The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
WITH every hybrid car that is imported and sold in Zimbabwe, of which they are now many, the bush mechanic is threatened with extinction.
Hybrid cars essentially are different because they combine a petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor to power the vehicle.
Car manufacturers have decidedly shifted to hybrid engines before they switch to energy efficient and environmentally friendly electric vehicles (EVs).
There has been a deluge of hybrid cars on the local market, especially after the promulgation of Statutory Instrument (SI) 89 of 2021, which outlawed the import of second-hand vehicles aged over 10 years.
This means most cars that are imported are invariably hybrid cars.
And demand has been huge.
“Hybrid cars have brought life to our business of late as most of our clients now prefer them due to fuel efficiency. For instance, I am selling at least six Hybrid Honda Fit cars every month compared to two of the conventional version,” revealed Edmore Murera, who has been in the car sales business since 2012.
But this comes with its fair share of problems, particularly for bush mechanics — the self-taught car mechanics that conveniently fix vehicles in temporary garages — as most of them are seemingly ill-equipped to service or repair these new vehicles.
While service stations can change tyres, fix brakes and change engine oil, owners of hybrid cars are facing challenges when they require mechanics to analyse or fix problems under the hood.
In many cases, independent car technicians are reluctant to touch them.
Who can blame them?
A regular car battery carries 12 volts while a hybrid car sends out more than 270 volts, enough power to electrocute a person. “Magetsi baba, unokwara mubhora (it’s a challenge). I still need time to understand the hybrid system before I attempt anything on it. Imari zvayo asi handibate mota idzodzo. Ingozi! (It’s good business but I don’t deal with hybrid cars). I have to be honest with myself,” said Highfield-based mechanic David, better known as Mutape in the car repairs trade.
Adapting
There are various reasons why some mechanics have opted not to try and fix these type of vehicles.
However, Kudzai Chiringa, a local mechanic who specialises in BMWs, says new cars are a wake-up call to upgrade qualifications to remain relevant.
“Soon, conventional vehicles will be phased out, so if we do not advance ourselves, we will be left jobless and I believe advancing can even be done over the internet,” he argued.
While instructions are available via the internet or through written manuals, local mechanics still find themselves in a Catch-22 situation. For instance, getting training to work on one hybrid model would not necessarily mean one can fix all models, as different models use different hybrid systems.
There are four main different types of hybrid vehicles, ranging from mild, full, plug-in and electric vehicles with range-extender hybrids.
The systems feature unique software running more than a dozen computers which happen to be the heart of the hybrid’s operation.
In countries transitioning to hybrid and electric cars, like Japan, China and German, among others, repairs are not an issue for most motorists because of warranties by manufacturers.
Usually, the batteries are warranted for eight years or 100 000km.
They also highlight that the vehicles require servicing usually once in two years or once a year as the condition depreciates.
But some owners fear the end of the warranty will push them to take their cars to independent car repair shops, which typically offer lower prices for repairs than dealerships.
But, in Zimbabwe, there seems to be a dearth of skills to deal with new cars.
Even leading local companies do not have the capacity, and this has left most hybrid car owners in a lurch. The Sunday Mail Society enquired at several car dealerships, which, however, indicated they “do not service or fix hybrid vehicles”.
Cathrine Mangwende, who owns a Hybrid Honda Fit which she imported in June last year, said she only serviced it once.
“It was a nightmare for me to service this car. I approached one of the top car dealers in the city and they could not assist me. It was then that I was referred to a guy called Sewera (Taurai).
Taurai Sewera showing some of his qualifications
“My vehicle has never developed a fault since I bought it but my worry is that if it happens one day, it will cost me a leg and arm because I used more than US$400 for service only,” said Mangwende.
But Kudakwashe Chisiri from Chitungwiza was not that fortunate.
“My Honda Fit (Hybrid) developed a fault a year after I imported it. I sought assistance from a bush mechanic at Chikwanha Shopping Centre as I often did with my previous car.
“He assured me that he could fix it but later confessed to being an amateur after further complicating the fault. I am now grounded as the car is no longer running,” Chisiri agonised.
Wither mechanics?
Taurai Sewera, who is an internationally recognised master technician with experience in hybrid and electric vehicles, said hybrid and electric vehicles are the in-thing globally.
“Hybrid vehicles are now a way to go the world over. They are environmentally friendly by virtue of being fuel savers. Drivers, however, should not just trust unqualified mechanics with their cars because the engines are highly sophisticated,” said Sewera.
The well-travelled car technician attends to at least 20 hybrid vehicles per week at his Harare base. He charges not less than US$450 per service. He urged both professional and “bush mechanics” to undergo training to adapt to the new trends.
“The training requires a lot of practical classes which cannot be grasped over the internet. These high-voltage vehicles can actually electrocute a person, which makes them dangerous for both the drivers and technicians,” he said.
“Government needs to craft policies to control the operations of self-technicians to avoid potential disaster.”
Sewera is also advocating for the establishment of research and development centres to enhance technicians’ skills to ensure a smooth transition from conventional to hybrid and electronic vehicles.
He is one of the few in Africa to be certified by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) for light-duty diesel, medium- and heavy-duty diesel trucks.
ASE is a professional certification group that certifies professionals and shops in car repair and service in the United States of America and parts of Canada.
Fine Eye panel beaters chief executive officer Albert Kaseke said hybrid vehicles are complicating their operations.
Fine Eye Panel Beaters chief executive officer Albert Kaseke
“When we do vehicle panel beating, we have to disconnect some parts to avoid electrocution; however, hybrid vehicles are complex. The high-voltage battery itself can even electrocute a person.
“Working around it requires a lot of caution. Hybrid vehicles also have a tendency of draining the battery flat if it is not switched on or driven for days. In most cases, once it gets flat, it becomes a write-off.”
A conventional Honda Fit costs between US$4 000 and US$6 000, while the starting price of the hybrid version is US$7 000 on the local market.
“Traditionally, when we import vehicles, the norm is that it has to be serviced before we place it on market, but, currently, we have one mechanic to whom we queue for hybrid services, forcing some dealers to proceed and sell without servicing the cars,” another car dealer, Dean Mutemachani, said.
Science is redefining the way cars use fuel, with electric, hybrid and solar energy systems beginning to displace the internal combustion engine and gas-fed engines.
Hybrid vehicles have an electrical source of power which has a high-voltage electrical battery and electric motor, as well as an engine like the ordinary conventional vehicles.
The advanced vehicles at times use the internal combustion engine to drive while in some instances use energy stored in the high-voltage battery, or can use both sources
