April 4, 2021
4,000 mechanics have already been trained and 1,500 charging points have been installed by Hero Electric.
The company has sold 53,000 units of vehicles in the previous fiscal year.
IIT Kharagpur, Roorkee, and Delhi as well as private parties have included training programmes and modules relevant to the domain.
Electric motor, charging station development, battery recycling, and power electronics are part of the new EV skill set.
Hero Electric, a company with the Hero Eco conglomerate has announced its interest in skilling close to 20,000 Indian mechanics in handling and repairing electric vehicles by the year 2024. The move comes amidst governmental incentives to promote the growth of electric mobility in the nation. Naveen Munjal, Managing Director remarked on the development “We have currently over 600 dealers and sub-dealers in the country. It’s a multi-layered approach which we are focusing on. We have dealers and then we also have sub-dealers in the periphery areas to cater to the demand of the customers.” Mr Munjal also added that 4,000 mechanics have already been trained by the company and that 1,500 charging points have been added to the public infrastructure so as to boost stakeholder confidence in the ownership, operation, and hassle-free maintenance of electric vehicles. The company disclosed that 53,000 units of e-vehicles have been sold in the previous fiscal year, giving greater impetus to strengthen competencies across business verticals as well as public confidence in the space at large.
The Electric Mobility space is one that requires complex skill sets. Experts opine that mechatronics, an engineering discipline at the intersection of product engineering, telecommunications, and robotics among others is an important domain to master. The higher education ecosystem is gradually accommodating a curriculum conducive to nurturing skill sets relevant to the EV ecosystem. IISC as well as IIT Kharagpur, Roorkee, and Delhi are including modules on battery management, propulsion system, energy management, electric motor, charging station development, and vehicle to grid integration. The R&D ecosystem, as well as power electronics engineering, are two other emerging domains relevant to the ecosystem. Experts also point that recycling and repurposing of electric batteries are other facets of the ecosystem that will require to be factored in. Pedagogical inputs through simulation training by experts can help enhance skilling initiatives in the domain.