Electric Drive Vehicle Technician

Electric and hybrid vehicles need technicians who can diagnose high-voltage systems safely. St. Clair’s Electric Drive Vehicle Technician is a two-year Ontario College Diploma, delivered over four semesters on St. Clair’s South Campus in Windsor with a September start. It prepares technicians to maintain, service and repair EVs, plug-in hybrids and hybrids.

Semester one pairs theory with shop time: Vehicle Fundamentals, Applied Vehicle Fundamentals, Automotive Operation, Applied Automotive Operation, and Electronic And Edrive Technology I with its Applied Lab. Semester two adds Arduino Microcontroller Basics, Electronic And Edrive Technology II and its lab, SAE Level 1 Electrified Transportation with an applied course, and Professional Development For The Transportation Industry. Semester three covers Electronic and eDrive Technology III, Electric Vehicle Battery Technology and the Auto Service Operation Placement. Semester four finishes with Electronic and eDrive Technology IV, SAE Level 2 Electrified Transportation and the Electric Vehicle Build Capstone.

Nearly every theory course in the EV diploma has a matching applied lab, so students spend much of their time working directly on powertrains, energy storage systems, electric machines, power electronic modules, thermal management, charging and in-vehicle network communication. The third-semester work placement with local employers builds real service-bay experience, and the fourth-semester capstone has students build an electric vehicle. Completing year one earns a certificate in Electric Vehicle Fundamentals, and graduates may enter the Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship. The page names PEM Motion, RIMAC, Ettractive, Potential Motors, MTB Transit, Ford, Stellantis, Honda and Toyota among potential employers.

Graduates can work as electric vehicle technicians, hybrid service technicians, apprentice automotive service technicians, EV battery technicians, electrical and electronic engineering technicians and charging equipment technicians. The programme suits hands-on learners who enjoy electronics and want to specialise in electrified vehicles from the start.