The U.S. auto repair industry employs about 750,000 workers and though they are increasingly skilled and tech-savvy, many experts say, they are not prepared for the end of gas-powered transportation.
The reason is simple: Unlike gas-powered engines, electric engines don’t require oil changes, have far fewer moving parts and rarely break down, eliminating much of the maintenance that repair shops rely on. The latest electric vehicles can be serviced using parts purchased online or fixed remotely through over-the-air updates.
“People are freaking out,” Craig Van Batenburg, a Massachusetts mechanic said, noting that some of the resistance to change is strongest in the Midwest and propelled by unfounded rumors of technicians being electrocuted by electric vehicles. “Ninety percent of our industry has done nothing — absolutely nothing to prepare. They just turn the hybrids and EVs away and say, ‘We don’t work on those cars, go back to Ford or Toyota.’ The fear factor is huge.”
Read the original article at The Washington Post.
