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There is a huge number of technical people needed for the energy transition. If everybody starts driving EVs, who installs the chargers? Who upgrades the grid?
by phicoh 5y ago
There is a huge number of technical people needed for the energy transition. If everybody starts driving EVs, who installs the chargers? Who upgrades the grid? Who installs new heating systems in homes (and upgrades the electrical installation in the homes)?
If anything, we are way short on people.
- a-dub 5y agoright. but is anyone thinking about how the transition may go? how decentralized is the fossil fuel vehicle industry and how might its replacement look? are there policy levers that can ensure the new ev economy is as inclusive as the fossil fuel one was? are there policy levers for taking care of those who simply won't have a place in the new economy and have too much invested in the old one? it seems this all gets way too little attention.
- rurp 5y agoSkilled jobs aren't that fluid though. Many of the new EV jobs will require very different skills from the jobs they are displacing. I wouldn't assume that laying off a bunch of auto mechanics will fill a bunch of electrical engineer jobs any more than I would expect it to fix a nursing shortage. There are things the govt can do to help that transition though, such as free job training and economic support for laid off workers. I understood the OP's point to be that the govt has a responsibilty to pursue these types of policies, and I totally agree.