Today is National Battery Day. Who would have thought that was a thing? However, it's a great reminder to focus on where the automotive industry is going. Colorado is a leading state in the move to Electric Vehicles (EV's). As noted in the Colorado Sun article, EV's now account for 10% of the car parc in Colorado, way ahead of the rest of the country. What does this mean for shop owners?
Investing in Tires & Tire Changing Equipment: EV's wear tires 20% faster than their gas powered counterparts.
EV's are heavier, weighing significantly more than gas vehicles. The F150 Lightening weights in 1600 lbs. heavier that the gas version. In addition, the added torque and regeneration modes cause significantly higher tire wear. With more wear, customers will be purchasing tires more often.
As such, investment in proper tire service equipment is critical. Moving towards tire equipment that makes servicing these assemblies faster and easier is a smart investment in your business. Many auto service companies are using older equipment that makes servicing tires difficult. A difficult service can mean technicians are less likely to recommend the service and your shop could be missing out on these sales.
Tire changer technology has had its biggest shift in the last decade. In the 80's tire changer technology shifted from the ever common bathtub style changer like the Coats 4040 to the rim clamp style changer that is still common today. With the rim clamp, for the longest time, the technology move was to add "helper" devices to help the tire changer service assemblies that the machine was never designed to service.
Today, modern tire changers minimize the operator involvement. Often the question is do you want to buy a tire changer or be a tire changer. Modern machines, like the Hunter Revolution, can change the tire for the operator. The operator inputs the dimensions and the machine takes over, only requiring minimal operations by the technicians.
Other tire changers have controls that allow the operator to manually move the tool heads and helper arms with joysticks and buttons, minimizing operator input and making the process consistent.
Investing in modern technology is critical today in order to ensure operator safety as well as making the process easy and fast. If you are interested in a live, on site, demonstration of modern tire changing equipment, contact us today.