Is anyone else afraid? - Page 4 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JB3 · #46 12-30-2018, 07:46 PM

This reminds me of someone freaking out that the switch from carburator to fuel injection will ultimately be the end of the world as we know it for mechanics.

Aa long as people use personal conveyances to get around, there will be people needed to service them. Dont really get the freakout that a change from ICE to electric motors will automatically mean no work for technicians on todays hyper complex vehicles.

Just dont marry yourself to old methods, and really apply yourself to automotive electrical diagnosis classes. A lot of technicians seem to consider electrical work wizardry, and dont take the time to really learn to diagnose and repair.

You can write your own ticket if you can truly understand, diagnose, and repair electrical problems which will be increasingly inportant as complexity increases, even as engines change. All shops need these people. Anyone can do brakes and an oil change.

koooop · #47 12-30-2018, 08:18 PM

At 55 years old I think my V8’s (old and new) are safe for the remainder of my life. The Diesel car? Maybe not.

pawoSD · #48 12-30-2018, 08:57 PM

I love my diesel but if electric reaches a point of market saturation and technological development that makes it very competitive I'd probably be swayed over pretty easily....

patbob · #49 01-01-2019, 07:45 PM

We're in the Model A days of electric cars -- how complex was a Model A compared to the the cars of today? Same increase of complexity will occur with electric cars. The catch is, all that ICE knowledge won't be needed, but a need for other knowledge will be needed.

If you want, learn ICE stuff now, because like others have said, it'll continue to be useful for a few decades yet. However, don't stop there, learn how to diagnose everything about a car that you can, and learn EV car systems when you can.

Or.. learn ICE only then stop learning and instead, fight the other mechanics for the decreasing number of ICE jobs. The choice is yours.

jsp300D · #50 01-04-2019, 08:52 PM

Tbh. Electric cars are as simple as cutting a tree if you had a background of pcb/battery repair jobs behind you. There are a lot of videos now on how to work on a EV.

barry12345 · #51 01-05-2019, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsp300D

Tbh. Electric cars are as simple as cutting a tree if you had a background of pcb/battery repair jobs behind you. There are a lot of videos now on how to work on a EV.

The first guys to set up a motor controller exchange service for them. May do really well financially is a guess. They use a three phase motor basically off of a dc supply. So the dc has to be converted to a form of three phase and the output current controlled. This is done basically all electronically. Of course manufacturers may engineer them as totally unable to be accessed internally for servicing. At the electrical current level needed they may be expensive. Although I notice they are favoring higher levels of voltage operation to keep them cheaper. Plus the need for heavy wiring is also diminished.

Cheaper is only a relative term though. I have a feeling they will be fairly expensive. I do not suspect the motors themselves will see a high rate of failure in comparison. They have no brushes and do not have to operate at extremes.
I also suspect that north America will be the last of the developed countries to see them in numbers. For a slew of reasons.

I think one European country just hit the thirty percent of saturation area already though. Chinese citizens get somewhere from a half million to perhaps three quarter of a million units this year. Five hundred thousand to be produced by Vokswagon in China. None for export this year. Wages for Chinese workers are up seven fold in the last five to ten year period. They are now able to buy what they produce. So their export component has also declined massively from 70 percent of production to 40 percent and will probably continue to shrink. Of all production of all goods. They are also the most likely country to improve on battery technology. .

vwnate1 · #52 01-05-2019, 06:40 PM

"They have no brushes and do not have to operate at extremes. " .

Fascinating ~ I remember electric Taylor Dun Service Carts from the 1940's ~ 1960's and they all were dead simple and had brush typ DC motors .

R.Diesel · #53 01-05-2019, 07:11 PM

Don’t be afraid Father of Giants. Techs will adapt. A High current transision course and a handshake is all that’s needed. Electric cars have been around since the dawn of the automobile. Battery technology has made great advances. That’s a good thing. You still get to keep your relic of a diesel. It’s been outdated for a long time and some of us like the old stuff because it’s easily understood comparatively speaking. Such is life in many ways. You can stay in your bubble of “good old days” or you can advance to modernity by trial of error like most folks do. Either way, you and the techs will be fine.

pawoSD · #54 01-05-2019, 10:59 PM

I regularly see electric cars around here when out driving around. Today I saw two different model 3's and a couple days ago I saw a Bolt....they are getting more and more common.

dlssmith · #55 01-06-2019, 10:49 AM

Right now, there is a diesel injection shop and qualified diesel techs all over the country, practically in every city and town, and you can buy the fuel everywhere. As this tech is phased out, those services will become rare.
I could imagine nut jobs in the CA legislature outlawing diesels. But there will be states where the diesel will live on unmolested.

barry12345 · #56 01-07-2019, 04:27 AM

A northern European country has just been mentioned as having a thirty percent saturation level of electric cars already.

