Driving change: NMIT workshop sets Samoa on course for electric vehicle era

A recent Electric Vehicle (EV) maintenance workshop in Samoa, run by NMIT tutor Paul Corbett, was well-received, as the island nation prepares for delivery of a fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) for government use.  

The workshop was designed as an introduction to looking after EVs and aimed at automotive technicians and Samoan government officials. 

NMIT Automotive tutor Paul Corbett, in partnership with Repco Export NZ, led the three-day workshop covering essential topics such as maintenance and operational protocols. 

“We covered safety around EVs, first responder protocols and the equipment required to work with EVs,” says Paul. “We also discussed the more technical aspects of the maintenance of the vehicles and general ownership.” 

Samoan government bodies, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Works, Transport & Infrastructure, and Fire and Emergency Services participated in the workshop. 

The Samoan government is awaiting delivery of 75 Hyundai EVs and hadn’t yet had any training on how to maintain them, so were appreciative of the opportunity to learn. 

“The training went like clockwork, and I’m confident everyone enjoyed the content. It also triggered some very useful side conversations which I’m sure they are still discussing around battery disposal and general vehicle ownership,” Paul says. 

 Paul was blown away by the officials' warm reception. 

“While to me it just felt like doing my job, I was somewhat unprepared for the overwhelming response and gratitude that was shown to me from these officials,” he says. 

Petaia Mafulele, Director of Vision Engineering in Samoa, thanked the team for delivering the training, saying it was an eye-opening experience. 

“We've heard so many good things about EVs but last week's workshop has given us a lot more understanding of what we need to do academically to prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead. We greatly value the importance of the training last week and we hope that more training programmes like this will happen in the near future,” says Petaia. 

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