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Just 5 steps to become an e-car workshop – a guide

An electric engine being repaired in an electric car workshop.

Let's start with a number that has lots of zeros: 4.3 million. This is the number of electric vehicles that Statista predicts will be on European roads by 2029. And what happens if one of them breaks down? That is the question that you, as independent workshops, must now ask yourselves. The window of opportunity is still wide open to position yourself as an e-car workshop and thus to gain an edge over your competitors. Because, even if you are currently shying away from such a conversion, you will ultimately have to serve customers who drive electric cars.

However, there are a number of things you need to bear in mind to ensure the conversion to this new technology and working with it both run smoothly. As a manufacturer of high-quality electric car components and workshop accessories, we at FORVIA HELLA are well aware of them all. We know how crucial a well-thought-out plan is in order to achieve the smooth transformation of your own individual workshop. This article is designed to do just that. We show you how workshops can prepare for the repair and maintenance of vehicles with electric engines.

So let's set off on the road to your own e-car workshop – step-by-step:

A classroom at the HELLA Academy, where workshop employees receive further training on electric cars. — The HELLA Academy offers further training to become a specialist for work carried out on high-voltage systems in a de-energised state (FHV).

1. Gathering expertise and certificates

Electric cars and combustion engines differ fundamentally in terms of their components, their functioning and their maintenance. Many electromobility systems are more digitalised than combustion engines, which means that car mechanics have to take the software side of things into account when carrying out repairs. In addition, working with high-voltage electricity places strict demands on occupational safety measures.

Therefore employee training on EV is crucial. Such training courses need to be implemented in the initial phase, and on-going – electromobility is an innovation-driven market in which major technological quantum leaps are still possible.

And furthermore, your workshop should acquire the appropriate certificates. The question whether a certificate is mandatory varies from region to region – within the European Union or in the USA, there are no overarching certification requirements for electric car workshops. Instead, the individual member states or federal states impose specific requirements on the workshops. In Germany, for example, further training to become a high-voltage specialist (FHV) is mandatory. In addition to this obligation, certificates also offer an interesting extra, a kind of “freestyle” option that should not be underestimated: The very fact that you have them strengthens customer confidence in your services.

We offer practical training courses on high-voltage systems and thermal management that are specially tailored to suit electric and hybrid vehicles. At the HELLA Academy, your employees learn how to deal with specific defects in e-components and also how to behave in the workplace to ensure safety at all times. Mechanics can also obtain FHV certificates for high-voltage specialists when they follow further training at the HELLA Academy.

2. Building up an infrastructure for the e-car workshop

If you want to set up your e-car workshop, the installation of special lifting platforms is essential. Electric cars place special demands on lifting technology in order to enable mechanics to gain access to the battery and other components. The platforms must also be suitable for the weight and design of electric vehicles.

Charging stations for electric engines should also be considered in the set up phase. Such devices allow vehicles to be charged while work is being carried out on them – a real service advantage for customers. It makes sense to set up the charging infrastructure, together with the lifting platforms, in a visibly separated high-voltage area of the workshop.

Finally, in addition to the technical equipment, the digital aspect must also be considered. Software solutions for managing workshop processes lead to gains in efficiency and in the overview, as they help to coordinate combustion engine and electric car repairs when it comes to timing and personnel resources.

A set of insulated tools for working on high-voltage electric engines. — The maintenance of electric engines requires special, insulated tools.

3. Acquiring special tools

The good old ratchet will continue to be in demand for electric vehicles. However, workshops also need to stock up on a considerable range of specialised tools for the repairing of electric cars and hybrids.

And in all this, advanced testing and measurement technology plays an important role in the maintenance of high-voltage vehicles and batteries. Diagnostic devices such as the Hella Gutmann mega macs X, for example, have been specially developed for the maintenance of electric vehicles. These devices enable precise error diagnosis and rectification.

A visibly designated high-voltage area in an electric car workshop. — High-voltage areas in workshops should be clearly signposted.

4. Providing safety equipment and information

Working on high-voltage engines presents workshops with new safety challenges. First and foremost, workshops must provide every employee with personal protective equipment (PPE). This includes insulating gloves, face shields and general protective clothing. Please note that some countries have catalogues of rules and regulations that PPE must comply with in order to be permitted for high-voltage work. In Europe, for example, the PPE Directive 89/686/EEC defines the criteria for this type of protective clothing.

The tools that the employees of an electric car workshop handle on a daily basis must also be encased in insulating materials. In addition, precise and informative signage in the high-voltage area and also the visible displaying and hanging up of information help to make work safer. And if an incident does occur, insulated rescue poles that can be used to safely remove people from a high-voltage area can prove to be a lifesaver.

5. Securing replenishment of components

The car is in your e-car workshop, the diagnostic device has detected the defect, the tools with plastic handles are ready – all that's missing is the spare part. However, here too, workshops need to rethink and prepare well in advance. This is an important point because many dealers still specialise in parts for combustion engines. Tracking down a wholesaler who stocks a range of e-car aftermarket parts that can be called up at short notice can be difficult – especially if a workshop has e-cars from frequently changing manufacturers on the lifting platform.

As aftermarket professionals, we know how much it saves costs and avoids hassle if workshops and wholesalers can get all the relevant spare parts from a single source – and, of course, without compromising on quality. We are therefore systematically extending our range of high-quality e-car components.

Get an overview in our catalogue to find out which spare parts are particularly important and then decide on a wholesaler who can supply you with them quickly, on a large scale, and reliably.

Making yourself future-proof with your own e-car workshop

Adapting an e-car workshop to electromobility requires training, equipment and infrastructure – and significant financial investment. In fact, experts estimate the investment costs to be in the mid-five-figure euro range per workshop. However, the return on investment for such courageous workshop heroes goes much higher: According to Statista, the global market volume could rise to 990.4 billion USD by 2029. So the investment in expanding your own workshop for e-mobility services is set to be recouped in the medium term.

And if you need help with this: The HELLA Academy and also the HELLA Aftermarket e-car parts range are at your disposal.