Page 30 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine Nov-Dec 2021

Industry insights
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PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021
more than 1650 locations - 470 of those being rapid DC fast chargers - with sev- eral state governments making steps to- ward increasing this number dramati- cally in the coming years (the NSW government has already pledged close to $500 million toward its Electric Vehi- cle Strategy, with $171 million of that going to co-funding infrastructure).
PREPARING FOR THE SURGE
Chris Manteit of Drive Accident Solu- tions in Brisbane saw the writing on the wall three years ago in regards to EVs, deciding to invest around a quar- ter of a million dollars in new equip- ment to handle repairs - including a dedicated jig, rivet guns, wel ing ma- chines and Tesla-specific tooling - after he was contacted about becoming a Te- sla-approved body repair shop.
“The investment was a big decision for my wife and I at the time, but we could see ahead to the future and thought it would be a good way to stand out from the competition,” says Manteit.
“We thought electric was the future, and I still think it is. It’s proven to be quite successful for us.”
Chris estimates that 30 to 40 per cent of the work he now gets through the door is for EVs - primarily Tesla, although he’s had BMW and Mercedes models as well.
by far - each week the number of EVs we see come in just keeps growing,” he says.
Besides technical training from I-Car and obtaining a welding certification, Chris says he and his team completed a lot of the necessary upskilling via Te- sla’s dedicated online training portal.
“They're very open with their repair processes, so there’s complete transpar- ency, which has really helped,” says Chris. “We have access straight to the
head engineers in America via email - they’re very progressive.
“If you tried to get to the head engi- neer at Toyota, it would be impossible!”
The biggest change Chris has wit- nessed is seeing less of what he calls “dirty work” - grinding and sparks and ratchet-turning - and more time spent on the computer. Chris likens a Tesla to “a mobile phone on wheels”.
“It's all run through software, so
5 EVS COMING IN 2022
1FORD E-TRANSIT Polestar 2, which is priced from $59,990 - the
The rear-wheel-drive electric version of Ford’s popular delivery van is due in Australia mid-2022. The payload of the E-Transit is 1616kg - more than ICE versions of the van - and the 198kW/430Nm electric motor powers it over a claimed 317km range. This will be a game changer.
2BYD EA1
Chinese car manufacturers BYD will be targeting the Australian market in 2022, and although no price has been confirmed yet, the EA1 hatchback looks set to challenge the MG ZS EV, which goes for $40,990, as the coun- try’s cheapest EV.
3POLESTAR 2
The electric offshoot from Volvo, Polestar is set to make waves in Australia with the
same as the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range, making it a direct competitor for the most popular EV in Australia.
4
ries, the BMW i4 comes packing a powerful 84kWh battery that provides a claimed range of up to 590km. As expected, it’s not cheap: prices start from $99,900, and stretch to $124,900 for the top-spec M50.
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wraps, this sedan from Hyundai’s IONIQ sub- brand - set to go head-to-head with the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2 - is rumoured to come with a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery that will offer over 500km of driving range.
BMW I4
With similar stylings to the current 4 Se-
HYUNDAI IONIQ 6
Although details have been kept under
“It’s definitely our biggest growth area
MAIN: Training is essential to ensure team safety working with EVs
ABOVE: The next Hyundai IONIQ is rumoured to offer over 500km of driving range.