Fewer spare parts: How garages can cope with the electric motor

What is already dominating at Automechanika is what will mostly only be needed in the future.

At this week's leading trade fair in Frankfurt, the manufacturers of automotive components are presenting ideas and solutions for a market that will change massively as the transformation from combustion engines to electric cars progresses.

Battery-powered vehicles will now require around 30 percent fewer spare parts.

David Lindenfeld

volunteer.

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This is the result of a study that the European association of automotive suppliers Clepa recently carried out together with the management consultancy Roland Berger.

This will have far-reaching consequences for manufacturers and workshops.

"It's a fundamental challenge for the entire industry," says Steffen Nieländer from Schaeffler, one of the major German suppliers: "Anyone who's only just starting to think about it is actually already left behind."

Schaeffler is calculating with a scenario for the year 2030 in which the newly registered vehicles are divided up as follows: 40 percent electric, 40 percent hybrid and 20 percent combustion engines.

According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, 16.1 percent of newly registered cars had an electric drive in August 2022;

Hybrids came to 17.6 percent, plug-in hybrids to 12.4 percent.

However, the existing vehicle fleet is more important for the development of the automotive parts market.

“This Shift 2030 will not yet be there for the existing vehicles.

Not globally anyway,” says Nieländer.

That's why he expects an evolution rather than a revolution.

Even after 2030, spare parts for combustion engines will continue to be in demand.

Innovative ideas needed

Schaeffler is therefore not the only manufacturer who is “relatively optimistic about the future”: “Cars are all getting older.

Above all, when combustion engines are no longer allowed at some point, more people will have their cars repaired for longer," says a spokesman for the manufacturer Mahle.

In addition, the automotive aftermarket is a global business.

Even if the transformation in Europe succeeds quickly, there will still be a market.

After all, there are also places in the world that are not suitable for an electrical infrastructure.

Nevertheless, Mahle is also working "at full speed on the transformation".

The company designs maintenance and diagnostic equipment for electric cars and already generates 65 percent of its sales in the aftermarket with thermal management products.

This product segment will become more important for electric cars in the future due to the different cooling systems installed.

Other manufacturers who focus on engine parts or other combustion-specific components will have a much harder time.

Many companies see their chance in helping to shape the market with innovative ideas.

The parts manufacturer Meyle from Hamburg, for example, designed its own control arm for the Tesla 3 and the Model Y.

The in-house development team had previously determined that this component was not sufficiently protected from moisture in the models in question, which is why water penetrated.

This in turn led to increased wear, squeaking noises and rattling.

"With our experience, we can solve problems that arise with new manufacturers," says product manager Niklas Arndt.

The workshops that install spare parts are also affected by the transformation.

For them, this is often an “incredibly big challenge,” says Nieländer from Schaeffler.

To be allowed to work on electric cars, special permits are required.

This is often associated with larger investments, especially for independent workshops.

Almost all manufacturers offer training courses for the new hardware, such as diagnostic devices that are needed to examine the cars.

workshops needed

“None of the trends indicate that the workshops will no longer exist.

We also don't believe that the earning potential has been reduced," says the Managing Director of Hella Gutmann, Rolf Kunold, and refers to driver assistance systems as an example, which are likely to be used more frequently in the future and, due to the more complex technology, as one of many areas also showing an increase in sales for workshops "What workshops need to be able to do is changing." There is already a solution for many things when it comes to electromobility: Not only Hella Gutmann has developed a device for checking the battery health status.

Only when it comes to repairing a traction battery is there not much progress.

“We have to ask ourselves how independent workshops will participate when the time comes.

The Central Association of the German Motor Trade (ZDK) also advocates this.

As early as 2013, the high-voltage test became part of the training for a vehicle mechatronics technician.

There are already enough workshops for electric cars, says Werner Steber, who is responsible for technology, safety and the environment at ZDK, although he emphasizes that some "haven't really understood it yet" - also because the combustion engine market can still be earned quite well in the medium term.

However, it is important that workshops also open up new business areas that open up as part of the transformation.

Electromobility is – as of now – the business of the future.

But not everyone is convinced: “Where should we get all the electricity from?” asks Steber.

According to him, you also have to consider e-fuels, i.e. non-fossil or synthetic fuels, if you want to reduce CO2 emissions quickly: "And we have to." He is critical of the idea of ​​significantly reducing mobility in general.

"If the goal is to drastically reduce road traffic in the long term," says Steber, "that would hurt us massively as the automotive trade."