Lack of EV technicians spells troubles

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s electric vehicle (EV) market is expanding fast, but there is one serious emerging problem: A lack of technicians who are capable of repairing those complicated cars.

This also means long wait times for EV owners at body shops.

EV sales in Türkiye skyrocketed 889 percent in the first 10 months of 2023 to nearly 50,000, while experts expect sales to hit 100,000 next year.

“There are 22,000 certified service stations in Türkiye. Actually, 17,500 of them are body shops. There are very few numbers of technicians who know how to handle EVs,” said Ali Özçete, the president of the Turkish Automotive Aftermarket Association (OSS).

Özçete admitted that he did not expect EVs to become “part of our daily life” in Türkiye so fast, pointing out the urgent need to have enough qualified EV technicians.

“Those technicians require special training. We need people who understand mechatronics and figure software, not those who simply replace sparking plugs…but we only have a couple of them,” he said.

Bosch Car Service has the largest network for EVs in Türkiye.

The company sends its staff to countries such as Norway and Denmark, where EVs are widely used, for training, said Arda Arslan, its regional vice president.

“The need for electricians will only grow as the number of EVS on the roads increases. We can expect a 10 percent increase in employment at each service center,” Aslan said.

The starting salary of such an electric technician in the EV service industry is around 20,000 Turkish Liras ($690), while the monthly salary of an experienced technician can be up to 50,000 liras.