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Will electric cars create a whole new class of mechanic?

Or are they pretty much the same under the hood?

Obviously, about this I know nothing.

Misty Brown asked in Cars & Motorcycles 10 months ago | Report

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  • Cappa_small
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    If I recall correctly, in "Who Killed The Electric Car?," the filmmakers interviewed an EV-1 mechanic who talked about how easy maintenance was. No more oil changes, no more dirty air filters, no more gross toxic engine coolant requiring regular changes. And if I'm not mistaken, no multi-gear transmissions or clutches to lubricate, wear out, replace, etc.

    So what all-electric vehicles will do, in all likelihood, is eliminate, decimate, or force the metamorphosis of traditional auto industry clusters--parts manufacturers and supply chains, repair shops, emissions testing and certification, the whole nine. The Li-ion batteries are estimated (if not warranteed) to keep at least 80% of their charge for 7 to 8 years. There might be some new work around replacing and recycling batteries, but otherwise I'd think mechanics would have to busy themselves doing traditional body/hardware/electronics repair.

    capicola answered in Cars & Motorcycles 10 months ago | Report
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    I suspect there will be a degree of specialization for a while, but eventually all mechanics will be able to work on hybrids and electrics. Sort of like how it used to be if you had an import you needed a mechanic with the specialized knowledge (and metric tools) to work on it, but as they gained market share practically every mechanic picked these up.

    Jack answered in Cars & Motorcycles 10 months ago | Report
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    Andrew Beck

    There's really nothing mechanical to an electric car to fix.

    The motors are basically closed systems. It's conceivable that they could be opened up to fix, but it's not very likely. But I think it's much more likely that in the event of a failing motor, a new one (or rebuilt one) is just swapped in and the old one rebuilt off site somewhere.

    Most electric cars don't have a transmission, so that is a huge thing that mechanics will no longer service.

    The battery pack will eventually wear out, but again this is just going to be a swap. The mechanic has nothing to do but unbolt what's there, bolt in the new one, and plugging it in.

    Most of the brains of the car are going to be on just a few circuit boards that can be swapped in and out.

    There will still be small items (button, wiper assemblies, headlights, locks, windows) that will break. But again these are nothing that the mechanic will fix really. Most often, it will just be swapping in a entirely new part.

    So, in summary; Mechanics are going to have a lot less to do. And a lot of repairs are going to be so easy that you could do it yourself if you had the right tools.

    Andrew Beck answered in Cars & Motorcycles 10 months ago | Report
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