AAAE: EV seminar details firm

THE Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) says electric vehicles are one of the most discussed topics of among workshops currently, and that its recent webinar on the topic, drew interest from more than 120 workshops across the country.

The numbers bode well for the AAAA’s upcoming seminar series at this year’s Australian Automotive Aftermarket Expo.

Talking points for over the three-day event will include Electric Vehicle Trends and Opportunities; Workshop Management Systems; EV and Alternate Fuel Repair Techniques and Workshop Equipment; ADAS Calibration Equipment and Diagnostics; and Tooling and J2534 Pass Through Technology.

The free and comprehensive seminar series will be complimented by the highly anticipated Workshop of the Future pavilion,replicating a futuristic workshop and bringing together state-of-the-art equipment and technology with regular presentations from industry experts.

The pavilion aims to provide workshops with what the AAAA says is the information it requires to meet the needs of the changing car parc.

The AAAA’s recent webinar, which was co-hosted by AAAA director of government relations and advocacy Lesley Yates and mycar CEO and AAAA board member Adam Pay, shared some of the latest research and insights into this emerging market, and will form part of the basis of similar seminars to be conducted at this year’s Expo.

Ms Yates said that one of the pressing questions addressed at the recent webinar centred upon how how quickly EVs will dominate the Australia car parc. She said recent projections cast by the AAAA showed the industry is set to undergo a significant change by the end of the decade.

“While these figures are always being updated based on new information, numbers from the end of last year show that when looking at the proportion of the car parc that is or will be electric, that even if 50 per cent of sales are EV in 2030, the car parc will be at best about six per cent EV and 94 per cent traditional fuel vehicles at that point,” Ms Yates explained.

“2045 is increasingly looking like the tipping point, so looking ahead, the AAAA believes that if you run a workshop with four bays, one of these will be EV in 2040 and half of them will be EV in 2045, assuming a steady increase and that government policy remains the same.”

Ms Yates said the AAAA Board has established an EV Strategy Group focused on helping the industry prepare for this evolution and that it will assist its members in reaching a point where they can confidently tell their customer – “yes, I can service your EV.”

The AAAA Board and its EV Strategy Group said it feels the aftermarket needs to pay attention to the subjects it is raising now to ensure it is prepared for the arrival of EVs, has the knowledge to work with them, to better understand workshop layout considerations, and be ready with information for its customers.

“We see EV as evolution, rather than revolution. Once adoption picks up, we’ll need to move at pace, but right now there’s a healthy runway for the industry to transition. But we need to take action. It’ll need the industry – all of us – to do something about it; to prepare ourselves,” mycar CEO and AAAA board member Adam Pay said.

“What I am confident about, is the ability of this industry to adapt and change – we’ve proved it time and time again. Keeping our minds open to the opportunities, being inquisitive and learning; gearing up and working together as an industry to embrace the future, will ensure our collective ‘from, to’ journey is smooth and successful,” he added.

The Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo is scheduled to take place at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 7 to 9 April. This year’s AAAE will be co-hosted with the Collision Repair Expo and is the only exhibition to showcase Australia’s $25 billion aftermarket industry. 

The event is expected to welcome over 10,000 visitors from across the country and, with more than 250 exhibitors currently registered, is close to being a sell-out success.

Registration for the Expo and seminars is free of charge, however limited tickets are available for each session. To confirm your place, please register for the Expo and select your seminars of interest at www.autoaftermarketexpo.com.au.