Electric Vehicles Could Ruin Detroit’s Auto Industry?
Electric vehicles require both different skills and fewer people to manufacture, this has given rise to fears that traditional automotive roles that have defined Detroit for over a century could disappear and leave many folks without jobs.
This article is more than 2 years old
Electric vehicles are having their moment in the sun this year, with basically every global car manufacturer releasing a range of at least hybrid, if not fully electric cars. This year none of the more prominent car manufacturers has released solely gas-powered vehicles. This change shows that the automotive sector is heading into a new age, the age of batteries, and this gives rise to the lingering question: where does that leave Detroit, the heartbeat of America’s auto industry?
An age where automobiles will not have the familiar growling sound or smell of petrol but the silent sweep of environmentally friendly batteries. With more and more charging stations popping up at every petrol garage, shopping mall, and town center, electric is coming, and it is here to stay.
Also, there is a range of government incentives that President Biden has given to the public to make electric vehicles the obvious choice. The government is investing over $7.5 billion to build electric vehicle charging stations nationwide and $7 billion to manufacture batteries and other crucial materials.
Gasoline loyalists across America will be shuddering in their sleep, but change is coming. At this year’s North American International Auto show in Detroit, Jeep and every other brand released its new range of hybrid and electric vehicles. While we are living in the realm of change for the automotive industry, in cities like Detroit, people wonder if the change is a good thing.
The mass introduction of the electric car is great for the environment, but what consequences for automobile workers, mechanics, consumers, and people across the nation? People fear that the industry, now overrun with computers and robots, could leave many people behind.
These fears are not without cause, as Volkswagen predicts that building electric vehicles will need 30% less manual labor than historical gas cars, and Ford laid off 3,000 employees in late August.
Simply put, electric vehicles are easier to manufacture than combustion engines, requiring a lot less manpower. While the statistics for working people across America are worrying, many companies like Jeep explain that there is nothing to concern people.
For Jeep, building new electric vehicles means investing more in America to develop the technology nationally rather than relying on international products. A lesson every business that survived the pandemic learned if you can make it in-house, then do so.
Jeep has learned this lesson. Jeep opened a new automotive assembly plant in Detroit, the first one in thirty years. Along with another manufacturing plant in Detroit, Jeep has employed 3,000 new employees this year, pushing back on the fears of job cuts.
The electric vehicle manufacturing sector has rapidly expanded in the last couple of years and is only set to expand further. Along with any other significant change in history, it is concerning for people who have relied on a particular industry for so long to see if it morphed into something else.
With the volatile economic climate and the rise in the cost of living, it must be a worrying time. But in time, certainly, everyone will find a role in the new automotive industry expanding globally.
