A national automotive group is warning that Canada lacks a standardized training system for electric vehicle technicians as the Liberal government seeks to completely phase out new fuel-powered vehicles by 2035.
According to the Automotive Industries Association of Canada, the auto care sector is not ready to deal with a surge in new electric vehicles and the burden will get only worse once the cars exceed their warranty.
“However, it is not just the manufacturers that need to adjust—this affects the auto care sector as well, wrote the association in a press release.
“While this new mandate pushes consumers to purchase ZEVs (zero-emission vehicles), once the vehicle’s warranty is over, more ZEV owners will come to rely heavily on the auto care sector.”
The association said a standardized training program needs to be in place that allows for up-skilling opportunities. More importantly, the organization said that the training system needs to be affordable and offered in both rural and urban areas.
“Standardized training is needed. If the federal government wants to achieve the goal of the EV mandate, then there must be standardized training in place for the auto care sector,” the group argued.
“Servicing and repairing EVs is complex, and for people to safely service and repair them, standardized training needs to be available.”
While there are training programs available currently, the association said that the responsibility to install a standardized system shouldn’t be on businesses but rather on the government, since it’s imposing its mandate.
“Canada is lacking a comprehensive national strategy where the government plays a role in enabling workers to receive standardized training about the foundations of repairing and servicing EVs,” reads the statement.
“The responsibility to initiate these trainings, when EVs are becoming government mandated, should not solely be on the companies.”
In December 2023, the Liberal government announced its plan to require that all new vehicle sales by the year 2035 be electric.
