Alternative Vehicle Power Sources Present the Next Challenge to Repairers

News about hybrid or pure electric vehicles continues to be released to the media in ever increasing volumes as any trawl of the Internet will readily reveal.

Only recently amongst other reports Nissan announced its strategy of re-cycling Lithium-ion batteries to reduce costs whilst Ford in the USA launched a big advertising campaign about its new Fusion (hybrid) model running on Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries claimed to offer huge increases in town and country mpg.

Just over the "not-too-distant-horizon" of course is a whole new breed of general purpose, everyday vehicles planned to run on hydrogen, offering the environmental lobby the purest of answers to pollution, water being the only thing coming out of the exhaust pipe. Converting to this fuel of course will involve huge changes in the infrastructure associated with "filling up  the tank", but it will happen, perhaps sooner than many might imagine.

And how will all this exciting news effect those downstream charged with repairing damaged vehicles to the highest possible standards and making them fit for use again following the inevitable bump and crunch? Malcolm Tagg, Director General of the VBRA, the UK's leading Trade Association for Vehicle Body Building, CV, Car Body and SMART repair, is undoubtedly better  placed than most to comment on this and he envisages a time of much change, opportunity and progress.

Interviewed recently Tagg stated, "There is little doubt that the future is in alternative forms of energy to power our vehicles and in the interim a range of part way solutions is evolving. This change will be driven by many factors including the scarcity of raw materials from which to produce petrol and diesel, costs, environmental considerations, and the general desire, at least in the developed world, to react to social awareness requirements.

The new paradigms which are arising cannot and will not be overlooked; it is merely a matter of when they will become part and parcel of our daily lives."

Commenting on the relevance of this to his organisation and their many members across the UK Tagg added, "Within the VBRA we are already  involved in predicting and pro-actively assessing what the future might involve in terms of vehicle repairs. Leaving aside for the moment power-trains we anticipate an increasing move towards the use of composite materials for main chassis and body members, together with lightweight and easily replaceable panels and what we might term cosmetic sections of bodywork and trim. This of course is already happening in fact and is something that must inevitably grow. Whilst these are still relatively new and infant concepts today, we envisage our members, who are all highly skilled and trained technicians, being able to adapt to them relatively easily, albeit with the requirement for some training as and when launches occur. What is particularly necessary is that Manufacturers speak openly with the aftermarket to identify what is coming along so that repair solutions are in place ready for new vehicle launches. Repairers may have to learn and understand for example how to bond carbon fibre to high strength, thin film aluminium instead of bonding various grades of steel together, but these are techniques that can and will be learned rapidly and become commonplace.

Regarding the new power plants, it is a fact that this represents a whole new field of enterprise where much re-training and education will be necessary especially in the area of vehicle electrics which can so easily be affected by accident damage. Again, however, this will not present any insurmountable problems with the assistance of manufacturers in providing the necessary software links to deal with innovations in vehicle operation.

Knowledge of course is key and with battery power increasing as well a practical issues to contend with there are Health and Safety issues to be recognized - it's not just a case of detatching a wire!

Should any of this be doubted, think back to some of the significant changes already accommodated by the vehicle repair industry without trauma. Aluminium chassis', air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control and a whole host of other inspired electronic devices too numerous to mention have all been introduced into mainstream motor vehicle manufacture along with a host of modern construction materials and new bonding techniques that  accompany them within recent memory and the downstream repairs have adjusted to the changing requirements entirely satisfactorily, so satisfactorily in fact that such change is now taken for granted."

Concluding Tagg added, "To (mis)quote President Obama, "change is coming", and, as ever, it will be those in our industry who welcome and embrace change that will be successful and go on growing their businesses quietly and confidently. The VBRA and our members will be at the forefront of this change, enthusiastically encouraging and nurturing it so that it happens safely, sensibly and prudently, allowing motorists to do what they have done for the past many years; leave it to the experts to return their damaged vehicle to the road in A1 condition."

The VBRA is the UK's leading Trade Association for Vehicle Body Building, CV, Car Body and SMART repair

More at www.vbra.co.uk The VBRA is part of  ARIC, the International Association of Body Repairers.