Green tech trends in the automotive industry are on the rise. You could get into green careers AND work with cars! Discover how with School of Thought, the champions for young people in the automotive sector.
We all need cars because we need to get from A to B, but due to climate change the whole automotive industry (that’s the world of cars and vehicles) is rethinking how it makes and fuels cars in order to reduce greenhouse emissions and carbon footprints. We need cars, but we need them to be sustainable, too.
Going green when it comes to the automotive industry is really important for our future! When it comes to cars, the UK is going green – and the automotive industry is working hard to make it happen!
So let’s take a look at green tech trends in the automotive industry…
Electric vehicles (EV)
Did you know that the sale of all diesel and petrol cars will be stopped in the UK in 2030? Soon we’ll all be driving electric cars.
You’ve probably heard of Elon Musk’s Tesla cars, but they are not the only electric cars out there. Volkswagen and plenty of other big companies are also manufacturing electric cars to keep up with demand and need.
An electrical vehicle, often known as an EV, is cheaper to run. It’s also pretty fast, and eco-friendly. It’s a great way to futureproof transport for generations to come.
According to the National Grid, we can expect to see 10 million electric vehicles on UK roads by 2030, and as many as 30 million by 2040. They will be the norm, not the exception!
EV private and public electric charging points
Instead of filling an EV tank with petrol or diesel, we plug them into EV electric charging stations to charge them up. You can charge your EV at home with a home wallbox installed by an electrician. You can charge your EV in public spaces with public charge points found all over the place including motorway services and public car parks. These public charge points are operated by private companies or by local councils, but if you can use one, you can usually use them all.
In October 2022 there were 42,000 charge points in the UK. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says the UK will need 2.3 million charging points by 2030 to keep up with predicted demand. That means installing 700 charge points every day until the end of the decade!
Going green with driverless cars and vehicles
They say that having driverless cars on UK roads is a question of when, not if. There are lots of environmental benefits to driverless cars, too.
Driverless cars, vehicles and fleets are also known as autonomous vehicles, so expect to see the word ‘autonomous’ a lot in the world of automotive careers.
You don’t need to turn the wheel to drive an autonomous vehicle, and some don’t even have steering wheels! The computer system of a driverless car takes over all the driving using infrared radars, laser radars, seriously accurate GPS and highly complex cameras and motion sensors, along with some algorithm wizardry.
It’s not just individuals like us who will all be using driverless cars one day (soon). Did you know that big ride sourcing companies like Uber plan to have self-driving fleets?
The environmental benefits of driverless cars:
- Driverless cars cause fewer emissions because (a) most are electric and (b) they drive more efficiently than humans who can get messy with their braking and acceleration, using more fuel
- There could be fewer cars per household because a driverless car can drop kids off at school, take parents to work, then park where it is most needed.
- Less congestion: when most cars are driverless, traffic will be more steady, so city planners can put more of a focus on green public spaces instead of roads
- Fewer accidents: careful driverless driving will mean fewer people get hurt – and fewer pets and wild animals, too.
Green careers in the automotive industry
So… if you want to be part of a sustainable future, what can you do when it comes to working with cars and vehicles? As you’ve probably guessed, green trends in cars are very high-tech, but you don’t have to be an engineer to find a way into green careers involving cars.
Some ideas…
Software developer / IT Programmer
Everything now is digital or based on computers, and the automotive industry is at the cutting edge of the digital career trend. Software developers and IT programmers help to create and design software that makes electric cars run. Becoming an automotive software developer can be a very well-paid green career choice! Knowing how to use CAD design software can be very handy for what you do, so becoming a CAD technician could be a way into this type of career.
Engineering technician / EV Technician
Automotive engineering is becomingly increasingly high-tech, but you don’t always need a degree to get started. As an engineering technician (and particulary if you specialise as an EV technician) you can help engineering teams to make and look after EV automotive equipment, collect information and data, document research and even help with making prototypes. There’s a lot that goes on when it comes to automotive research, design and development – and you can help.
Graduate engineer recruiters VHR take on a lot of automotive engineers – in fact, some of them work on F1. As automotive sustainability continues to rise, Youth Friendly Employers like VHR are sure to point you towards increasingly green automotive engineering careers. VHR also have a special youth-friendly academy for tech recruiters, so you will impress them with your passion for the benefits of green technology if you apply!
Body Paint Technician
As a body paint technician, you’ll prep, prime and paint car body parts. These days, many auto manufacturers use eco-friendly waterborne paint instead of solvent-borne paint. This is more environmentally friendly in all kinds of ways. First, waterborne paints are thinned with water not petrochemicals, so they don’t release harmful volatile organice compounds (VOCs) into the air. They dry faster, require less blending and completely coat a greater area more quickly, meaning a car needs fewer coats of paint to get a high finish. Even as a body paint technician, you are applying your expert skills while creating a more sustainable planet!
Drive your future with green automotive careers, courses and apprenticeships
Businesses all over the UK are now on a journey to train their technicians to a variety of levels to maintain and repair them in the future. This is an exciting time to start the journey as a Light Vehicle technician, Bodyshop Technician, Bodyshop Panel Technician and Paint Technician, as they will all have to be trained to work on these new high-tech vehicles whether they are Hybrid, Battery or Hydrogen powered.
Modern apprenticeships will all have EV skills included and vehicle manufacturers and colleges all have courses available. The modern and future technicians will not only needto have the traditional skills to keep the wheels rolling on these electric vehicles but also knowledge of the new power trains driving them and the IT skills required to ensure all this new technology is programmed and working properly.
There’s never been a more exciting time to join the automotive industry whether you want to be in design and engineering, marketing, IT, maintenance and repair, sales and customer service or support companies.
School of Thought
Automotive careers are for everyone and they can be part of a green sustainable future too.
School of Thought
