ETElectric Vehicle Technician
ET
Career

Electric Vehicle Technician

By the numbers
Typical pay
$50,620 / yr
Education to start
Postsecondary nondegree award
Future demand
+4.2% by 2034
People in this job
705K
Figures shown for ·closest of 2 O*NET occupations
The work
A day, hour by hour
07:00
Shop open & triage

Check overnight work orders; decide which jobs hit the lift first.

07:20
Safety gear up

Don insulated gloves and PPE before touching any high-voltage system.

07:30
Diagnostic scan

Plug in the scan tool; read fault codes — real fault or just a symptom?

09:00
Battery deep-dive

De-energize the pack, test modules, decide: swap cells or the whole unit?

11:00
Charging system fix

Trace a failed onboard charger back to a corroded connector — replace it.

12:30
Brake & cooling check

Inspect regen brakes and thermal management — both quirky on EVs.

14:00
Repair docs & warranty

Log every part and labor step so the warranty claim actually holds up.

14:45
Tech bulletin review

Read the new manufacturer update — two new models changed their BMS logic.

15:30
Road test & close

Drive the repaired vehicle, confirm no fault codes, hand keys to service desk.

Things you do
  • Diagnose why an electric vehicle isn't working using specialized software.
  • Safely handle high-voltage battery packs that can seriously injure you.
  • Test, repair, or swap out battery modules to restore driving range.
  • Trace electrical faults through wiring, sensors, and control modules.
  • Service charging systems so the car actually powers up overnight.
Decisions you’ll make
  • Is this battery pack actually dead, or is something else cutting power to it?
  • Is it safe to work on this system right now, or do I need to de-energize it first?
  • Should I replace the whole battery module, or just the cells that are failing?
  • Is this fault code pointing to the real problem, or just a symptom of something deeper?
  • Do I need to look up this model's specs before I touch anything?
Education Pathways · how you get there
7 in 100 went the college route · 93 in 100 found another way in None, typically
Education mapped from O*NET:
If you like this, also look at