Good OEM jobs will stay, just not as combustion engineers. "As the auto industry restructures, it must do so in a way that’s fair to workers and produces vehicles that are affordable to consumers. The agreement with General Motors shows that is a choice, and that tackling climate change by shifting to a zero-emission economy does not have to mean leaving workers behind." While overtly political in its messaging, this article establishes one very important truth: Good jobs will be around for a long time to come in automotive. Yet, it is also true that automotive assembly operations are going to see some SERIOUS downsizing due to less complicated EV builds and new gigacasting production techniques. And IC drivetrain engineering divisions will be decimated. However, while new technologies may downsize employment in one area of the economy, they up it in other areas and become a net positive. This is what OEMs, unions and governments must clearly understand. With OEMs, the good jobs shift out of IC drivetrain engineering and to a lesser extent production, to be replaced by jobs in electrical engineering, battery development and software. Tesla, with no IC baggage, was able to make this change very quickly, and indeed become an industry leader. In other words, the focus needs to shift to job reskilling and education in these areas. I've seen engineers with Phds in IC combustion technology realize its a dead end and retrain themselves in electric drivetrains. These are smart individuals with much foresight. There's plenty of people out there though (who identify themselves in the comments of many of my posts) who are belligerently fighting the inevitability of technological progress with EVs, which has the same outcome of fighting volcanic lava flows. Success from fighting won't happen this time, just as it didn't happen with photography film, CDs and video stores. Unfortunately they'll have to learn the hard way. What are your thoughts around good jobs staying at automotive OEMs, but in different areas? How much job runway have combustion engineers left? Let me know in the comments below #automotive #batteries #climatechange #emobility #electricvehicles #innovation #sustainability
The "ISSUE' with electric vehicles are 3 THINGS. 1. The energy to power an electric motor WITHOUT CARBON ENERGY. 2. The transfer of electricity directly to a moving vehicles electric motor and battery. 3. High speed mass transit electric vehicles to "redistribute' population centers out of high population areas to compliment greater job growth and prevent GRID LOCK of private motor vehicles.
I am not against Electric Vehicles. What I am against is the added weight, cost and dependence on the battery to provide electrons to the electric motor using carbon energy. What I am for is non connected electric range of no more than twenty five miles, electric transmission of moving vehicle direct to a electric motor of a vehicle. Also electricity provided by non carbon sources including nuclear, solar, wind, hydroelectric, hydrogen produced from SNR Refineries and also major advancements of high speed electric mass transit .
Tesla has 140k employees and makes 2 million cars. GMC 180k, making 6 million cars. When Tesla hits a run rate of 6 million cars they will need over 300k workers...more than GMC.
The headline of the editorial is 100% accurate. It's partly demographics. There is already a massive labor shortage, skilled and unskilled, because so much of the population is older than 55 and retiring. It's partly growth. COVID showed the dangers of long supply chains and a portion of offshored jobs are being "reshored." The net effect, according to the US Manufacturing Institute, is that half of all skilled labor job openings in the next 10 years will go unfilled. Robots will not be able to fill all the gaps.
It is not just electrification that is changing the industry and will have an impact on the number and qualifications of workers in the automotive sector. For example, artificial intelligence will also have this type of impact. I understand the need to protect employment and good pay conditions, but it is impossible to pay as much to a super-productive worker who knows how to take advantage of AI as one who doesn't. The electrification of the automobile is an evolution. Progress has never been stopped by human beings' refusal to adapt and evolve. This time will be no different.
In a couple of weeks I'll be speaking to a few hundred people, mostly students, about the cleantech jobs of the future as part of California university conference. So much work at all levels.
Influencer is not a profession
Never has the old adage ‘if you can’t beat em, join em’ been so true Especially where desperately trying to cling on to status quo/legacy technologies results in promoting fuel and driveline concepts that try to defy the 1st, 2nd and 3rd laws of thermodynamics simultaneously
James as you well know the jobs being created are in China and SE Asia. Take a look at Germany and what is coming for the USA is very clear and for automotive will lead to millions of job losses. Workers urgently need to retrain or they will absolutely be left behind. Please be responsible and respectful and speak the truth.
Automotive Consulting Services
10moHalf will loose their jobs in Europe, from sales to after sales if the manufacturers drop completely ICE’s