Safety first and last for hybrids and EVs

The automotive industry has seen much evolution since the first car rolled out onto the streets. From the horse and buggy to today’s internal combustion engines (ICE) that dominate the roadways, there’s been no shortage of innovations when it comes to the ways we get around. Now, technicians are seeing more and more hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) coming into their shops, opening the door for new complexities when it comes to vehicle repair.  

The same old tools won’t always cut it. That’s where mobile tool distributors come in, outfitting their customers’ toolboxes with the tools that keep them working safely and efficiently, no matter how complex the vehicle is.  

We sat down with Autel, Midtronics, Wiha, and Mac Tools distributor Josh Stottlemire to get a better understanding of what all goes into the category of hybrid and electric vehicle service tools, and how best you can sell these products to your customers. 

New systems call for new tools

Located in the metro area of Portland, Oregon, Stottlemire’s mobile tool truck takes him to a range of shops, from independents to dealerships and even some agricultural ones. For the last 30 years, he has been in the automotive industry in some capacity, starting as a technician and then a service advisor. In 2017, Stottlemire began his career as a mobile tool dealer with Mac Tools, hoping to help technicians perform safe, effective repairs.  

“What really drove me to [become a technician] was when a customer [came] in for a problem, and I [could] help them find a solution to that problem and fix the car,” Stottlemire explains. “Now, I’m on the other end, helping the technicians find new tools to help them do their job more efficiently.” 

Much like the evolution of Stottlemire’s career, the tools he sells have been evolving as well to keep up with the emerging technologies in today’s vehicles. With the rise of hybrid and EVs, equipped with both similar and vastly different mechanics, it’s important that technicians have the proper tooling to get these vehicles taken care of without putting themselves in danger. 

Eliseo Rodriguez, diagnostic training manager at Autel, describes the advancements in technology as being able to work with both eyes open.  

“The older tools, as they evolved, it’s like you had one eye closed, so you can only see certain information,” Rodriguez explains. “As the cars got more sophisticated, now we have the newer tools that allow you to see everything.” 

While hybrid and EVs haven’t taken over, and they most likely won’t any time soon, the selection of tools out there to service them is vast. We’ve narrowed it down into three subcategories to help you get started. 

PPE

A technician should always have personal protective equipment (PPE) on hand when working on the shop floor. When servicing hybrid and EVs, the danger of electrocution is almost always present. Not only is the technician that is directly servicing the vehicle at risk, but also those working around them.  

“I cannot stress [enough] on gloves, the correct gloves, because you can die,” Rodriguez emphasizes. “PPE is like the biggest thing.” 

Gloves are a simple item to keep stocked and are an essential product that all shops should have on standby. You probably already keep some protective equipment on your truck. Consider stocking gloves that are rated to 1,000V or more. 

Not only can your hybrid and EV technicians benefit from having PPE, but the other customers along your route can find use in these as well. All technicians should be prioritizing their safety when performing repairs, and wearing gloves is just one part of that.

Insulated tools

As an extra layer of precaution, insulated hand tools are engineered to keep the user safe from electric shocks and minimize the potential for short circuits that could be dangerous for more than just the technician performing the repair. Their importance cannot be overstated.  

Stottlemire keeps high-voltage resistant pliers, screwdrivers, wire cutters, and other similar items in stock, with many of them coming from KNIPEX.  

Wiha offers several insulated tools, with one of their newest being the 3/8” Drive 10-50 NM VDE Certified Insulated Torque Wrench. They also offer an EV Tools catalog to showcase the tools.  

“Insulated tools are very similarly sized [to] non-insulated tools,” the Wiha team explains. “And can be displayed as any other tool in the truck. [Our] insulated torque tools are outpacing other categories.” 

Battery and diagnostic tools

The battery is the heart of any EV or hybrid vehicle. According to Midtronics’ Sales Engineering Director, Keith Hospodarsky, when looking at these newer kinds of vehicles, the battery is not being used to crank or start the engine as it normally would be in an ICE vehicle, so the need for battery testing is different.  

“There’s no sense in really judging that battery and testing that battery for its ability to crank the engine,” Hospodarsky says. “It’s more about the capacity and being able to run critical systems.” 

Enter Midtronics’ SafetyPower Diagnostics. This judges the battery and its ability to run application-specific systems, giving the technician vital information to perform repairs. Midtronics also offers balancers, specifically the High-Voltage Module Balancer, No. XMB-9640, which enables technicians to safely perform module-level balancing on EV and hybrid batteries. 

“Our belief is that if you can see inside the heart, now you can diagnose and prevent failures on the EV and hybrid cars,” Autel’s Rodriguez says. “That’s a huge thing.” 

