prabhuThe UK’s automotive industry is a seminal one, having been central to the development of the automobile as a globally-important mode of transport – and, nationally speaking, having spoken for around £32 billion of the UK’s trade each year.
Automotive servicing is, naturally, a key part of the wider industry – and no more immune to societal and technological shifts than any other part of the industry. How has technology touched the automotive industry, and what are the impacts on the service portion of the industry?
The Tech Revolution
The tech revolution has been underway for decades, and is showing no sign of slowing. As semiconductors continue to get smaller, so too do technological innovations continue apace – with profound impacts for the automotive industry at large. Where prior leaps in vehicle technology were largely attributed to material science and safety discoveries, today’s automotive future is aligned with sensors, adaptivity and automation.
EVs and New Mechanical Discipline
The most immediate way in which automotive service and repair businesses have been impacted by the automotive tech revolution is, of course, through the form of the vehicles they receive. Automotive engineering was at one time a tangible, industrial art; mechanics were so named for the mechanical nature of vehicle and engine repair, and even today solve arcane problems with vintage vehicles through arcane knowledge and acute use of the senses.
However, the modern automotive market is a vastly different one, in no small part due to the arrival of the electric vehicle (EV). Electric vehicles are fundamentally different in design and functionality, despite sharing the same essential form, chassis and control schemas. All vehicles require regular car servicing, but not all vehicles are built equal – and the modern EV is a very different maintenance experience to the conventional gas-guzzler.
For one, EVs are more resilient than vehicles with internal combustion engines; electric motors have far fewer moving parts than ICEs, and hence have fewer potential points of failure. However, the EV’s electrics are also necessarily more complex, meaning that outside of mechanical issues like brakes and tyres, specialised knowledge is necessary to properly maintain EVs.
AI and Administration
It isn’t just the vehicle technology that has changed in automotive servicing, though. New technologies also enable existing service facilities to greatly improve the quality of their service, and in a variety of ways. Larger service businesses, such as those with multiple locations, can utilise new advancements in machine learning to handle mundane data entry and administrative tasks. Parts ordering, client management and information storage can be left to a digital assistant, saving precious man-hours in the process.
On the customer-facing front, AI shows considerable promise for handling new enquiries and existing customer queries. AI chatbots can be used to great effect in guiding online conversations, booking appointments and sending regular, bespoke job updates too.
