Thinking about becoming a professional auto mechanic? Become an electrical specialist. Whether the car has a traditional engine or is a hybrid or EV, electrical systems in cars are more complicated and integrated than ever. And as the car industry begins to wholeheartedly embrace hybrid and EV technology, the importance of electrical specialists for ever more complicated electrical systems can’t be overstated.
Here’s proof: BMW announced plans to double its electric and hybrid sales in the next two years. So if you plan on being a BMW mechanic, you better know something about how the electrical components work — because that’s what’s going to be powering the vehicles of the future.
“The company will have 25 electrified models on sale in 2023, two years earlier than previously planned, it announced on Tuesday. More than half of the vehicles will be fully electric.
The step up in BMW’s electrification efforts comes as European carmakers face an unprecedented challenge to their profitable business model as major markets, from the UK to the rest of the EU to China, plan to decarbonise road transport.”
The Race for the Car’s Future is Through Hybrid and EVs
The race to electric powered cars is on—spurred by European regulations demanding car manufacturers embrace it. Manufacturers must ensure average emissions from new cars are below 95g of carbon dioxide per kilometer driven or face huge fines by 2021, according to EU regulations.
For comparison, a 2020 BMW M5 has combined fuel emissions of 242-239g per kilometer. In 2018, BMW’s averaged carbon emissions of 128.9g per kilometer, according to the data company Jato Dynamics.
EV and Hybrid Sales in the U.S. Are Lackluster at Best
Regardless of government regulations, sales of electric vehicles continue to struggle on this side of the pond. BMW’s EV sales in the US were down 22.6 percent in June of 2019.
“Overall, sales of BMW brand vehicles increased 7.5% in June 2019 for a total of 31,627 over the 29,407 vehicles sold in June 2018. MINI USA reported 3,235 vehicles sold, a decrease of 22% from the 4,146 in the same month a year ago,” the BMWBlog reported.
“It’s not a stress for me,” BMW CTO Klaus Fröhlich told the BMWBlog. “We have not moved product forward. We have just decided on additional products.”And we’re not stressed about it here either at our Cincinnati auto garage. Change is going to come. It’s inevitable. In the meantime, our BMW mechanics will keep fixing BMWs. That’s what we do best.
