Electrified Future
While it’s true that our industry is still dealing with supply chain issues and the rising cost of fuel, as you read through this issue of Autosphere Mag, I’m sure you’ll notice that there seems to be a shift in focus for everyone from retailers to fleets to shop owners and beyond. Everyone is planning and preparing for the inevitable electrified future.
It’s almost as though we have all collectively come to terms with the challenges we face currently, but at the same time, we’re thinking about what comes next. We’re planning our next steps, realizing that we must continue to deal with the challenges we face day-to-day, while simultaneously putting plans in place so that we’re ready for the future, when it arrives.
EVs: A surge in demand
Granted, electric vehicles have been around for years, so they’re not really new. However, due to the recent war in Ukraine, and the subsequent spike in global oil prices, suddenly electric vehicles are on everyone’s radar.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. In the French issue of Autosphere Mag, André Gamelin, owner of two “Pièces d’auto Super” stores in Quebec made the following point: “It’s essential that [automotive retailers] adopt new technologies. Installing an [electric vehicle charger] outside your business clearly demonstrates that you are ready to welcome these high-tech vehicles.”
Gamelin isn’t alone in his conviction that now is the time to prepare for an electrified future, and to let consumers know that their electric vehicles are welcome in your retail locations and in your service bays.
Once they arrive, however, you’ll need to make sure your automotive techs are trained to work on these high-tech computers on wheels. Servicing EVs is a completely new challenge that we need to prepare our workforce for.
That’s why in his column (in this issue of Autosphere Mag) Todd Bourgon, Executive Director of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) discusses the automotive technician shortage we’re all very well aware of, along with proactive measures the industry must take in order to prepare for tomorrow’s demands.
He urges car dealers to get involved and to “speak with their local members of parliament to ensure that curriculums are modernized to meet the needs of the industry.” The bottom line is that our electrified future is just ahead of us. The timetable, in fact, may have been accelerated due to recent geopolitical events. So while we deal with today, let’s all prepare for tomorrow, because it’s coming faster than we might anticipate.
