The Tire Industry Association's (TIA) recently created Electric Vehicle Advisory Council (EVAC) will focus on training “tire and auto dealers on the proper service techniques and procedures” of working on electric vehicles (EVs.)
“One of the things TIA recognizes is that the EV market is growing,” TIA CEO Dick Gust recently told MTD.
“We thought it would be a good idea for TIA to get out in front of the educational process” in order to “train our tire dealers and general body members.”
Gust acknowledges that EVs are a “completely different type of vehicle than most (internal) combustion engine vehicles” and will require a bigger focus on safety when servicing.
“The purpose of the council is to bring together experts who have a very in-depth understanding of EVs and have them teach the best practices (of) managing the service aspects of those vehicles.”
Gust says EV training will be added to TIA’s Automotive Tire Service training program once the council starts making decisions on an EV curriculum. He explains that technicians are finding EVs to be a lot heavier than regular vehicles and EVs also have more torque to them — making tires wear more quickly.
“A lot of shops are going to have to update their equipment for these EVs. From a safety aspect, you have to make sure you do things right. My real intention is to get a set of best practices put together and a curriculum that we can use to train our people in the field.”
Gust hopes that the prospect of working on EVs will appeal to potential tire dealership employees.
“I really want to make a bigger push to attract more people to our industry,” says Gust.
The coming proliferation of EVs, he believes, is a big opportunity to do so, adding that EVs will change the dynamics of tire service, which will make the tire industry a more “attractive (one) for young people or women — groups that are underrepresented” across many dealerships.
