the development of a technician ...” - David Macholz, founder/educator, Advanced Vehicle Technology Group
He adds that auto repair shop owners should make it a priority to get involved with high schools, technical schools, and community colleges to help close the feedback loop these institutions need to produce industry-ready auto techs who can come from the classroom to the bay and be an asset to helping shops with electric vehicle work from the start.
“I think it's paramount for the industry to say, ‘Hey, here's what we expect of students coming out of programs’ and us aligning programs to those needs if that makes sense. It seems like there's like a break in the feedback loop between schools and shops. I think if a shop is used to getting students that are not skilled, there becomes some disengagement, right?” Macholz adds.
Macholz says that given the continuous development and advancement in electric vehicle technology and the need for auto repair shop technicians to be prepared for these vehicles as they become more common in independent repair facilities around the country, the need for training will be constant beyond formal technical education.
“I think also the challenge for employers is realizing no matter how good of a job a school does, they're going to have to have a role in the development of a technician, even if that technician went through a career program at a high school, a community college, or a technical school.”
The Trainer
Genuine Parts Company automotive instructor and ASE master technician Bill Weaver has spent more than 35 years in the automotive industry. His resume includes 25 years as a transmission specialist and diagnostician and 10 years as an instructor. In August, he trained several technicians from NAPA Autocare Centers at Stark State College Automotive Technology Center in North Canton, Ohio, on electric vehicle safety, repair, and maintenance.
Weaver’s journey into electrification began in 2012 with the purchase of his first hybrid vehicle, a Ford Fusion. “We had a 2012, a 2014, a 2017, then we had a 2019 Lincoln MKZ. I've always had Ford hybrids.,” Weaver notes. Before training technicians on electric vehicles, Weaver taught hybrid vehicle technology not realizing one day he would become an in-demand training expert for electric vehicles. “I got into it because the future was very apparent. I've had four automotive careers—this is my fourth,” Weaver says. (His first three being a gas station garage line tech, running a transmission shop, and an instructor.)
In 2022, NAPA came knocking, and with it the opportunity for Weaver to have a dedicated teaching space at Stark State College, one which they’d provide. In August, Weaver taught eight technicians at the facility. As a trainer, he maintains a full calendar of training events.
“Right now, I just set a schedule for next year. I think I put out 11 Level 1s and eight Level 2s. That allows me to build the classes and maintain the classes. I’m only one guy, and there's an immense amount of trade shows that they've got me doing next year,” Weaver says, mentioning VISION and AAPEX as part of his training circuit.
For technicians to train at Stark State College with Weaver, they need to have an ASE A6 certification and two years of shop experience prior to applying. Weaver says that while it’s not his place to tell a shop owner how to move his facility forward into electrification, he believes the owner needs to first have a vision for how EV service and repair will look in their shop. He also contends that those who are forward-thinking will know what to do concerning EV readiness and technician training.
“You can't drive your car looking out the rearview mirror,” Weaver says. “If you bought your 1234-YF machine before everybody else in the neighborhood did, you already sewed up that market. If you decided to invest in ADAS because it's on every vehicle and you already do alignments and you do work for body shops, you're ahead of the curve.”
He recommends that shop owners dipping their toe in the water of electric vehicle service and maintenance choose one technician to train in electric. This technician can learn the gamut of EV work and teach other technicians in the shop. He says that having at least one tech available to work on EVs will prevent potential customers who may have purchased an EV from having to find another shop to work on their car.
Weaver adds that auto repair shop owners owe it to their customers and their teams to be prepared, particularly as many electric vehicles begin to age out of their manufacturer’s warranties and will need the services independent auto repair shops offer. Whether you want to be an EV shop or not is arbitrary, he adds, stating that eventually a Telsa with a broken control arm or one in need of a 12-volt battery will find its way into your bay—and you need to be ready to service it.
“I would say as a shop owner, if you're forward-looking, you at least have to think about getting one guy involved in it, honestly, (it’s an) investment,” Weaver says. “They're building over a million of those things a year, you're going to see one. With the fact that they are now used cars and they are secondary market cars, anybody can buy these things now. They're everywhere. Hertz has flooded the market with cheap ones. They're out there.”
By selecting a technician to become your shop’s EV training ambassador and investing in their training, Weaver says it sends a clear message to the technician, who then feels valued by the shop owner. “When somebody sent me to training, you know what I thought about that owner? ‘Man, I'm like a partner now,’” Weaver says.
Weaver acknowledges that some auto repair shop owners fear investing in their technicians worrying that they’ll gain the knowledge and skills only to take them to another shop. Weaver says that’s when a shop owner needs to take inventory of how they’re hiring.
“I would say as a shop owner, if you're forward-looking, you at least have to think about getting one guy involved in it, honestly, (it’s an) investment” - Bill Weaver, trainer, NAPA EV Ready
“If you hired the right guy, he wants to go to training. And if you hired the right guy, he's going to keep that training in your shop. It's a benefit. And if you're worried about him leaving after you train him, maybe you need to make a better environment for him to be in,” Weaver says.
And when you invest in training, it improves your retention, it improves your culture, and it keeps your technicians engaged.
“That person feels like, ‘Wow, I'm a part of this team, you invested in me. Now I'm going to stick around and help build this because I'm out here training eight hours a day, four days a week,” Weaver says.
