No More Gas-Powered Cars By 2050? What This Means For Your Future Auto Mechanic Career
The International ZEV Alliance is working together to accelerate adoption of battery and fuel cell electric vehicles, by promoting innovation and investment among its members in the ZEV market. Should the initiative succeed, it could cut total global vehicle emissions by as much as 40 per cent, making a dramatic difference to the environment.
For auto mechanic students, this could have massive implications for their future careers, as gasoline models gradually disappear from the landscape, making way for new electric technology.
The ZEV Alliance: What Auto Mechanic School Students Should Know
The alliance was launched in August of this year, and includes countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, and Norway, as well as U.S. states like California and New York. Students enrolled in an auto mechanic school in Montreal will be interested to learn that Quebec’s name is on the list too. The province was one of the alliance’s founding members, and leads the way in ZEV sales in Canada, with almost 50 per cent of the market.
Other members are also ahead of the curve in ZEV development. California’s efforts to increase production of electric vehicles have been well-documented, while Norway has put forward proposals to make all new vehicles sold in the country emission-free by 2025.
The Current ZEV Landscape: An Auto Mechanic School Student’s Guide
While progress has been made in the adoption of electric vehicles, it has been slower than many had hoped. U.S. President Barack Obama had previously talked about having 1 million ZEVs on American roads by 2015, but there are currently only 400,000, around 1 per cent of the market.
Options for ZEV buyers are limited too. If you were to start your auto mechanic career today, you could expect to work on just a few models, such as the Tesla Model S, Kia Soul, and Nissan Leaf. In addition, some automakers have been accused of manufacturing ZEVs simply to meet quotas, only making them available for lease or limited sale.
ZEV Initiatives: Cutting Emissions To Create Careers In Auto Manufacturing
While there is no telling how successful the ZEV alliance will be, its members have already shown plenty of initiative in driving adoption forward. California and Quebec have developed a partnership to link their cap-and-trade programs, while The Netherlands, which boasts the world’s largest network of charging stations, is also collaborating with California to share innovations.
Politicians have been keen to stress that these initiatives also create new careers in auto production and infrastructure. For auto mechanics, any change will be gradual, but with the ZEV movement growing, being properly trained to service these new vehicles is a must.
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