How Will Self-Driving Cars Deal With Repairs?

It won’t be long before the Uber or Lyft ride you request will arrive without a driver. UPS and Amazon will eventually use self-driving trucks to deliver your packages. Later, when the technology is perfected and the costs come down, you’ll be able to buy your own autonomous car.

Of course, the lack of a driver won’t be the only change. The number of crashes should drop once the technology is in place, which will mean lower insurance rates. Fewer speeding tickets and fewer driving-related jobs will also have an economic impact.

But what will it mean for car repair and maintenance? Self-driving vehicles that can operate continuously will have much greater service needs than the average car, truck or SUV. They'll wear out their tires, fluids and brake pads more quickly. 

Instead of needing service once or twice a year, these hard-working vehicles could need to be serviced every few weeks. That’s a lot of additional work for auto mechanics.

Self-driving means self-aware

Your car is already filled with computers and sensors that monitor how its various systems are working. Engine computers control combustion and emissions, anti-lock brake and stability control computers track vehicle dynamics, and tire pressure monitors are constantly aware of each tire’s inflation status. 

Future generations of self-driving vehicles will be able use artificial intelligence to take this knowledge to the next level. Large fleets of self-driving vehicles will be constantly sending information on their operating status to the cloud. This will be compared to existing information about other self-driving vehicles and their service histories. 

By identifying when parts or systems most often start to fail, these vehicles can be programmed to drive themselves to a service facility before they actually break down. This is called predictive maintenance. It will greatly improve reliability and keep these self-driving vehicles in service.

Shops open all night?

With self-driving cars working at all hours, they sometimes will need maintenance late at night. Time is money for commercial vehicles, and downtime must be minimized. 

That creates an opportunity for some repair shops to be open, or at least on call, around the clock. More work could mean more demand for staffing, and possibly higher pay for mechanics.

The techs trained to work on these complex cars will need to know how to handle both hardware and software problems. This includes repairing the sensors, cameras and radars that self-driving vehicles use to know both where they are and how to react to the traffic around them. 

Preparing for the future starts now

Today’s mechanics and repair shops should start upgrading their skill sets. They can gain certifications and expertise in advanced driver assistance and electronic systems already on today’s new vehicles. These include: 

• Adaptive cruise control
• Automated emergency braking
• Radar and camera sensors
• Drive-by-wire
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane-keeping
• Semi-autonomous autopilot
• GPS navigation 

With expertise on these systems, it’ll be easier to get ahead of the game once driverless cars are commonplace. It’ll be sooner than you think.