Révolte, a company specializing in the repair of hybrid and electric models, has just launched a promising initiative: Branched Garages. The principle is simple: through this program, the company offers garages that they wish to be trained to take care of, diagnose and repair EVs.
It’s a fact, the repair of electric cars is an important issue today, at a time when “wattages” are multiplying on French roads. Only and as our colleagues from Les Echos reported in November 2023, the process faces many barriers. Among them, we note in particular the absence of international standards for standardize the installation of batteries in electric vehicles.
As a result, each manufacturer adopts its own approach. If some have rather chosen to favor repairability like Renault and Volkswagen which screw the battery cells for easier access, others have taken the opposite path. This is for example the case of certain Chinese or American brands such as Tesla and MG. Until 2023, the Model Y batteries were, for example, surrounded by 29 kg of insulating foam (4 kg from now on), which made any intervention impossible.
It must be added to this lack of training among mechanics. For good reason, too few professionals are approved for electricity in France. According to France Info, on a network of independents cited by the media, only 550 sites out of 3,500 are, or 16% of establishments in total. To remedy this situation, a French company has decided to act.
Also read : No, electric cars are not more expensive to repair than thermal models
This French company wants to train mechanics in electricity
Indeed, Révolte, a company based in the Nantes region and specialized in the repair of hybrid and electric cars, has just launched the program Connected Garages. The idea is simple: the company intends to form the garages who wish it (for remuneration of course) to e-mechanics and support for “wattages”.
Concretely, Révolte promises complete support. Thus, candidates will be able to have:
- special tools such as dongles to plug directly into the OBD ports, a dashboard to carry out battery health certificates
- access to a dedicated hotline for electrical, hybrid and electronic diagnostic assistance
- remote connection on certain vehicles
- discounts for subcontracting for certain breakdowns
- access to specific training and repair tutorials
- discounts for equipping your garage with the right equipment (carts, charging stations, insulated tools, PPE, etc.)
Whatever anyone says, Révolte’s initiative is rather welcome and could to some extent compensate for the significant lack of training among the professionals mentioned above. It now remains to know the amount requested by Révolte from the volunteers.