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E-mobility business: one in five independent garages plans without high-voltage customers
08/14/2024
E-mobility business: One in five independent workshops plans without high-voltage customers
MEYLE study among German-speaking workshops: High turnover with e-mobility expected within the next ten years, one in five workshops plans without electric vehicles at all
Further training: Technical training for electric vehicles most important for the future
Spare parts manufacturers are the most important partners for independent workshops
Independent workshops attach very different levels of importance to e-mobility. While some are already preparing for the shift in the maintenance business towards electric vehicles, others are not even considering the transformation of the automotive industry. This is the result of a representative study conducted by MEYLE in cooperation with the market research institute INNOFACT AG between March and May 2024. A total of 274 independent garages in Germany, Austria and Switzerland were asked about their current and future challenges and opportunities. The study is part of the "IAM:CONNECT" dialog platform, which the Hamburg-based manufacturer is using to increase dialog with the industry in 2024.
E-mobility not yet a business, high training demand for high-voltage maintenance
E-mobility is not yet a business-relevant topic for most independent workshops: only three percent already generate more than half of their turnover with electric vehicles. This will change fundamentally within the next ten years: Slightly less than one in two workshops (39 percent) plan to make a large proportion of their turnover from electric cars during this period. This shows that the trend towards e-mobility is a long-term development and will not happen as quickly as originally predicted.
But it is also a fact that the demand for services for electric vehicles is there. Customers with electrified drives are already regularly visiting independent garages.
40 percent of those surveyed stated that they have electric cars in their yard at least once or several times a week. Tire changes are currently still the most common request (58 percent), followed by general repair work (49 percent) and brake service (38 percent). For the repair of electric vehicles, the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) prescribes a step-by-step qualification for work on vehicles with high-voltage systems, which is divided into general work, work in a voltage-free state and work on high-voltage systems under voltage.
The vast majority of workshops are equipped for the current demand for predominantly general repairs: 78 percent are allowed to welcome electric vehicles. However, a third of them are only allowed to carry out this general work, while a further 25 percent are qualified to carry out maintenance in a de-energized state. Only one in five workshops are allowed to work on high-voltage systems and replace live components. In view of the increasing importance of electric vehicles for sales, there is still a great need for qualification in the coming years. The workshops surveyed are aware of this: Regarding the need for further training programs, 70 percent stated that training in the field of e-mobility was most important for the future. However, the study also revealed that there are many workshops that will continue to focus exclusively on servicing combustion engines in the future: Just under one in five workshops (19 percent) do not plan to make any turnover from electric cars at all. This could be due to the numerous challenges of the future.
Workshop of the future: these services will become relevant
Digitalization has long since arrived in the independent aftermarket. The integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) into vehicles and the use of real-time vehicle data are already determining many new launches from OEMs. For the future of independent workshops, this means that their range of services must change. The maintenance and repair of driver assistance systems is rated as having the highest relevance (83 percent) for the future workshop business. Three quarters of those surveyed also stated that the optimization of software to increase workshop performance and the repair and maintenance of vehicle infotainment systems will be in high demand in the future.
Independent workshops also see the topic of sustainability becoming more important: They believe that the environmentally friendly disposal or recycling of car batteries will be the second most important service (77%) provided by garages in the future.
Support needed: what workshops want from their partners
Independent garages need support in order to be able to continue offering services in the future. They rely primarily on spare parts manufacturers: 64 percent of respondents cited them as their most important partners. They are closely followed by software and diagnostic tool providers (58 percent) and wholesalers (52 percent). In particular, spare parts manufacturers want access to diagnostic tools and repair services (65%), the provision of specific training and certifications (65%) and online platforms for technical support (60%). In addition to training on electric and hybrid vehicles, workshops (70 percent) want training on the use of artificial intelligence (60 percent) and further training on new service and communication technologies (58 percent).
"We need precisely this kind of insight in order to understand the challenges and pain points of workshops so that we can tailor our services accordingly. The results show that independent garages need solutions beyond the usual parts production in order to keep pace in the future. Most independent players are far too small to make a difference on their own. That's why we at MEYLE want to work with the industry to develop ideas for the independent aftermarket of the future. The basis for this is our dialog platform IAM:CONNECT," says Michael Grimm, Innovation Manager at MEYLE AG.
IAM:CONNECT: working together on the future
The independent aftermarket (IAM) is undergoing rapid change. MEYLE has launched the IAM:CONNECT initiative to understand what is currently driving workshops, customers and partners and to work together on solutions. The Hamburg-based company wants to enable everyone to become part of the transformation and help shape it. So that IAM participants become shapers of the transformation. As a dialog forum, IAM:CONNECT is not a snapshot, but a process: before, during and after Automechanika, MEYLE wants to stay in touch with everyone involved.
