Eleven employees from Tamworth Regional Council are being trained in electric car maintenance, as council continues to transition into a more sustainable fleet.
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The employees are currently studying a statement attainment in depower and reinitialise hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles, at Tamworth TAFE campus.
TAFE NSW Automotive Head Teacher Noel Woodbury said as technology continues to advance, it's good to have this type of training available.
![TAFE NSW Automotive Head Teacher Noel Woodbury next to one of their practice electric cars. Picture by Peter Hardin TAFE NSW Automotive Head Teacher Noel Woodbury next to one of their practice electric cars. Picture by Peter Hardin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/205515339/e72a3076-d7b0-41e7-8147-ad02f23622c3.jpg/r0_0_7461_4211_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Council is buying a lot more electric vehicles and obviously they need to repair and maintain them," he said.
"The council has seen that and has asked us to train up their guys and so far they have been doing excellent."
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The focal point of the TAFE course is safety, especially de-energising and instilling an electric or hybrid vehicle.
"It is part of an Australian standard that if anyone works on electric vehicle they must have those two skill sets. So, if they need to depower a high voltage battery system they can do that safely," Mr Woodbury said.
"A lot of the technology on an electric vehicle is the exact same as a mechanical car, but the dangers are these cars have up to 1000 volts of electricality pulsing through them."
Mr Woodbury said if something goes wrong and they are stuck in the middle of nowhere, they can disconnect the dangers properly.
![Mr Woodbury says, as the market continues to transition into more sustainable options, workshops like this are becoming more crucial. Picture by Peter Hardin. Mr Woodbury says, as the market continues to transition into more sustainable options, workshops like this are becoming more crucial. Picture by Peter Hardin.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/205515339/e1f3416e-9030-4c0a-96f2-7d3b68ae6c2b.jpg/r0_0_6692_4461_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Council is committed to equipping its workforce with the skills necessary for the future. This course is providing local staff with the knowledge they need to adapt to the changing market and excel in their roles," Operations Manager of People and Culture at Tamworth Regional Council Natasha Beer said.
The training has also been tailored to not interfere with the employees' regular nine-to-five jobs, Mr Noel said.
"So we deliver training at night time and then they will come in and do their practical workshop. We will do a two hour program at night and they complete a workbook," he said.
"A lot of other colleges are doing it over three or four days, but this disrupts business."
Mr Woodbury said as the market continues to shift, this type of training is becoming more crucial.
"Electric cars will be a huge seller over the next 10 to 15 years and a lot of sellers will be going towards the hybrid rather than the full electric. But they do not have the technology yet for regions like Tamworth, where you have to do long distances," said Mr Woodbury.
"The hybrid is definitely the way of the future, until in my opinion we start moving into hydrogen. But until then this will be around for a long time."
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