No new diesel or petrol engines by 2030 so what about....

[Guigsy]

I’ve been hearing about a large skills shortage to maintain these vehicles, and extortionate prices for replacement parts. I believe there was articles on Rip Off Britain and Watchdog.

I think it was Nissan and Peugeot cars involved but reports of most dealers having issues.

Counter argument is people have been complaining about vehicles getting too complicated... for ever. And yet the average age of cars on the road has reached an all time high because they are actually pretty reliable and take a while before maintenance exceeds worth.

 

[Sapper520]

I was talking about skills shortage and expensive parts, not reliability.

 

[SpeedyDux]

I’ve been hearing about a large skills shortage to maintain these vehicles, and extortionate prices for replacement parts. I believe there was articles on Rip Off Britain and Watchdog.

I think it was Nissan and Peugeot cars involved but reports of most dealers having issues.

I listened to that Rip Off Britain episode.

Elsewhere I have read that the big manufacturers lose money on every EV sold. Eye-watering prices for spares when the end customer has to make a distress purchase to fix a simple defect after the warranty period has ended seems to be their business model.

There is no excuse for dealerships failing to invest in training.

 

[Coolcats]

I was talking about skills shortage and expensive parts, not reliability.

One of my vehicles has a Wifi issue on its media unit.....there is no wifi, Visit 1) checked the unit and nothing pairs with it, you don't get unless you pay for it said the technician, OK i said but on this model it comes as standard OK says technician I will check with the Factory......9 month later still awaiting the call.

I book the vehicle in for the same issue, I take the documentation to prove that this vehicle should have wifi connectivity.....when I pick the vehicle up they tell me they cannot connect the wifi to anything and have checked the software version and all is at the latest version.

I then email the manufactures customer care to inform them of the issues and copy the service department at the same time, the vehicle now get s booked in for two days with the promise that the Technician will have technical support. At the end of the first day I get a call firstly to tell me the software and hardware are all correct (this is now day 3 of investigation) but ask for my permission for them to remove the unit (I did ask shouldn't you have asked this at the time of booking in if you had to? But then its an automated process punch your vehicle reg in a little door opens and you pop your keys inside...Customer service has just gone digital Doh!).

Day 4 I called the dealership who told me that nothing further had been done as the technician cannot call the support, they have to wait support to call them!

Apparently the dealer will not change the Media unit because if it is something else the dealer will be stuck with the media unit which apparently is worth around £2K

Now this is a small issue on a media unit, once they go fully electric I suspect the expertise will all be central, the technicians will be shaft and unit changers the systematic process clearly does not work and the technicians are being de-skilled. The Brave new world of dealerships and EV's will be like some dystopian digital experience if my experience of this media unit is anything to go by.

Forget expertise, forget customer service it will be like the new world of 'Cinch' and other buy your vehicle on line and no customer service.

 

[Guigsy]

One of my vehicles has a Wifi issue on its media unit.....there is no wifi, Visit 1) checked the unit and nothing pairs with it, you don't get unless you pay for it said the technician, OK i said but on this model it comes as standard OK says technician I will check with the Factory......9 month later still awaiting the call.

I book the vehicle in for the same issue, I take the documentation to prove that this vehicle should have wifi connectivity.....when I pick the vehicle up they tell me they cannot connect the wifi to anything and have checked the software version and all is at the latest version.

I then email the manufactures customer care to inform them of the issues and copy the service department at the same time, the vehicle now get s booked in for two days with the promise that the Technician will have technical support. At the end of the first day I get a call firstly to tell me the software and hardware are all correct (this is now day 3 of investigation) but ask for my permission for them to remove the unit (I did ask shouldn't you have asked this at the time of booking in if you had to? But then its an automated process punch your vehicle reg in a little door opens and you pop your keys inside...Customer service has just gone digital Doh!).

Day 4 I called the dealership who told me that nothing further had been done as the technician cannot call the support, they have to wait support to call them!

Apparently the dealer will not change the Media unit because if it is something else the dealer will be stuck with the media unit which apparently is worth around £2K

Now this is a small issue on a media unit, once they go fully electric I suspect the expertise will all be central, the technicians will be shaft and unit changers the systematic process clearly does not work and the technicians are being de-skilled. The Brave new world of dealerships and EV's will be like some dystopian digital experience if my experience of this media unit is anything to go by.

Forget expertise, forget customer service it will be like the new world of 'Cinch' and other buy your vehicle on line and no customer service.

Even without electric drivetrains, cars are going this way anyway. Look at all the adverts now and it's about how big the screens are, or how well integrated the entertainment system is with your phone, or how many driver assistance systems it's got onboard. They are becoming gadgets that just so happen to have 4 wheels on them.

The problem is that automotive manufacturers don't have a clue about electronics or software. It's all out-sourced 3 times over. They don't give customers or garages the equivalent of IT support for the hardware.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Coolcats]

Even without electric drivetrains, cars are going this way anyway. Look at all the adverts now and it's about how big the screens are, or how well integrated the entertainment system is with your phone, or how many driver assistance systems it's got onboard. They are becoming gadgets that just so happen to have 4 wheels on them.

The problem is that automotive manufacturers don't have a clue about electronics or software. It's all out-sourced 3 times over. They don't give customers or garages the equivalent of IT support for the hardware.

Chris Rea was right its a Highway to hell, seriously though, automotive manufacturers are changing from old engineering and knowledge to new IT style knowledge and infrastructure which is why in many ways we will see customer service disruption, fewer and less knowledgable employees and relying on remote diagnostics.

This is why this always makes me smile when I see it

 

[Guigsy]

Chris Rea was right its a Highway to hell, seriously though, automotive manufacturers are changing from old engineering and knowledge to new IT style knowledge and infrastructure which is why in many ways we will see customer service disruption, fewer and less knowledgable employees and relying on remote diagnostics.

This is why this always makes me smile when I see it

Except:

Electric Seven due in 2023 as first Caterham EV | Autocar

Firm looks to secure its future with electric roadster – but won’t alter its philosophies

www.autocar.co.uk

 

[Coolcats]

Except:

Electric Seven due in 2023 as first Caterham EV | Autocar

Firm looks to secure its future with electric roadster – but won’t alter its philosophies

www.autocar.co.uk

Absolutely all manufacturers will have to go down this route, there was a University a decade or so ago that produced an electric 7

In a 2020 interview with Car Dealer, CEO Graham MacDonald said: “We have a car that weighs 450 to 500 kilos, the batteries would add another 300 kilos and you would be looking at £100,000 RRP just to cover the cost of the battery and power plants, so for us it’s not viable.”

Lotus are also in the game starting with the EVIJA (Hypercar) so interesting times all around, its a shame the Elise, Exige and Evora production is ending but great news the company has plans taking them forwards.