正文翻譯

Inside the garage of the future

走進未來的汽車修理廠

Servicing and repairing electric cars requires new skills

維修電動汽車需要新技能

Many workshops will be out of a job

許多修理廠將面臨倒閉
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As a string of high-performance cars thunder round the twists and turns of Hockenheimring f1 circuit, in south-west Germany, a stripped-down vehicle at an adjacent Porsche customer center offers a peek inside a speedy but far quieter way of getting round the track. Christian Brügger, a product engineer with Porsche, a sports-car maker that is part of the Volkswagen group, points to the edge of a large black box in the centre of the vehicle’s chassis. “This”, he says, “is where the knife goes in.”

在德國西南部，當(dāng)一系列高性能汽車在蜿蜒的霍根海姆F1賽道上咆哮時，附近的“保時捷”客戶中心有一輛簡約型汽車，展現(xiàn)了一種既高速又安靜得多的賽車方式。克里斯蒂安·布呂格爾是大眾汽車集團旗下運動跑車制造商“保時捷”的一名產(chǎn)品工程師，他指向汽車底盤中央一個巨大的黑色箱體邊緣說：“刀具從這個地方進去”。

The box is a 93kwh battery. The chassis belongs to a 260kph Taycan, Porsche’s first fully electric vehicle (ev). Cables, bright orange in warning, snake across it to a pair of motors and other electronic gubbins. As many a mechanic, professional and amateur, knows, fiddling with the 12v system of a typical internal-combustion engine (ice) can give you a nasty electrical jolt. But this battery delivers 800v. Though it is fitted with safety systems, that is enough for a knockout punch that could kill you.

該箱體是93千瓦時蓄電池，底盤來自時速260公里的Taycan，它是“保時捷”推出的第一款純電動車。以亮橙色警示的電纜蜿蜒穿過箱體，連接至兩個電動機和其他電子裝置。許多專業(yè)和業(yè)余機修工都知道，擺弄典型內(nèi)燃機上的12V供電系統(tǒng)有觸電危險，而這塊蓄電池的輸出電壓達800V。盡管它配備了安全裝置，但足以把人擊倒而喪命。
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The knife Mr Brügger talks of is special. It has a blunt vibrating blade, like those used by doctors to remove plaster casts without damaging the patient. After some 160 bolts have been removed it can be slid under the edge of the battery’s cover to cut away the glue used to seal it tight. This reveals 33 modules containing the lithium-ion cells that constitute most ev batteries. With the cover off, a faulty module can be swapped for a new one.

布呂格爾先生說的是一種特殊的刀具。它配備一只振動的鈍刀片，就像醫(yī)生拆除管形石膏而不傷及患者所用的刀。在拆卸大約160個螺栓后，用刀從電池蓋板的邊緣滑入切開密封膠。打開電池蓋板可見33個鋰電池模塊，大多數(shù)電動汽車的蓄電池都由鋰電池構(gòu)成。取下蓋板后，可以將
故障模塊替換成新模塊。

The battery is the most costly component in an ev. It typically represents about 30% of the value of the car when new. At present, if something goes wrong with a battery it is usually replaced with a new one because dealers’ service centres do not have the ability to undertake internal repairs. As a replacement battery can cost $20,000 or so for some evs, that is an expensive proposition. If the car is fairly new and the battery still under its warranty (which usually lasts around eight years), the manufacturer picks up the tab. But as evs get older and fall in value, many owners may decide to scrap their cars prematurely, rather than fork out such sums.

蓄電池是電動汽車最昂貴的部件，一般約占新車價值的30%。目前如果蓄電池出現(xiàn)故障，通常更換成新的蓄電池，因為汽車經(jīng)銷商的維修中心無法對蓄電池內(nèi)部進行維修。某些電動汽車更換蓄電池的費用約2萬美元，所以這是個昂貴的建議。如果汽車比較新，蓄電池仍在保修期內(nèi)（通常約8年），那么費用由制造商承擔(dān)。但是，隨著車齡增大和貶值，許多車主可能決定提前報廢汽車，而不會花大錢換電池。

Some 45% of CO2 emissions involved in making an ev arise from producing the battery, so it makes sense to repair them and keep the vehicle on the road. Porsche reckons this can be done for about 20% of the cost of fitting a new battery. Most faults are caused by the failure of an individual module or cell. If fixed properly, the company reckons, they can provide many more years of service. Eventually, batteries will give up the ghost. When that happens carmakers aim to recycle them, in order to recover the valuable materials they contain and then use those to make new batteries.

