Everything here could have been similarly said about the change from horse-drawn buses to internal combustion. Wah - you can't just have a stable-boy feed them hay! Wah - you can't just clean up after them with a broom! Wah - you'll need to train people used to dealing with horses to deal with engines.
I don't think moaning about having to get new tools or training is particularly helpful in the grand scheme of things. If you are going to spend money on new buses, spending money on new tools is a given.
Buses seem like such a no-brainer for electrification, I'd hate to think that we're carrying on with diesel polluting our air and killing us just because the mechanics are losing their shit over having to do something new. Please wake up.
Your reply is a bit snarky but I do tend to agree - and in fact if I was the GP I'd see it as an opportunity. Skill up on electric fleet maintenance, maybe do a certification, speak at a conference or two and suddenly you're an expert for ICE-to-electric fleet conversions, of which are are going to be thousands in the coming years. Play it right and you could parlay rapidly ageing skills in the old ways into a lucrative, high-demand role heralding in the new. Sounds pretty good to me?
In any technological sea change there are winners and losers. Winners sense the wind changing, adjust their sails, and charge bravely ahead. Losers linger adrift in denial, refusing to adapt until the maelstrom inevitably takes them. Hint: be a winner.
Lucrative government contracts? You are going to need a team of lobbyists and crony sales guys and millions of dollars to handle the overhead of businesses that deal in government. Actual knowledge of the subject matter will be way down the list of requirements to earn lucrative government contracts.
On the other hand, going from horse-drawn to internal combustion is a clear improvement, which isn't as obvious as going internal combustion to electric
I don't think moaning about having to get new tools or training is particularly helpful in the grand scheme of things. If you are going to spend money on new buses, spending money on new tools is a given.
Buses seem like such a no-brainer for electrification, I'd hate to think that we're carrying on with diesel polluting our air and killing us just because the mechanics are losing their shit over having to do something new. Please wake up.