You’ll still need alignments. You’ll still need the steering adjusted. ABS modules can fail, those need to be replaced.

Just because we’re getting rid of two large issue generators in the engine/transmission system, doesn’t mean the new machines are bulletproof.

People are going to need their cars fixed.

I'd also like to mention that half of the parts in any given Tesla are off the shelf parts shared with other car brands. Just normal boring things you'd never think of... but ones that also require NHTSA approval, thus, a small number of Chinese companies have a monopoly on those otherwise boring parts. This came up when the pandemic started, and Tesla had to halt production lines waiting for the cargo ship to arrive from overseas because Tesla doesn't make that part.

We have like 3 actually good mechanics locally... most of what they do is related to alignment, suspensions, and consumables that owners don't feel comfortable doing themselves. All three of these still apply to a Tesla, even though they don't need their oil changed, they still have tires, antifreeze, air filters, brakes, etc, and that's still bread and butter work for the local shop.

I realize this is a common trope among Tesla fans, but you should really call your local electric vehicle mechanic and ask him how business is doing.

Spoiler: it's booming.

There is definitely less overall maintenance required. The total number of mechanics needed would definitely decrease if everyone was driving electric. We did zero maintenance other than brake fluid check and tires in 3 years. This experience is typical. Certainly we will need more independent electric capable shops than we have now, but there is a definite first mover advantage at play. Also, cars get wrecked and need repairs. Body shops will always be a thing too. Still, these things are simpler, have less parts, and are easier to service in general.

> We did zero maintenance other than brake fluid check and tires in 3 years. This experience is typical.

That's nothing special these days, look at the maintenance schedule of a new Toyota Corolla, except 3 oil changes (and that's only in the US where this is done ridiculously often) there's nothing ICE specific on there...

There are valid reasons why US spec cars often have shorter intervals… heat and dust are both bad for oil, and the US has a lot more of both than Europe or Japan.

> We did zero maintenance other than brake fluid check and tires in 3 years. This experience is typical.

It's also my experience with my Ram truck.

And my 2016 F-150. Bought it used in 2017. I finally changed the front brakes yesterday not because it was necessary but because I felt that it should probably be done on a 5 year old vehicle with 47k miles on it. Took me all of an hour. I’d never changed brakes on my own before (saw and helped my dad as a kid lots of times.)

Getting from 0k to 47k is not the challenge or the impressive part, though. That should be typical, and increasingly is.

More impressive is getting from 100k to 147k, for instance.

Fair enough, most new cars /should/ need little maintenance. On a 10 year time span the number of things that can (and likely will) need maintenance can only be greater on an ICE engine. Ignition systems, emission systems, so many more moving and friction parts on an ICE vehicle.

>but you should really call your local electric vehicle mechanic and ask him how business is doing.

that anecdote is only indicative of short term market conditions. It's sort of like saying that trucking jobs are safe because there are truck driver shortages today, ignoring the impending doom of automation in the next few decades.

> It's sort of like saying that trucking jobs are safe because there are truck driver shortages today, ignoring the impending doom of automation in the next few decades.

If it's still decades out, that means it's still reasonable to suggest to people looking for a career. Changing careers at 38 is something a lot of people do, for instance after 20 years in the military.

Teslas spend more time receiving service than almost any other modern car. EV's also need tires rotated and changed far more often than ICE due to their greater weight and torque.

My 4 year old Tesla has had several unscheduled service visits. None of them were for anything EV related. All of them were for Tesla-specific or "new car builder" things. Eg, main infotainment replacement (from ancient arm to modern intel for better performance), ball joint replacement at 40K miles, forgotten tow package when my car was delivered, improperly installed windows, etc, etc, etc.

Actually, one issue insurance agencies are having is that it almost takes an electrical engineering degree to fix an electric vehicle.

They would love it if you could fix a vehicle instead of having to replace the entire thing, which is what the OEMs want.

> They would love it if you could fix a vehicle instead of having to replace the entire thing, which is what the OEMs want.

The auto insurance industry knows how to influence car makers, they run the IIHS crash testing rating system, and they could probably also rate cars on repairability. Although, sometimes the safety features make it hard to repair, so there's some tradeoffs there.

When electric cars stop crashing, we're effectively dead.