Since Chinese workers have seen a seven fold increase in wages over the last five to ten years. The vast majority of electric cars they produce there this year are not for export. The Chinese Volkswagon joint venture enterprise is to build half a million units this year alone. None of them for export. The Chinese citizens can now afford to purchase what they produce. So their overall exports have reduced from seventy percent to forty percent of production of all their combined manufacturing and this is still decreasing.

With their constantly rising wage scenario they are investing heavily in automation as well. Their secret is not a secret really. We in north America more or less watch Rome burn. In the two party system if one party does not function well for the public good. The population just gets another that does not either.

Where in the countries that have a single party system for all intents and purposes. These single parties have to develop formative industrial policies and social plans that their public understand. Plus they work. Or they will be put out of power forever.

An example of a government structure totally out of touch with the current picture. GM and Ford are leaving a sizable portion of their business in North America production wise. The government acted like this development was a surprise to them. If it was speaks serious volumes in itself. Developing countries today have a strong relationship between government and industry. Setting specific goals jointly both long and short range. North America needs basically a new strategy for industry. Moving manufacturing capacity out of their countries unless very special circumstances are present is not an option. When and if threatened by external factors. They usually just keep them out of their home market.

Sane joint planning for many years could have enabled high levels of electric car production in north America. Plus we could have supplied the best batteries to the rest of the world in the process. We in essence also just gave that all away.

Also when the electric car was in sight as a strong possibility in the future. The development components where allowed to go to China. Owned partially at the time by American corporations but now by the Chinese for all real practical purposes..

The north American public where never told that an American or Canadian company moving production into China. Automatically has to include the Chinese government as a joint partner in the enterprise. Surrendering all technology as well. This also means no income taxes on the population. The governments profit portion of the industry in all the joint ventures is the vehicle used. Their billion dollar heavily automated plant for automotive electric cars battery production should soon be on line.

tjts1 · #57 01-07-2019, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

A northern European country has just been mentioned as having a thirty percent saturation level of electric cars already.

Since Chinese workers have seen a seven fold increase in wages over the last five to ten years. The vast majority of electric cars they produce there this year are not for export. The Chinese Volkswagon joint venture enterprise is to build half a million units this year alone. None of them for export. The Chinese citizens can now afford to purchase what they produce. So their overall exports have reduced from seventy percent to forty percent of production of all their combined manufacturing and this is still decreasing.

With their constantly rising wage scenario they are investing heavily in automation as well. Their secret is not a secret really. We in north America more or less watch Rome burn. In the two party system if one party does not function well for the public good. The population just gets another that does not either.

Where in the countries that have a single party system for all intents and purposes. These single parties have to develop formative industrial policies and social plans that their public understand. Plus they work. Or they will be put out of power forever.

An example of a government structure totally out of touch with the current picture. GM and Ford are leaving a sizable portion of their business in North America production wise. The government acted like this development was a surprise to them. If it was speaks serious volumes in itself. Developing countries today have a strong relationship between government and industry. Setting specific goals jointly both long and short range. North America needs basically a new strategy for industry.

Sane joint planning for many years could have enabled high levels of electric car production in north America. Plus we could have supplied the best batteries to the rest of the world in the process. We in essence also just gave that all away.

Also when the electric car was in sight as a strong possibility in the future. The development components where allowed to go to China. Owned partially at the time by American corporations but now by the Chinese for all real practical purposes..

The north American public where never told that an American or Canadian company moving production into China. Automatically has to include the Chinese government as a joint partner in the enterprise. Surrendering all technology as well. This also means no income taxes on the population. The governments profit portion of the industry in all the joint ventures is the vehicle used. Their billion dollar heavily automated plant for automotive electric cars battery production should soon be on line.

What?

Simpler=Better · #58 01-07-2019, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father Of Giants

Time to be an electrician it looks like. Maybe HVAC.

You mean commercial HVAC (They pay on time, and don't fuss)

barry12345 · #59 01-07-2019, 03:37 PM

My earlier point was things are changing in a way. That the future of living and working in north America is no longer really even predictable.

Massive increased product reliability diminished one trade I had in a signifigant fashion alone. In twenty five years. I can always work even at my now advanced age if I desire to do so. I worked because I enjoyed doing it.

As for making money and having a reasonable lifestyle. Using and developing your brain and not your hands is how you do that. Financial security in life can prove elusive without using your brain when young.

For some strange reason books that tell you how to attempt to get everything together. In some form of reasonable fashion. Taking into account we are not all born equal. Do not really seem to exist. At the same time there are many various yardsticks of good practices. Now unfortunately ignored in general by the majority.

If you are fortunate to have a reasonably good functional family behind you can really help. For many years I made it a practice to talk to older guys. In general most want you to do well. In my case a couple I ran across where exceptional.

Some societies place more value on them than others. Many suggestions from some of them will not occur to young people otherwise. The rate of change became substantial in my lifetime so far. There is no reason to suspect any change other than more of the same but faster.