WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Starting this school year, automotive students at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport are getting the chance to go under the hood of electric vehicles.
"We primarily are trying to prepare our students to not be afraid of the EVs and to understand the safety aspect of working around them," said automotive instructor Charles Probst.
"It is a little more scary than working on a regular car because of the high voltage equipment that we need to use. Learning all the systems and safety precautions was a hurdle, but only because it is different than a normal vehicle," said second-year student Sheldon Fleming.
Penn College has been teaching students about electric and hybrid cars for years in a lecture hall setting. But now, it has finally expanded to hands-on learning as more and more electric vehicles are popping up on the roadways.
"We were asking the industry how they were preparing for EVs, and they weren't sure how they would prepare. So, everybody was kind of behind the eight ball as far as getting our technicians prepared," Probst said.
The school currently has four electric vehicles they use for class.
Fleming says he is grateful for the experience.
"If you don't know how something works, then you can't properly diagnose an issue. So, for us to be hands-on instead of talking about them in lecture, that is going to help us a ton when we get into the workforce," said Fleming.
Probst says there is a need for technicians who have knowledge of electric cars.
"Students, when they leave here, will probably know more than the average technician does at a repair shop as far as the EV aspect."
The EV class will be offered twice per semester at the college.