We’re really looking forward to the New York International Auto Show next month. We’ll check out all the exciting gas-burning cars, of course. But what really excites us is the opportunity to get a close look at the new Chevy Bolt, an all-electric plug-in car that offers a claimed driving range of 238 miles on a full charge.

What is an all-electric plug in car? It is a car that has no gas engine at all for propulsion, only batteries and an electric motor. (Hybrid cars, in contrast, have both electric motors and gas engines that recharge them, so you can keep adding gas and keep on driving, just like you do in current gas-powered cars.)

Other all-electric plug-in cars will be on display at the Auto Show too, including the BMW I3, the Nissan Leaf, and all-electric cars from Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi and even Fiat.

How All-Electric Cars Will Change Your Automotive Service Department

This is where things get interesting. Let’s assume that the day will come when gas engines will go away completely and only all-electric cars will be on the road. That’s not going to happen anytime soon, of course, we’re thinking theoretically. But if it does happen, how will that changes you offer in your service department.

Services that will go away . . .

• Oil changes
• Tune ups
• Ignition services
• Transmission services (traditional transmissions are not used on electric cars)
• Ring and valve repairs
• Fuel injection repairs
• Gas tank repairs
• Muffler and exhaust system repairs
• Water and fuel pump repairs
• Radiator and cooling system repairs

Services that will still be needed . . .

• Tire and wheel replacements
• Air conditioning repairs
• Brake repairs

New services that will be required . . .

• Electronic systems and computer repairs
• Advanced diagnostics and repairs of auto-driving, lane-holding, auto-braking and other advanced safety systems (electric cars are expected to increasingly be equipped with advanced safety systems)

How Will Your Training Change?

As you can see from the comments above in today’s post, service department technicians will need to be trained to understand, diagnose, maintain and repair a growing number of advanced new automotive systems.

They must also be trained to implement new strategies to keep your repair department profitable despite all the changes that are about to occur.

How should your training change and adapt? We invite you to speak with a Tortal Training consultant today to successfully plan for all the changes that will take place, starting now.