June 1, 2022—California's efforts to phase out new gas-powered cars by 2035 could prove to make things complicated for individuals in the automotive repair field.
According to Times of San Diego, California has projected that almost 32,000 automotive mechanic jobs will be lost by 2040 across the state.
California has around 60,910 automotive service technician and mechanic jobs in total.
On an even wider scale, the California Air Resource Board estimates that 64,700 jobs will be lost due to the mandate across the entire state's economy. Additionally, an estimated 24,900 jobs are predicted to be created as a result of the mandate.
“Many mechanics who have started working see that there’s not a long-term future in the auto repair business, with hybrids and electric cars coming out,” Alex Dirige, a mechanic of over 30 years from the San Francisco area, said in the article. “The electric vehicle repair market is just about nonexistent. A lot of them would love to be in the field but they might choose to go into other types of employment.”
The statewide mandate will not completely eliminate the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles. There will still be an opportunity for many mechanics to work on used cars and the state's existing ICE population that sits at about 29 million.
Even though shops across California remain busy and will remain so for the foreseeable future, there is little doubt in the minds of repair shop employees that this industry will be hit the hardest by the mandate. They are in agreeance that adaptation must happen in order to survive.
This may require shops to invest in new tools and technology as well as education.
“This industry, it’s always changing,” Jesus Rojas, owner of JR Automotive in San Francisco, said in the article. “But a lot of mechanics, they don’t want to change, they just want to do what they’re good at and that’s a problem. We need people that are willing to learn because we have to adapt.”
