The chief executives of the world's six largest automakers are clarifying the role the collision industry will play after the arrival of self-healing vehicles (SHVs), which are expected to be widely available within the next 10 years.
“If a person develops a sprained ankle, they can walk it off. If they break their ankle, they need to go to hospital. It will be the same for self-healing vehicles when they arrive," the CEOs wrote in the open letter.
SHVs -- the subject of considerable speculation in automotive repair circles -- incorporate biotechnologies into vehicle designs, enabling cars to recover from light impacts, surface abrasions and environmental wear. The executives stress that direct post-collision repairs will remain necessary.
“Just as repairers needed to learn new processes to safely fix EVs, they will need to learn how to fix SHVs before diving in. The vehicles can feel pain, so must never be welded.”
While the industry will still have a role to play when SHVs become widespread, it will be a different one. Unlike traditional cars, SHVs eschew wheels and axels -- and all other metal components -- for four leg-like appendages. These allow for improved mobility over stairs. Rather than requiring multiple coatings of paint, SHVs also produce their own velvet topcoat which can become overgrown if not regularly brushed.
The document references a “four-chambered, cellulose-fed engine” designed to support continuous low-speed operation. Early prototypes are described as producing “approximately one horsepower.”
The OEMs indicate these developments will require new approaches to handling, restraint and inspection during the repair process. SHVs contain several components and systems not found in traditional vehicles, including iron-rich circulatory fluid and a lymphatic system.
"This technology is ground-breaking but not without its risks. If a technician startles an SHV, there is a risk it could kick the tech in the head -- or even bolt out of the shop."
This risk can be mitigated by keeping a firm grip on its bridle and avoiding its hooves, the CEOs said in the statement. "A calm voice and a pocket full of sugar cubes can also help de-escalate things, too."
According to Collision Repair's publisher, Darryl Simmons, the greatest barrier the sector will need to overcome in order to provide effective repairs to SHV will relate to the new moral dimension of its work.
“There will be a moral component to conducting repairs that hasn’t been seen before,” said Darryl Simmons. "As front-line care providers, it will fall to technicians to determine when euthanize the car using a bolt gun."
Interest in the soon-to-arrive vehicles is high within the auto recycling community. According to several industry associations, processed end-of-life SHVs are expected to be valuable to adhesives manufacturers.
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