Almost two-third of the students were from the automotive industry while the rest were made up of people considering a mid-career transition into the EV sector, car enthusiasts and those who own or intend to own EVs.
LACKLUSTRE INTEREST
Singapore has about 2,000 automotive workshops and some 10,000 technicians.
Many conventional motor workshops told CNA they are in no rush at the moment to send their workers for EV safety training.
The main reason behind the reluctance is warranty – EV purchases include warranties of up to between 8 and 10 years. Hence, EV owners facing issues with their vehicles are likely to go back to their distributors instead of approaching a workshop.
Some workshops also find it hard to free up manpower for training, as regular Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles are still dominant in the market.
“With our existing business, our workshop is already packed. So to devote time for employees to go down (for EV training), there are opportunity costs, and the costs are high,” said Mr Teng Dao Xiong, managing director of 1 Car Service Workshop.
“Plus, if our capacity is already more or less filled, then the additional business of EVs is not going to add much profits to the company.”
The Singapore Motor Workshop Association said most courses are focused on safety and there is a lack of syllabus on the repair and maintenance of EVs.
“Repairing an EV is still very ambiguous. Because what are you repairing? Brakes? Lights? Audio? Those are the same as conventional vehicles,” said SMWA President Mike Keh.
“You can’t repair EV batteries – perhaps you can change them but that will be seven years down the road (after their warranties expire).”