EVs are billed as the future. But a potential skills gap is sparking concerns about cost and safety
A mechanic working on an electric car at a garage in Carquefou, France, in November 2022. The EU is looking to increase the number of EVs on its roads in the coming years.
Loic Venance | AFP | Getty Images
From seatbelts to airbags and radios to parking sensors, today’s cars are packed with innovations that have transformed the vehicles we drive.
Thanks to growing concerns about emissions from road-based transportation, several big economies are gearing up for another huge change: the mass rollout of electric vehicles.
The U.K., for instance, wants to stop the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars and vans by 2030 and will require, from 2035, all new cars and vans to have zero tailpipe emissions.
The European Union, which the U.K. left on Jan. 31, 2020, is pursuing similar targets. And over in the U.S., California — America’s most populous state — is banning the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
The above goals above are years away but, bit by bit, changes are already being seen on the ground.
Take the U.K., for example. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 2022 saw factories there produce 234,066 battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid electric vehicles, a record number that accounted for 30.2% of total car production.
“Total BEV production rose 4.8%, with hybrid volumes up 4.3%, and boosting output of these vehicles will be critical in the attainment of net zero, for both the UK and major overseas markets,” the industry body said.
As the number of EVs on our roads increases, a workforce with the knowledge to fix and properly maintain them will be needed.
There are concerns, however, that a skills gap may emerge in the near future, creating a big headache for both the automotive sector and drivers.
In January, the Institute of the Motor Industry — a professional association for those employed in the sector — said roughly 16% of technicians in the U.K. had the relevant qualifications to work on electrified vehicles.
“The IMI predicts that the number of IMI TechSafe qualified technicians required to work with electric vehicles by 2030 is 77,000, increasing to 89,000 by 2032,” it said.
“Aligned to Auto Trader Insight predictions, this suggests the skills gap — when there won’t be enough technicians to service the electrified vehicle parc — will appear in 2029,” it added. “Parc” is a term the SMMT says represents the “total stock of cars on the roads.”
The size of this skills gap, according to the IMI’s January 2023 forecast, will leap from 700 in 2029 to 13,100 in 2032.
But what would such a scenario actually look like? Steve Nash, the IMI’s CEO, told CNBC there were “a couple of potential issues.”
“One is just the convenience issue of people having to go a lot further than they would want to go to find somebody who’s appropriately qualified to do the work,” he said.
“The other one is potentially cost because, of course, the more demand and the less people there are around [to work on the vehicles] … that could affect the cost of servicing as well.”
Safety is another worry. “That’s always the concern … that if the work is there, and there aren’t the people to do it, then certain people will take a risk — and it genuinely is a risk,” Nash said.
“Some of these vehicles are operating on anything up to sort of 800 volts of direct current … I mean, you don’t need anything like that to be lethal, of course,” he added.
Breaking things down
Nash acknowledged the importance of viewing the new generation of vehicles as being “electrified” and made up of pure electrics, hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
“But fundamentally, electric vehicles are totally different to internal combustion engine vehicles,” he said.
“So somebody who has spent their life working on internal combustion engines can’t simply make the switch from one to the other.”
“And there are inherent risks involved in that because … electrified vehicles operate at very high voltages.”
During his interview, Nash stressed the importance of having a skilled workforce. He argued that while those working on cars face the biggest risk, “it isn’t a risk if you know what you’re doing, it isn’t a risk at all.”
“There are risks associated with working on internal combustion engines, but … we’ve had 100 years to get used to that.”
The IMI is not alone in keeping a close eye on how the increasing numbers of electric vehicles on our roads will play out.
In a statement sent to CNBC, AVERE, The European Association for Electromobility, touched upon the changes taking place in the automotive workforce.
“There is a shift in the market, with jobs moving from vehicle production, as EVs require less intensive work than fossil fuel vehicles, to the production of batteries,” it said. “We see more EVs on the roads and more charging infrastructure installed.”
This transition, it added, is creating “a significant demand for skilled labourers to fill the many upcoming open positions.”
“As e-mobility growth becomes more important by the year, there is a pressing need to fill this gap,” it said.
‘Chipping away at the skills gap’
In January, the IMI expressed concern that “the pace of training” was “waning” despite over 11,500 technicians carrying out the training and qualifications needed to get its IMI TechSafe professional recognition in the first nine months of 2022.
At the time, Nash said it was “crucial the sector continues to train and skill its workforce at significant rates.”
“But with current economic pressures there is concern that training budgets will be the first to be cut,” he added.
Nash went on to describe government support for training as being “vital,” a message he reinforced during his interview with CNBC.
