The EV future - Repair and maintenance of electric vehicles

The future of vehicles is exciting and compelling. The industry is constantly evolving, and in the next few years, we expect to ramp up the use and maintenance of Electric Vehicles (EVs) exponentially in Australia. While the future is exciting and EVs bring extensive social and environmental benefits, they present potential issues and considerations for insurers, repairers and in-turn their owners.

Currently, less than 1% of Australian car sales in 2020 were EVs. A major consideration is the slew of benefits and features modern EVs provide when it comes to repairability and maintenance. In a technical sense, and very analogous to other computing devices, the more features and benefits a technological solution provides, the more complex and convoluted the repairs and maintenance process. This definitely holds true to EVs. 

The primary issue with EVs appears to be a lack of availability of suitable repairers , who now must be extremely knowledgeable about electric components many cars do not have. Cars currently employ ADAS Technology to a limited extent - but Electric Vehicles take that to the next level. EVs often have heightened levels of existing technology - crisp 360 degree cameras, parking sensors in every nook and corner, smarter lane alignment and departure systems - just to name a few. In existing cars, ADAS technology already increases cost of repairs and time of repairs. EVs would only exacerbate these issues, showcasing the ‘cost’ of modernization to be the current day’s repair process and timings - often referred to in other technology verticals as an ‘Early Adopter Tax’.

It is with this understanding, repairer, insurers and associate parties must adequately prepare and accommodate for these changes. Statistics have shown that within Australia, there are a handful of repairers who can currently accommodate and maintain EV’s (particularly Teslas, the most ubiquitous brand at present). Additionally, the biggest challenge EVs pose to the dealerships, is the significant downturn in revenue from lack of service cost. 

EVs challenge both the front-end of motor vehicle purchasing, and the back-end / insurance perspective, in maintaining and repairing said vehicles.

Visit https://www.arniesoftware.com/  to learn about all the exciting things we are doing on the forefront of the revolution in our motor world with EV’s.

By Hasib Ahadi, Arnie Account Manager