Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Growing Gap in Expertise and Application

One of our cars is very new and has now been at the dealer for repairs for nearly three weeks. Everyone agrees that there is a problem but they cannot find the source of the problem.


When we bought the car last spring the salesman proudly explained how new cars are now have systems as complex as the systems in fighter plans of a few decades ago. This was not comforting to me. I do not have access to a team of mechanics specially trained to keep these systems running. Particularly, the electronic systems are difficult to diagnose and repair. Auto technicians depend on computer diagnostic systems to help them troubleshoot these kinds of problem. And that is part of the developing problem.

For the diagnostic computer to locate a problem, it must be a type of problem that the computer has been programmed to locate. If the problem does not fit the parameters of the diagnostics program, it cannot find the problem. Yet I have heard people declare in frustration that the “computer says there is nothing wrong so there must be nothing wrong.” They will ignore their own tactile and sensory experience in deferment to a machine diagnosis. A computer diagnostics test may mean that there is no problem but it can also mean that the computer cannot locate the problem because it is not programmed to look for that problem.

Since I work in trade and industry education, I have recently discussed this issue with some of the auto technicians that I know. Not a single person I have talked to is truly comfortable working on the advanced features now common in new cars. Most of their training was focused on mechanical systems. Now many new cars depend on radio controlled systems. The new electronic throttle systems are a good example.

Consider this statement in the Automotive Industry Trends, November 2004

Typically, vehicles have as many as 80 motors and approximately 25 sensors, with over one MB of memory in the engine control system. This will grow to two MB in just a few years. No part of a vehicle is untouched by electronics, which controls an array of systems from powertrain, lighting, antilock brakes and airbag systems.

Keep in mind that this was written six years ago. Notice that these are not electronics such as car radios or power seats. These are systems that affect the safety of the car. Who is going to repair these systems?

According to ICT paper written in 2008:

Growth in automotive embedded systems (software and electronics) has been exponential since the early 1990s and the trend is predicted to continue. In 2002, electronic parts comprised 25 percent of a vehicle’s value – by 2015, car manufacturers predict this will hit 40 percent.

But the more electronic systems are added, the more they contribute to vehicle breakdowns and recalls. Researchers on the European ATESST project say a substantial share of vehicle failures today can be directly attributed to embedded systems, and field data indicates this share is increasing by several percent a year. This will reach unacceptable levels if no preventative action plan is put in place.
http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm?section=news&tpl=article&ID=89579

Engineers are designing more and more advanced cars, yet where are the supporting training programs for the mechanics to maintain these cars? In popular electronics, when a TV remote does not work, most people simply buy a replacement. A remote is inexpensive and presents no safety concerns. This consumer model will not work in a durable good industry. Are we really going to just replace part after part until something works? How will you feel about having to pull over and “reboot” you car (turn if off and restart it) when your electronics acts up on a highway? (This is an actual recommendation for cars with electronic issues from a web site.)

Currently, vocational education programs are in need of revision and reform. At this same time, many vocational programs are closing due to lack of qualified instructors. A common reason for this is that students need computer skills to succeed in the future we are creating. This is a very short sighted view of technology. Of course we need adults who can use computers. We need adults that can use computers in a wide variety of applications beyond spreadsheets and e-mail. In Mississippi a computer program is being promoted in vocational schools that simulate a car. Instead of working on a real car, students will spend time on a virtual car. This is supposed to be an advantage because these individual will gain computer skills.

If we are really interested in computer skills for auto technicians, why not focus on the computer skills that they will need to work on 21st century cars? The answer is obvious; we do not have enough qualified auto tech teachers to do this.

What is really needed is a stronger partnership with professional engineers. At some point, in the very near future, engineers need to work with engineering educators and trade and industry groups to develop a technical education program that is current with the automotive systems they are developing in this century rather than pasting content in programs developed for the last century.

I hope this happens before I have to start shopping for a horse and buggy.