“As far as the technician population is concerned … the people who are working on the cars, I think we just need to see the continuation of the efforts that are going [on] … at the moment.”
“We are chipping away at the skills gap, but that … just needs to be sustained.”
In a statement sent to CNBC, a government spokesperson said that the “number of qualified mechanics for electric vehicles in the UK is currently well ahead of demand.”
“Government is working closely with industry to maintain the UK’s momentum, and we’re confident manufacturers will help ensure they have the trained staff they need to keep up with growing demand,” they added.
“We are making sure that the UK has the skills to remain at the forefront of the EV industry with Skills Bootcamps, as well as through the Electrification Skills Boost and investment in apprenticeships, which will increase to £2.7 billion by 2024-25.”
Slate Auto, a new EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has poached a key Tesla manufacturing leader to build its electric pickup truck factory in Indiana.
Napoleon Reyes is a US Marine from Indiana who got a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue after leaving the force.
He then worked a few years at Subaru and Wabash before joining Tesla’s manufacturing team at the Fremont Factory in 2020.
There, he became part of the Model Y production ramp and was quickly promoted to lead the Model Y General Assembly in Fremont in 2022.
Reyes led Model Y GA, one of the most critical parts of vehicle manufacturing, for more than a year before being promoted again to lead new pilot processes at the factory.
Most recently, he led the launch of the general assembly line for the Model Y refresh.
The new engineering manager announced this week that he is leaving Tesla to join Slate:
A bit late on the post but after nearly 5 years working at Tesla in Fremont, I made the difficult decision to leave the Company and move closer to home with my family. It was an incredible experience being part of multiple line expansions and multiple Model Y program launches. Leading and managing the Model Y Refresh launch for GA in Fremont this year tested me professionally however we ultimately succeeded due to our amazing cross functional team collaboration. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with such great people, and I will forever be proud and thankful for everything we accomplished together.
I will be taking on a new role as Senior Manager, Plant Vehicle Engineering at Slate Auto in Warsaw, In.
Slate emerged from stealth mode earlier this year to unveil a new type of electric pickup truck featuring modular customization and an affordable price.
The company raised over $700 million through two rounds of investments from several different investors, including Jeff Bezos. It is currently raising more, which basically guarantees that it will be able to reach production.
The startup acquired a former printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana. It is currently converting to manufacture its electric pickup with a team from legacy automakers and also several former engineers and leaders from Tesla.
Rich Schmidt, an early Tesla manufacturing director, is the head of manufacturing.
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Genesis is preparing to shake things up with its most luxurious SUV yet, the GV90. Thanks to a new patent filing, we are getting a detailed look at how its Rolls-Royce-style coach doors will work.
New patent reveals Genesis GV90 coach door system
When Genesis first unveiled the full-size SUV at the NY Auto Show last March, it wasn’t the stunning design or advanced tech that caught everyone’s attention. It was the coach doors.
Although we were worried it wouldn’t make it to the production model, like many concepts, the Genesis GV90 will be offered with coach doors.
The ultra-luxe electric SUV was first caught with coach doors earlier this year on a car carrier in South Korea. Just last month, the GV90 was spotted in California with a hinge at the rear to open the coach doors.
After several new patents were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for new door latching devices, we are getting a sneak peek at how they are expected to work.
The patents, titled “Cinching Device For Door Latches in Vehicle,” and “Door Latch Device for Vehicles,” give a pretty detailed explanation of how the Genesis GV90’s coach doors will operate. The “Door Latch Device” uses a door striker on the lower side of the door, which is opened or closed by a hinge unit.
Unlike traditional doors, which use the B-pillar for support, the device is attached directly to the door itself, allowing for hinge-like movement.
The cinching device works in a similar way. It’s also attached to the door and part of the vehicle. However, unlike most of its kind, Genesis found a way to use a single cinching device to control multiple units. Again, the device is used for B-pillarless doors that swing open.
Genesis already said that B-pillarless coach doors are now feasible in production vehicles. The patent reveals a glimpse into how the luxury automaker could make it a reality.
Although the Genesis GV90 is expected to be offered with coach doors, they will likely not be standard. Other variants, with traditional door handles, have also been spotted testing in the US and South Korea.
Genesis is expected to launch the GV90 in mid-2026. It will be built at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant in South Korea. The flagship Genesis SUV is scheduled to debut on Hyundai’s new eM platform, which the company said will “provide 50% improvement in driving range.” It will also be loaded with the latest technology, software, connectivity, and Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capabilities.
Source: USPTO
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Environment
Podcast: Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the launch of the Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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