As the state of California moves to more sustainable energy sources, municipal fleets and transits have often been early adopters of Alternative Fuels Vehicles (AFVs) and Electric Vehicles (EVs) in order to meet emission standards. Consequently, municipalities are often in need of AFV/EV training.
Due to the advancement of hybrid and electrical vehicle technologies and their related operational systems, various levels/complexities of electrical courses are always needed as electric vehicles become more prominent in municipalities.
Pam Gutman, Northern California Municipal Equipment Maintenance Association (MEMA) Board Member, obtained funding for the training of NorCal MEMA’s automotive and light duty technicians in Alternative Fuels and Electric vehicles.
Gutman, who is also the Deputy Sector Navigator for the Bay Area’s Community Colleges’ Clean Energy and Transportation Initiative, obtained this funding for the MEMA trainings through the California Energy Commission. The Energy Commission funding paid for the instructors’ time and travel to the various fleet training locations.
Instructors Joe Gumina and Nick Rothman, automotive faculty in the Automotive Technology program at City College of San Francisco, used the following curriculum in the training:
AFV/EV Training Day 1
- Safety slides
- Safe down vehicle: in the lab facility
- Hybrid EV types/variants slides
- Battery pack slides
- Battery pack removal: in the lab facility
- Electric Motor slides
- Inverter Slides
- Bike wheel demo/ push car: in the lab facility
AFV/EV Training Day 2
- Charge infrastructure slides
- EVSE demo: in the lab facility
- Battery cooling slides
- Inverter cooling slides
- Battery fan: in the lab facility
- Inverter pump/ air lift: in the lab facility
- Battery diagnosis slides
- Common issue slides
- Scan tool, bugged car: in the lab facility
Seven training sessions began in November 2017 and were completed by the end of February 2018. Approximately 125 employees were trained at the following locations:
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The trainings were very well-received by employees and their supervisors.
“The class they put on was fantastic, and worth every minute being there,” said Lance Brazell from the County of Sonoma’s fleet. “I have attended EV classes before, but these guys really put the pieces of the puzzle together for me. I hope they have more of these classes of this quality.”
Attendees appreciated the mix of theory and hands on instruction. One participant noted that the training demystified hybrid cars, components and diagnostics.
“The class was very helpful getting hands on in taking batteries out safely,” noted another participant. “The laptop operation was helpful in diagnosing safety issues.”
Gutman has already received requests from the county and municipal fleets to arrange future classes at their facilities. The County of Sacramento has requested a summer training during which they expect more than 14 agencies would attend. “It would be an opportunity to make a real impact on our industry,” said Ernesto Martinez, County of Sacramento Fleet Services Division.
