Toronto, Ontario — Data from the largest-ever survey of Canadian EV drivers is released, American collision repairers respond to claims that Tesla Model Y battery packs might be unrepairable and autonomous taxis tangle themselves in collapsed train powerlines. This is the latest in electric and autonomous vehicles.
Ever Worried
A Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) survey of more than 16,000 EV owners finds that their top worry remains public charger availability, even though the majority would buy an EV again.
While concerns with EV batteries such as cold-weather performance and limited range did significantly decline, they did not disappear completely.
Worries about range fell 37 percentage points to 30 percent, cold-weather performance concerns dropped 25 percentage points to 33 percent, and fears about battery degradation fell 41 percentage points to 13 percent, reported the CAA.
Inconvenient, not Impossible
American collision repairers with experience in complicated EV repairs are contesting claims of the repairability of the Tesla Model Y battery, stating that it is a challenging but not impossible task.
In an interview with Repairer Driven News, Barry Dorn, owner of Dorn’s Body and Paint said that from his experience, “BEV collision repair has more procedures to follow, required equipment and tooling along with significant training before you start the repair process.”
He contests claims by collision repairers in a Reuters article claiming the unreliability of integrated battery packs in the frame of the Model Y, saying that the primary factor is training repairers and technicians to learn new repair approaches specific to battery EVs.
“It is a completely different mindset, skill set, and approach to the repair process and build sequence.”
Wire Traps
Two taxis affiliated with Cruise, a self-driving car company affiliated with Honda and General Motors have entangled themselves in downed train powerlines in downtown San Francisco.
According to an article first published by local news station, KRON4, these vehicles failed to detect road closure signs in the middle of a storm that caused the powerlines to snap and collapse.
“Now they are tangled up like flies in sticky traps,” tweeted one local resident on the scene.
No injuries were reported, and Cruise replied to the resident’s tweet by saying that teams have been dispatched to remove the vehicles.
The post EV/AV Report: EV concerns, battery reparability and entangled AVs appeared first on Collision Repair Magazine.