制造電動汽車釋放的二氧化碳約有45%來自生產(chǎn)蓄電池，所以維修蓄電池以使汽車正常行駛是有意義的。據(jù)“保時捷”估算，維修費用約為換新費用的20%。大多數(shù)故障是由于單個模塊或鋰電池故障導(dǎo)致的，該公司認(rèn)為如果維修得當(dāng)，蓄電池的使用壽命能延長許多年。最終蓄電池將報廢，此時汽車制造商打算回收蓄電池內(nèi)的高價值材料，利用它們制造新的蓄電池。
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Reparable batteries are good news for ev owners, but for garages they mean investing in specialist equipment, and also training technicians to do the work. Some of this investment is necessary to carry out even routine work on evs. But as the skills required have more to do with electrical engineering, computing and software than wielding a spanner, there are other industries competing for this talent.

可維修的蓄電池對于電動車主來說是好消息，但對于汽車修理廠來說意味著投資專用設(shè)備，培訓(xùn)技工做這項工作。即使是對電動汽車開展常規(guī)作業(yè)，某些投資也是必要的。所需技能主要涉及電機工程、計算機、軟件，而不是使用扳手，其他行業(yè)也在爭搶此類人才。
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A looming shortage of ev technicians is causing concern in many countries. On October 18th, for example, the Institute of the Motor Industry, which represents Britain’s motor trade, said some 90,000 new automotive technicians will be required to service and repair evs by 2030. As of last year, just 6.5% of Britain’s mechanics were qualified to do such work. Steve Nash, the institute’s boss, says that with the pace at which evs are being adopted accelerating, government support is needed to boost training programmes and avoid a big skills gap.

迫在眉睫的電動汽車技工短缺問題已引起許許多國家的擔(dān)憂。例如10月18日，代表英國汽車行業(yè)的“汽車工業(yè)學(xué)會”表示，2030年將需要約9萬名新的汽車技工來保養(yǎng)和維修電動汽車。截至去年，英國只有6.5%的機修工有資質(zhì)從事這項工作?！捌嚬I(yè)學(xué)會”會長史蒂夫·納什表示，隨著電動汽車的加快普及，政府有必要扶持培訓(xùn)項目，避免巨大的技能缺口。

The specialist equipment required, including high-voltage tools, computer diagnostics and safety gear, is expensive. Reportedly, Cadillac, part of General Motors, has told its American dealerships they will need to spend an average of $200,000 on tools and training if they want to stay with the marque as it becomes all-electric. Industry reports say some have thrown in the towel, but others see a chance to expand.

所需的專用設(shè)備都很昂貴，包括高壓工具、電腦診斷儀、安全裝置。據(jù)說通用汽車公司旗下的“凱迪拉克”曾告訴美國汽車經(jīng)銷商，如果想在汽車實現(xiàn)純電動化后繼續(xù)與這家知名品牌合作，他們將需要在工具和培訓(xùn)上平均支出20萬美元。產(chǎn)業(yè)報告顯示有些經(jīng)銷商已經(jīng)放棄，但也有經(jīng)銷商看到了拓展業(yè)務(wù)的機會。

Many garages, especially small operators who look after older cars, may be reluctant to invest such sums. evs are unlikely to make them as much money as cars with ices. Having fewer moving parts to wear out, evs are more reliable and require less maintenance than ice vehicles. A typical ice drive-train (engine, gearbox and transmission) might contain 2,000 moving parts. An ev’s equivalent has 20.

許多汽車修理廠可能不愿意投資這筆錢，尤其是服務(wù)老式汽車的小修理廠。電動汽車讓它們賺到的錢可能不如內(nèi)燃機汽車多，由于電動汽車的易磨損運動部件較少，所以相比內(nèi)燃機汽車更可靠，需要的維護更少。典型的內(nèi)燃機傳動系（發(fā)動機、齒輪箱、變速器）可能包含2000個運動部件，而電動汽車只有20個。

All this could have a big impact on garages’ revenues. McKinsey, a consultancy, thinks evs may reduce spending on spare parts at American dealerships by as much as 40%. With no oil to change or spark plugs to replace, income from routine servicing will also be lower. Porsche’s Taycan, for one, is reckoned to need 30% less maintenance than if it was an ice vehicle. And fewer items on the service sheet will require a trip to the dealership at all, as an increasing number of fixes are carried out with over-the-air software upxes.

