The Automotive Parts Services Group (The Group) added an advanced training tool and complimentary courseware to The Group Training Academy to educate professional service technicians, as well as its Federated Auto Parts and National Pronto Association members, about electric and hybrid electric vehicles.
“As an industry leader in providing training and educational content, The Group has made the development of educational content about alternative fuels a priority, starting with electric vehicles as the first area of focus,” said Larry Pavey, CEO of the Automotive Parts Services Group. “The Group Training Academy web portal continues to add pertinent courses and seminars that sets it apart as the premier online training resource in the aftermarket.”
The “Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technician Training” course offering is designed to educate experienced automotive professionals on proper and safe procedures for diagnosing and repairing electric vehicles. It is also flexible enough to train those in secondary and post-secondary education programs.
To accompany the new course, The Group has also introduced a classroom visual training tool that assists in the education of students. Through a partnership with Automotive Video Innovations (AVI) and John Forro at AST Training, the tool, a modified Toyota Prius, was developed to offer students a chance to interact with non-energized, high voltage components and learn the proper techniques and personal protective equipment needed for a safe environment.
The vehicle also contains energized versions of the components for use when the instructor feels the class is ready to move on into an energized arena. It also features factory scan tool capabilities, visible high-voltage components and cables, and a soon-to-be-added fault box.
“We continuously assess the training needs of our Federated and Pronto members and their customers and realized that existing online electric vehicle training offerings only took us part of the way toward bringing this important material to those that need it,” said Pavey. “This new suite of instructor-led electric vehicle training materials offered by The Group Training Academy allows us to offer an even greater variety of relevant blended-training formats.”
