An insight from Victor Burmeister, Passenger Car Technical Training Specialist for Mercedes-Benz.
You delivered training at GTG Glasgow recently – what did that involve?
‘I visited GTG to deliver EV and hybrid training to Arnold Clark technicians in December 2020. I spent three days in total with the delegates, who were vehicle technicians from Arnold Clark branches and elsewhere.
‘The training introduced the technicians to some of the new technologies around electric and hybrid vehicles. Two days’ training was focused around the Mercedes-Benz EQC, which is the first fully-electric car that the brand has, and is part of its new EQ series, so it’s all new stuff for to the technicians.
‘We talked about electric batteries and how they work, how electric vehicles move and how they can generate their own electricity, as we often see in hybrid models.
What’s the most important factor when working with EV technology?
‘Safety has to be an absolute priority when working with electric and hybrid vehicles. You are working with some potentially very dangerous technology and it goes without saying that safety is critical when working with electric parts.’
Who benefits from this training? Is it just technicians?
‘It’s beneficial to everybody, because if you look at the automotive industry and where things are headed, it’s only going to get more electrified.
‘Mercedes has made a commitment that by 2025 everyone one of its models on sale will have an electric or plug-in hybrid variant, so from our perspective we have to get this sort of information out to professionals in the industry. So we’ve got a long way to go in a short space of time, and this is why I travelled to GTG Glasgow to deliver this training to the delegates from Arnold Clark.’
How valuable is this training, not just for Mercedes but across the automotive industry?
‘As an industry, we should all be aware that the UK government’s plan for 2030 is that by then there aren’t going to be any more internal combustion engine vehicles for sale any more. As an industry, automotive has to embrace this technology, and for Mercedes, we have to deliver the appropriate EV and hybrid training, not just to delegates at Mercedes-Benz, but across the industry, the professional using the products, working with car parts and being able to fix them safely.
‘It all adds to the infrastructure. People are quick enough to say ‘there’s not a lot of electric infrastructure’, but training people to repair electric cars, for example, is an important part of that.
‘Ultimately, this will build more confidence in EVs and hybrids, and bring more business to the vehicle retailers.’
How was GTG as a venue to come and deliver your training?
‘As long as I’m warm, dry and have food, I’m happy! I’m easily pleased as a visitor. But seriously, everyone at GTG was lovely and I felt really welcome. Anything I needed, I was able to approach someone, and I was well looked after. I couldn’t ask for any more in terms of facilities and how I’ve been treated.’
For GTG’s range of EV and hybrid training courses, search the Automotive Technical section on our website.