Autel’s latest EV tools allow the technician to hook up to the battery itself as opposed to just hooking up to the OBD-II. If you’re looking for a place to start, consider their MAXISYS, No. MS909EV, featuring a dedicated EVDiag Box and the ability to perform battery pack analysis.

Preparing yourself, preparing your techs

Training. Training. Training. Working on automotive vehicles already presents a risk, but with all the complexities that come with EVs and hybrids, that risk is magnified. These systems can deliver incredibly high voltage rates, putting the technicians who service them in danger if the proper precautions are not taken. Your technicians should be trained and certified to work on these vehicles in order to keep themselves and their fellow colleagues safe.  

While you won’t be the one using the tools, it can certainly be beneficial to further your own education when it comes to the products you sell. Stottlemire starts by talking to his customers and letting them lead the charge. 

“I talk with technicians that are certified on these hybrids and find out what new things are coming out, what they’re looking for,” Stottlemire says. “You can gauge what they’re going to need.” 

Technicians are most often the first ones to see these new technologies come into play. They’ll always be the best source to go to as a distributor. Stottlemire supplements their insights with things he sees online. This can be a great jumping-off point, allowing him to start the conversation with something he’s seen floating around the internet. 

When technicians begin to offer hybrid and EV service to their customers, they’ll be looking for a few things in their tooling. As you’re stocking your truck for these specialized repairs, keep these key factors in mind: accuracy, safety, and ease of use.

Accuracy

Trustworthiness often translates into accuracy. Will this tool perform the job I need it to the first time? According to Midtronics, the ability to perform and deliver accurate results is the first thing your technicians are looking for.  

“We see accuracy being top of mind,” Hospodarsky says. “Accuracy in the application is the first key because you don’t want to diagnose a battery as bad when it can be used, or, on the other hand, diagnose it as good and then end up with a customer on the side of the road because they’re not able to run their vehicle.” 

Safety

As with most aspects of vehicle repair, safety is an essential part of the process. Keeping your truck stocked with tools that are insulated, dependable, and equipped with enough power to operate on hybrid and EV systems gives both you and your customers peace of mind.  

“Being able to use a tool safely, that’s especially important with high voltage tools because there can be some danger,” Hospodarsky says. “We really prioritize making sure we have reminders, prompts, things like that for the user to remember their training.” 

Stottlemire keeps tools with a rating of 1,000V; anything that’s subpar to that, he doesn’t keep on the truck. Otherwise, he feels he would be compromising the safety of his customers.  

“I have specifics for high voltage vehicles and EVs,” Stottlemire says. “When you need that higher voltage because you’ve got spikes or something like that, you need the tool to absorb some of that so that the technician doesn’t hurt himself or somebody around him.” 

Ease of use

Shops that service hybrid and EVs are dealing with highly complex systems, so the need for a tool that is intuitive and user-friendly is high. Whether that’s a diagnostic tool that takes the user through diagnosis, or tools with helpful manuals included, anything to take a bit of the load off is helpful. 

“One of the things that we prioritize is making sure that we make these tools very intuitive [and] easy to use,” Hospodarsky says. “We put steps on screen, giving some instructions so that people can see.” 

By eliminating unnecessary headaches, your technicians will be able to focus more on the repair at hand.

Keeping up with technology

Among Stottlemire’s stops, it’s mostly the dealerships that deal in hybrid service repair as opposed to the independents. Still, the popularity of these vehicles has steadily risen, and Stottlemire sees the technology “coming down the line” to the smaller repair shops.  

If one of your customers is considering adding services for these vehicles in their shops, and they’ve prepared themselves through education and training, the benefits are tenfold. They’ll have the confidence to perform complex repairs, bring in additional shop revenue, and stay on the pulse of the industry's evolution. And before they can begin, they’ll need your recommendations to get started.   

The benefits of a distributor offering hybrid and EV service tools are much the same as those that a technician performing these repairs would see. You expand your tool offerings and, in turn, sell more tools. You garner trust with your customers by offering them the latest innovations and keeping your business on top of the trends. 

“You need to be able to keep your customers; retaining your customers is the number one thing,” Rodriguez says. “Because if you don’t keep up with the times, like if you don’t buy the proper tools, you’re going to lose your customers.” 

Stottlemire’s job may not be to educate his customers on the intricacies of hybrid and EV service tools. However, he’ll fill in the gaps, offering the tools that techs might not consider. 

“When the technicians come down onto the truck, usually they already know what they want because they’ve been doing this for so long,” Stottlemire says. “They’re always open for suggestions and stuff, so I would just educate them on the other little items and stuff that they might not think about, like the hand tools they can use instead of the factory tool.” 

At the end of the day, it’s safety first and last in this industry.  

“I just want everybody to be safe out there with the proper tools,” he says. “[Technicians] should talk to their local dealers so that they can get their tools and fix [the vehicle] properly the first time.”