"We will respond to the demand for repairs on electric vehicles whose warranties have expired."

The German premium automotive parts brand MEYLE announced the current status of repair responses for electric vehicles in the e-mobility era and its future electrification strategy on the 20th.

Since 2016, MEYLE has been developing core parts manufacturing and innovative solutions to prepare for the growing demand for electric and hybrid vehicles. MEYLE announced that it will expand its production of core parts for electric and hybrid vehicles to over 4,000 types to quickly respond to the challenges of the e-mobility era.

The transition to e-mobility has already become a reality in Europe, where the electric vehicle market is vibrant, as well as in Korea. In Europe, new sales of internal combustion engine vehicles will be halted starting in 2035, and only eco-friendly vehicles with zero carbon emissions will be sold.

MEYLE, in collaboration with the market research firm INNOFACT, announced the simulation results and survey findings on the current status of electric mobility industry in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) by targeting a total of 274 independent repair shops where electric vehicles are active.

According to the simulation results, it is anticipated that by 2035, there will still be 135 million internal combustion engine vehicles in Europe, and among them, over 80 million are expected to be electric vehicles. It is forecasted that 21 million of these will be electric vehicles that are more than eight years old. Moreover, it is expected that by 2035, at least 30% of all vehicles will be electric.

Additionally, most repair workshops have not yet fully engaged in the maintenance of electric vehicles. Currently, only 1 out of 5 repair workshops is capable of handling all repairs on electric vehicles, including high-voltage repairs. While 40% of respondents indicated that electric vehicles visit repair shops weekly, only 3% of the workshops generate more than half of their revenue from electric vehicles.

Additionally, 47.0% of respondents expect that within the next five years, businesses will shift to being centered around electric vehicles, yet only 16.0% of the repair shops have already invested in electric vehicle training.

The solution to this issue was gathered through partnerships with parts corporations. Respondents noted that aftermarket parts companies are the most important partners for repair shops (64%), specifically citing the urgent need for accessibility to parts and solutions (61.7%), technical training including high-voltage systems (55.3%), and support for diagnostic tools and repair guides (48.9%).

Additionally, 65% of respondents mentioned the necessity of specialized training courses and certifications for electric vehicles, as well as an online platform for technical support (60%).

The situation in Korea is not much different. This year, the number of electric vehicles is expected to exceed 1 million in cumulative sales, and the government plans to expand 4.2 million electric vehicles by 2030. Most importantly, as the warranty period expires, it is anticipated that electric vehicle customers will soon flock to private service centers, but the infrastructure for parts and repair know-how for electric vehicles is still in its infancy.

Electric vehicles have completely different repair processes from internal combustion engine vehicles, and due to the presence of high-voltage batteries, accidents caused by fires can lead to serious incidents. Therefore, safe vehicle management is particularly important. In the management of vehicles past their warranty period, the quality of electrification parts and repair know-how is expected to play a crucial role in safety.

To address this, MEYLE stated that it will not only expand the supply of electric vehicle-related parts but also enhance industry-academia collaboration for training future repair personnel, establishing reliable parts supply and electric vehicle repair know-how through its service centers in Korea.

A representative from MEYLE said, "The results of this survey demonstrate that, in order for repair companies to maintain their competitiveness in the e-mobility era, various solutions beyond simple parts supply are necessary," adding, "In the future, we will continuously supply specialized parts for electric and hybrid vehicles for our Korean customers, while strengthening various investments and support to enhance electric vehicle repair capabilities through MEYLE service centers."

MEYLE has launched a premium import car maintenance brand called 'MEYLE Auto Service' in Korea and currently operates 61 service centers nationwide.

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