Southern Maine Community College launches tech training for EVs

File Photo / Tim Greenway Electric cars, like the one shown at this ReVision charging station, need technicians to service them, like any automobile.

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By Staff

Southern Maine Community College has launched the state’s first program to train technicians for servicing electric and hybrid vehicles.

The class is designed for technicians who work at auto repair shops, auto dealers and other vehicle-related businesses. For the class, students take a hands-on weeklong course in SMCC’s Automotive Technology Center after first completing 32 hours of online instruction.

The first class, which is full, is being offered this month. Additional classes will be scheduled in 2022, according to a news release.

"The lack of trained technicians is about to become an international crisis," said Ruth Morrison, SMCC’s Automotive Technology program chair, who will teach future classes. "There are a lot of electric and hybrid vehicles being produced, and we don’t have enough people who know how to work on them."

The short-term training course is being offered through the SMCC Workforce Training Program for companies and organizations that need employees trained in electric vehicle repair. The course teaches students to perform hands-on work and prepares them to take an industry certification test.

Among the students in the first electric vehicle repair class are automotive master technicians from VIP Tires & Service, an automotive service provider and tire dealer based in Auburn with 65 locations in New England.

Electric vehicle sales are growing fast in Maine and the United States, and VIP needs certified workers for electric vehicles, said the company’s president and CEO, Tim Winkeler.

"Electric vehicles are clearly the wave of the future, and until now there haven't been any training options available in Maine," Winkeler said. "Having our automotive technicians trained and certified will allow VIP the ability to offer local electric vehicle repair to Maine residents."

Southern Maine Community College is Maine’s largest and oldest community college. Founded in 1946, SMCC offers courses at campuses in South Portland and Brunswick, online, and through community satellite locations.