When training, Weaver works between classroom and shop instruction. What’s taught from the front of the class is reinforced in real-time on varying electric vehicles in the shop. Weaver instructs and observes, pushing technicians towards one another to learn in clusters together. Every so often, he’ll shuffle them amongst one another to have them teaching and training one another. By the middle of the week, Weaver fades back a bit and allows them to problem-solve together to reinforce their learning and to grow through collaboration. He calls it his Homer Simpson into the tree line impression, after the famous internet meme of the popular animated character who fades inconspicuously into the trees to not have his exit noticed.
“I watch them start teaching one another and that's the moment where I realize this stuff has all been imparted. They're going back and forth, and I'll listen and listen and listen. I let them walk right over to the guard rail and look over to the abyss, and then grab them by the belt buckle. Don't go over that edge,” Weaver says, highlighting his teaching style that allows the techs to learn through recall.
“I have not been unimpressed by any single technician that's been here so far,” says Weaver.
He says shops historically only send their best techs and he wants techs to train who have a goal to achieve. Techs begin with the first level class dubbed “electrically aware technician.” Techs in this program should understand 12-volt cars and the operation of shops and regular automobiles, air conditioning, et cetera, and they’re introduced to the concept, the risks, and the proper way to service anything that has to do with high voltage. It also covers personal protective gear and electric vehicle service safety. He asserts that safety is up to the individual technician since only they know if they’re safe.
“Can Clyde tell you you're safe? Can Joey tell you you're safe? Nope, only I can tell me I'm safe,” Weaver says. “How do you know if you're safe? By trusting the equipment and the testing techniques that you've been taught to use. So, we make them actually do the technique.”
“More techs should be cross-trained on EVs and more techs in the shop should be doing it. They’re going to become more popular, and the further you get behind, the less room for you in this industry.” - Isaiah Davis, technician, Turbo Tim’s Anything Automotive
From safety protocols, techs use tools and learn how and why they’re used on electric vehicles. Then they try the tools, learn to read voltage meters, understand current, and then the light bulb goes on. That’s what Weaver loves. Weaver believes in a full tactile experience, which was born out of his frustration with the American education system.
“Mechanics are tactile learners. They've always been tactile learners,” Weaver says. “They can read it, but if they touch it and do it, they own it. If they touch it and do it one time, it's there. If I can get them to touch it and do it and then teach it to somebody, what's the retention on that? It's a lifetime—that's what this program does.
“My goal for the technicians is to go back with that EV swagger.”
The Technician
Curiosity. That’s what Isaiah Davis, a Gen Z auto technician at Turbo Tim’s Anything Automotive, with three locations across Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, says was the catalyst that piqued his interest in the service and maintenance of electric vehicles. “I grew to like them,” he adds, “I'm seeing them every day, and I want to start progressing in my (EV) automotive knowledge and skills.”
Davis says his coworkers don’t have the same passion for working on electric vehicles, so he has taken it upon himself to be the go-to technician for all things electric at the shop. It’s not uncommon for technicians to gravitate toward specific vehicle interests in the shop environment, but as electrification—and even ADAS—become more prominent components of vehicle repair, shops tend to follow a similar pattern like that at Turbo Tim’s where one tech takes the lead on new technology and introduces it to the others in the shop.
“I want to be the tech that can get other people more interested in it here,” Davis says.
Davis took a pioneering approach to learning how to repair the vehicles, mostly self-training through a hands-on approach. Additional training came through courses from The Group, offered by Turbo Tim’s, VISION Hi-Tech Training & Expo—“I took all those classes,” he adds—and one with Electron John, an industry EV and engine performance trainer. “I also watch all his YouTube videos. He’s really got me to look more into it,” Davis says.
He says it’s important for technicians to dip their toes into the water and learn how to service and repair EVs as they become more prominent. The repair of electric vehicles won’t be as complex as internal combustion engine vehicles, but understanding how they work, what breaks, and how to service them is important, according to Davis. He believes from a career mobility standpoint, younger techs who grasp the knowledge will fare best in their shops.
“I think the more we get into it as early as we can, the more beneficial it will be for us to ease into other fully electric vehicles. So, if you start there and work your way up, you're going to build up (your skills) to be a future technician in this industry rather than staying behind,” Davis states.
Davis believes adequate training is available and techs should capitalize on it when the opportunity arises to keep their shop competitive with the dealerships who more often first crack at OEM-level EV training.
“I think there's a lot of like manufacturers not wanting to release (training) to us right now, and it would be nice to get everything that we can right away so that we can learn but dealers don't like giving out information to us, so I think the longer EVs are in the public eye, the more access we will have to further training and testing and everything,” Davis says.
For Davis, he has forward-thinking employers in Tim Suggs and Rachel Grewell, who allow him to train as much as he needs. Suggs has even allowed Davis to work on his personal EV. “He's had me work on his Tesla a few times,” he says.
He says it’s important for auto repair shop owners to identify techs who have an interest in learning electric vehicle repair and maintenance and find ways to get them trained to become an asset to your shop.
“Don't be afraid to take a risk. Just jump right into it,” Davis encourages, adding that for technicians, EV work is not as intimidating as some might think.
“More techs should be cross-trained on EVs and more techs in the shop should be doing it. They’re going to become more popular, and the further you get behind, the less room for you in this industry,” Davis says. “You can't just stay working on one vehicle. So, whether it’s an EV market or if it's a hydrogen market, you've got to learn how to do that. It's going to be inevitable at this point.”
