Servicing EVs requires a thorough understanding of protocols and procedures.

Over the last several years electric vehicles have been front and centre of almost every industry discussion or focal point. And while they have both their fans and detractors, the fact is, they are increasing in numbers, which means that independent service repair centres will need to be in a position to maintain and repair them.

Often, one of the biggest challenges the industry faces is a lack of knowledge and preparedness as it relates to EVs.

Being ready

“The initial part [for service providers] is just being open and ready to work on them,” says Chris Thorne, Manager, Auto Service Provider Training for UAP (NAPA). He notes that a key consideration before even beginning, is having the right safety training and protocols.

“Safety is essential and there are several items that need to be covered,” he explains. “The shop must have essential safety supplies and equipment properly installed and available at the shop.”

Mark Lemay, who owns and operates Auto Aide Technical Services, which runs Hybrid and EV training programs for technicians, including Tesla specific training, concurs. “Every technician needs to have general working knowledge of the vehicle and how everything operates, including how to de-power it and make it safe to work on.”

Lemay says that even though there is a lot of discussion around the high voltage systems used on hybrids and battery electrics, so long as technicians follow the proper power down procedures, there is minimal risk of getting injured when working on these types of vehicles. “There are also many redundant safety features built-into these vehicles,” he says. “If you follow the procedures before you touch any part of the high voltage system, you’re not going to get hurt.”

The right equipment

Beyond the safety factor and for battery EVs, investing in the right equipment, is key, including insulated hand tools, high voltage multimeters, EV specific vehicle lifts and heavy-duty vehicle hoists (since battery electric vehicles tend to weigh significantly more than their gasoline or diesel-engine counterparts. Specific battery removal tools are also needed since often, on these vehicles, the high voltage battery pack is a structural component and specific care must be taken when removing the battery and storing it.

Then, there’s also the question of who will be working on EVs when they come into your shop. At Midas St. Catharines, in St. Catharines, Ontario, Operations Manager Frank Perry notes that by assigning specific technicians to EV servicing and repairs, this specialization “allows them to become experts in handling most aspects of electric vehicle systems, making repairs more efficient and safer, thereby elevating customer satisfaction and trust in the repair facility.”

When it comes to training, Mark Lemay notes that there are some significant obstacles that tend to crop up and most of them are a result of fear. The first concerns the vehicles themselves, namely that that battery electric vehicles are often designed and engineered differently, creating this fear of new technology. “When we think back to the 1970s and the 1980s, it’s similar to when we had to contend with solid-state ignition and then electronic fuel injection,” he says, “but as an industry we overcame that and [EVs] are just another step in the advancement of vehicle technology.”

Minimizing the risk

Another fear related obstacle comes down to investing in training technicians to properly diagnose and repair EVs with the fear that once the shop has made the training investment, that technician will leave. Lemay notes that this will always be a risk, but if you treat your staff well and provide them good compensation, benefits and career advancement, those risks can be minimized.

Yet proper training is key to making it happen. He notes that to make it work effectively, there are several things to consider. Firstly, that the return on investment is there. Secondly, that the business has a culture that focuses on training and development and thirdly, if the shop needs to hire new technicians, that they are properly vetted and the people that join the organization are a good fit in achieving its objectives.

In practice, this isn’t often easy to do, but is essential if the shop wants to ensure its future success and continue to build upon a solid reputation and relationships with its customers.

In terms of the training available, there are more options than ever today to help technicians advance their skills on both traditional vehicles and EVs. Thorne notes that safety and introductory classes to EVs are effective for all technicians in the shop, whether they will be focusing specifically on EVs or not. From there, he says, training is very helpful on the other major EVs systems, such as Battery Charging Systems or Motor Generator Diagnostics. “It is important to note that battery electric and hybrid vehicles have many non-high voltage systems on them.” Additionally, he says, so many good, advanced training classes ‘not only include ICE vehicles, but also EVs in their diagnostics and case study information,’ so there are lot of good reasons to attend classes.”

Updates and repair information

How OEMs handle repair information and software updates is a determining factor in how effectively and efficiently the vehicles can be repaired. A good example is the over-the-air software updates that are available on EVs. Mark Lemay notes that when an EV comes in for service, it can be logged into the shop’s WiFi connection, so the vehicle can access the Internet any time it is in the building. If a software update is required on the vehicle, a notification is sent out, providing the technician and the service centre with the option of doing it instantly or scheduling for a later date. He notes it’s important to distinguish between a software update and a software install. “If I replace a right-side electronics module, that module has to have a certain root program installed in it when I put it in the vehicle,” he says. “So, I would do that through a scan tool or programming device, and then the vehicle would update that module, once the software update becomes available.”

When it comes to service repair information, how the software is written can have a big impact in terms of what the technician can access and how. And this applies equally to EVs or traditional ICE vehicles. “If the software was written incorrectly or didn’t account for a certain aspect, there aren’t going to be any codes for it” says Lemay, “and those situations are pretty common where the code diagnostics can only go so far.” He says that often, explaining how something works, as well as such aspects as frequency base and the voltage it operates at can go a long way to helping technicians properly diagnose and fix the problem. That’s why he says, the top technical trainers in the industry spend a lot of time testing to figure things out so they can provide a solution in how to test something and how it works. This is one reason why it’s so invaluable for technicians to attend these courses, so they can stay ahead of the curve when it comes to diagnosing and fixing EVs and other advanced vehicles.