這些都會極大影響汽車修理廠的收入。麥肯錫咨詢公司認(rèn)為，電動汽車可能使美國經(jīng)銷商的汽車配件收入減少40%。由于無需更換潤滑油或火花塞，例行維護的收入也將減少。舉例來說，保時捷的Taycan所需要的維護估計比內(nèi)燃機汽車減少30%。服務(wù)清單上需要車主前往經(jīng)銷商的項目將會減少，因為通過OTA遠(yuǎn)程軟件升級來完成的修復(fù)越來越多。

Repairing batteries should go some way to compensating for lower service revenues, says Peter Reck, an after-sales manager at Porsche. He says the company is introducing three qualification levels for technicians who work on evs. Those on the first level can carry out routine maintenance and those on the second can remove batteries, but only technicians trained at the highest level will be able to open them up for repair. In this way, the company thinks, some dealerships, staffed by members of this elite, can serve as regional battery-repair hubs for garages who have only level-one and -two technicians. Porsche also plans to provide a “flying doctor” service of mobile high-voltage technicians who can visit garages if needed.

維修蓄電池應(yīng)該能在一定程度上彌補服務(wù)收入的減少，保時捷的售后經(jīng)理彼得·雷克說道。他說該公司正在針對電動汽車技師推行三個資格等級，一級技師可完成常規(guī)維護，二級技師可拆卸電池，但只有經(jīng)過培訓(xùn)的三級技師才能打開蓄電池進行維修。該公司認(rèn)為通過這種辦法，擁有這些精英員工的某些經(jīng)銷商可作為區(qū)域性蓄電池維修中心，為那些只有一二級技師的修理廠服務(wù)。保時捷還打算提供流動性高壓電工的“飛行醫(yī)生”服務(wù)，他們在必要時可前往修理廠。

As vehicle technologies advance, garages will face more changes. As is happening on some aircraft, the increasing number of sensors in vehicles will more closely monitor performance and automatically book them in for preventive maintenance before faults occur. Although fully autonomous vehicles are still some way off, the day may come when evs drive themselves to a service centre.

隨著汽車技術(shù)的進步，修理廠將面臨更多的變化。正如某些飛機一樣，汽車將配備越來越多的傳感器更加密切地監(jiān)視性能，并在故障發(fā)生之前自動登記進行預(yù)防性維護。盡管全自動駕駛車輛尚未到來，但電動汽車自動駛向維修中心的那一天可能來臨。

Cell-by date
Technological disruption like this does, though, provide an opportunity for new entrants. Elon Musk, after all, was an industry outsider when he set up Tesla, his (for now) Californian carmaker, which launched its first ev, the Roadster, in 2008. Already there are signs that companies from other areas are looking to enter the ev-servicing business.

這種技術(shù)顛覆確實為新進入者提供了機會。埃隆·馬斯克創(chuàng)立他的（目前）加洲汽車制造商“特斯拉”時畢竟是個業(yè)外人士，該公司于2008年推出第一款電動汽車Roadster。有跡象表明，來自其他領(lǐng)域的企業(yè)正考慮涉足電動汽車維修行業(yè)。

After buying a Roadster, Pete Gruber started repairing them in 2013. His company, Gruber Motor, based in Phoenix, Arizona, has grown into an independent Tesla service centre. The firm has developed its own tools and test equipment to repair the individual components in the electronics and batteries of Tesla cars. This is possible, says Mr Gruber, because he has also had more than 30 years experience running a company that repairs high-voltage power systems in data centres, meaning the technology was familiar. But Mr Gruber, whose garage has its own r&d lab, has a warning: “This is not the sort of work the average mechanic can transition to.” Grease monkeys, beware. Your days are numbered.

皮特·格魯伯爾買過一輛Roadster后，從2013年開始對它們進行維修。他創(chuàng)立的公司坐落在亞利桑那州鳳凰城，現(xiàn)已成為獨立的“特斯拉”維修中心。該公司已研發(fā)出自己的工具和檢測設(shè)備，用來維修特斯拉汽車的電子設(shè)備和蓄電池內(nèi)的獨立部件。這是可行的，格魯伯爾先生說道，因為他有30多年經(jīng)營企業(yè)的經(jīng)驗，該公司維修數(shù)據(jù)中心的高壓電力設(shè)備，意味著在技術(shù)有相似之處。但格魯伯爾先生的修理廠有自己的研發(fā)實驗室，他提出警告：“這不是一般的技工所能過渡的工作”。機修工當(dāng)心，你們時日無多了。