What Could Solar Roadways Mean for Auto Careers?

No doubt that you’ve seen, or at least heard mention of the idea of solar roadways, the fascinating proposed technological undertaking that’s spreading like wildfire around the internet and social media the past few months. Solar roadways are essentially roads built with intelligent, self-cleaning glass solar panels that can house LEDs and other electronic components like touch sensors.

Just check out this explanatory video here to see how wild of an idea it is:

There are a variety of proposed applications for the budding technology, ranging from identifying animals on the road at night time to replacing roads that sap tons of energy (due to being built with petroleum tar) to ones that create energy. It’s definitely a revolutionary idea, and people are hard at work to make it a reality, but if it does become a reality what will it mean for the future of auto careers?

More Diverse Jobs

Because these roads are made from different materials than traditional roads, vehicles will handle much differently on them, and that would mean a rise in the amount of demand for skilled works in the positions of everything from an automotive technician to those with car sales training. Not only will skilled technicians be employed to help craft and design cars that are much more responsive to the new roads, but automotive programs will be training a new generation of people on car sales techniques that correspond to these newly redesigned cars.

There would also be an increase in demand for skilled automotive professionals to work alongside those implementing these roads to ensure that they’re developed and implemented in the most sensible way possible. Because those in the automotive trades are road experts, you can be sure they’ll be on the front lines.

 

More Electric Vehicle Mechanics

The push for solar roadways as both an alternative to traditional roads that rely heavily on petroleum for production and a renewable energy source means we’re going to see an even bigger push for the popularity and widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Solar roadways, if they are eventually implemented on a large scale, would have a huge part in promoting a cleaner and more efficient automotive culture.

Following this trend, we will most likely see automakers putting much more of their time and resources into the production of electric vehicles, which means the newer vehicles will result in more jobs for mechanics with this type of specialty.

So while these solar roadways are still very much a pipedream in terms of being adopted on a large scale, they would have a positive impact on automotive careers if they do become a reality. As the automotive industry has always responded to the needs of the society we live in, students pursuing these careers should be ready for whatever new technology is on the road ahead.