Page 36 - Australasian paint & Panel Sep-Oct 2021

Tech Talk • MINI Electric
36
PAINT&PANEL SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021
THE MINI ELECTRIC HATCH IS A BATTERY
electric vehicle (BEV) featuring an all steel body with several levels of high strength steel and lightweight components.
The combination of these construc- tion materials reduces weight to maxim- ise driving range while also ensuring the vehicle maintains a high level of cabin safety integrity. BMW has provid- ed Paint & Panel with the step-by-step process for repairing the MINI Electric Hatch at Accredited BMW and MINI Bodyshops across Australia:
On arrival at the bodyshop the vehi- cle is isolated in a safe zone in order for the safe handling of its high voltage battery and components. The zone has orange lines and signs indicating it is potentially a hazardous area and sec- tioned off with bollards until the vehi- cle is determined safe to work on.
The vehicle is inspected and de-com- missioned on requirement. This is deter- mined by a Blitz (electric) trained BMW dealer technician.
BMW diagnostics are carried out to determine an accurate estimate and the triage requirement for body, technology and accompanying features.
Battery charge monitoring process is then established to ascertain if the battery has been impacted by the collision.
Vehicle physical and electric plug-in
components are diagnosed for accurate estimation and accident triage process. VIN specific repair instruction is then carried out.
Once work is complete, a post-acci- dent works diagnostics and calibration triage is completed. All steel substrates must be accommodated and fully ana- lysed to determine the correct repair methodology and process.
For example, ensuring the correct bond- ing and riveting process or welding with the correct pressure and temperature is critical in order to achieve optimal repair.
Accident triage has never been more important in body repair with the ad- vent of electric vehicles and the special-
ist skills, knowledge and special han- dling required when working on them.
Technicians of the future will require advanced education to understand the use of new and enhanced body materials and repair techniques to successfully deliver a repair of ‘beyond OEM’ factory standard with the highest levels of integrity.
BMW is ahead of the curve in this re- spect. It already adopts specialist training programs, including web-based initia- tives, that directly support training in electric mobility repair solutions and ex- pert oversight of the strong and light- weight materials employed in modern day automotive construction. These materials include up to eight levels of HSS (high strength steels), high strength aluminium, aluminium and steel composites, carbon and continuous fibre thermal plastics.
In addition, BMW Group uses substrates that contribute to a holistic recycling pro- gram – a key element in the company’s fo- cus on sustainability business practices.
BMW Group aims to have a climate-neu- tral business model spanning the entire value chain by 2050. The company is now pursuing targets to produce the greenest electric vehicle by reducing the lifecycle CO2 emissions per vehicle by at least a third. These targets include reducing the carbon footprint compared with 2019 per vehicle by 2030 via the following means:
• In production by 80 per cent
• During the use phase by more than 40
per cent
• Inthesupplychainbyatleast20percent
Finally, BMW Group recycles 99 per cent of the 760,000 tonnes of material waste as a result of the production of almost 2.5 million vehicles a year.
FROM TOP: MINI is an all steel body construction, but utilises high strength and ultra high strength steels. The roof colour gradient option below will require training to reproduce accurately.