California High School Trains Students for EV Work

One California high school is preparing students for future careers as hybrid technicians, CBS News Bay Area reports.

George Washington High School in San Francisco, California is the only public high school in the city that has an auto shop for its students. With California spearheading the transition to electric vehicles, its students are learning to work with both internal combustion engines and more electrified cars.

The class accepts donated vehicles and toolboxes for students, who perform work such as taking apart a Tesla engine and putting it back together again. 

Class instructor Rich Del Rosso is not only a teacher but also a member and officer of Peninsula Automotive Machinists Lodge 1414 in San Mateo. He describes his students as being superstars and is hopeful that they will lead the way as the industry evolves to become more electric.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that of the 655,330 people employed as automotive technicians, 50% of them are certified by the National Institute for Auto Service Excellence; of those certified, only 1.4% are certified to perform EV work. 

With the state of California planning for 100% of new car sales to be emission-free by 2035, that number is nothing to scoff at. The transition to EVs will be a slow one, however, requiring his students to understand both electric and combustion engines.

Del Rosso is proud of his students, as well as the high school’s principals and trade unions for keeping the auto shop class going. 

“We're going to have a better world for it and these students are taking advantage of what we have here at Washington and a lot of them are interested in getting into the field of mechanics,” Del Rosso stated.