EV broken? Finding a technician to fix it may take a while

A global shortage of technicians and independent repair shops qualified to fix electric vehicles (EV) threatens to increase repair and warranty costs for drivers, potentially undermining upcoming deadlines to cut vehicle carbon emissions. From Milan to Melbourne to Malibu, technician training organizations, warranty providers and repairers say that independent repair shops will be vital for making EVs affordable because they are far cheaper than franchise dealers. Many garage owners balk at training and equipment costs for fixing high-voltage EVs – with 400- and 800-volt systems that could electrocute and kill unwary or untrained technicians in seconds – especially with relatively few EVs on the road.