SuperCharged Motors Inc. eyes opening independent EV repair shop

Let’s say you own or want to buy an electric vehicle (EV), but you don’t know where to have it serviced or fixed.

EV importer SuperCharged Motors Inc. told AutoFun Philippines that it may have a solution.

“Hopefully in the long-term, if I get enough volume, I'll open an independent EV repair shop, including for hybrids,” said company founder Victor Endriga in an exclusive interview.

As of press time, SuperCharged Motors Inc. is the official importer and distributor of the Chery Wanda, a 21-seater, battery-electric van. It is also the gray-market importer of the Ice Cream mini EV.

Endriga said the company can provide parts and servicing for both vehicles, but that only the Wanda has a three-year warranty.

Training abroad

EVs in the Philippines are primarily sold and serviced by official dealerships, which also offer a warranty on the electrified components.

Endriga said he had planned to go to China, where the EV boom is the strongest, on January 2023 to train in EV repair and maintenance.

“It's just that, ang hirap kasi 'yung [it’s difficult with] China, there's still a lot of restrictions,” he said. “We're even looking at training in ASEAN, maybe in Malaysia, to train people.”

Endriga also said many people don’t realize that battery EVs have so few special components, with the non-electrified parts serviceable even in ordinary repair shops.

“It's just the inverters, the motor control units, the motor itself,” he said. “But all other parts, it's the same as a regular car. ‘Yung aircon niyan, ‘yung suspension, ‘yung brakes [the aircon, the suspension, the brakes], it's the same.”

Would you go for EVs if more independent repair shops opened up?