50 Million New Energy Vehicles Drive the Need for Maintenance Upgrades! How NING Service Solves the Industry's Biggest Talent Shortage

The wave of new energy vehicles is sweeping across the industry, and the aftermarket maintenance sector is entering a period of rapid growth. By the end of 2025, the number of new energy vehicles in China is expected to reach 43.97 million, leading to an explosive increase in demand for services such as power battery testing, maintenance, and repair. However, in stark contrast to the booming market, there is a severe shortage of professional maintenance talent. On one hand, the automotive industry is deeply electrified and intelligent, making traditional fuel vehicle maintenance skills incompatible with the new energy vehicle's three-electric systems (battery, motor, and electronic control). On the other hand, educational institutions are lagging behind the industry’s development in terms of talent cultivation, with a serious disconnect between professional training, skills development, and actual job requirements. This mismatch between supply and demand has become the biggest bottleneck restricting the growth of the new energy aftermarket.

1. The Real Dilemma for Maintenance Shops: Orders They Can’t Take, Talents They Can’t Utilize

Li, who has been running a comprehensive repair shop in Beijing for 15 years, has had the most direct feeling over the past two years: more and more new energy vehicles are coming into the shop, but the number of battery repair orders they can safely handle is decreasing. "Last year, a car’s battery alarm went off. When we opened the hood, we realized that the high-voltage structure and battery modules were completely different from those of traditional fuel vehicles. We lacked the necessary safety knowledge and specialized equipment, so we could only advise the car owner to go to a 4S shop," Li said helplessly. "It's not that we don’t want to make the money, but we simply can’t repair them, and we’re too afraid to try."

Shops like Li's are found all over the country. According to data from the China National Automotive Service Industry Association’s New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Promotion Branch, about 200,000 repair shops in China are urgently seeking solutions to upgrade their services for new energy vehicles. High-quality training, reliable equipment, industry resources, and technical certifications have become essential for shops to survive and thrive. On one side, shops face the dilemma of having orders they can’t take and tasks they can’t complete; on the other side, the industry is struggling with a severe shortage of skilled battery technicians, and high salaries are being offered to poach talent. This structural talent gap is forcing the entire industry to find a way out.

2. NING Service: Empowering the Aftermarket to Build a Full-Chain Service Ecosystem

Leveraging CATL's world-leading power battery technology and industrial chain advantages, NING Service supports both B2B enterprises and C2C users with a comprehensive range of services, including battery sales, professional testing, maintenance services, original factory spare parts, training and research, and tiered recycling. This creates a full-chain service ecosystem, achieving a complete "from R&D and manufacturing to end-user service" closed-loop model. Currently, NING Service has built an efficient global service network, which includes:

•  802 domestic professional service stations

• 227 overseas professional service stations

• 13 global repair and remanufacturing centers

• 67 global spare parts warehouses

In Beijing, NING Service has established the first after-sales flagship store for new energy power batteries in North China — NING Service (Beijing) Automotive Service Co., Ltd. Spanning nearly 6,000 square meters, the facility integrates repair, testing, training, and recycling services, becoming a benchmark comprehensive service platform in the industry.

The NING Service Ecosystem Zone at the 2026 China International New Energy Vehicle Technology, Parts, and Services Exhibition Draws Crowds.

3. NING Service: Innovating Talent Development to Empower the Entire Industry 

To address the industry's "talent shortage" issue, NING Service has taken proactive steps by officially launching the CATL Innovation Education Project. This initiative focuses on reshaping the talent development system based on industry standards. The project is structured around four core dimensions to create a comprehensive empowerment system:  

• Capability Building: NING Service has co-established the "CATL New Energy Aftermarket Innovation Talent Training Base," which strictly adheres to enterprise standards in site planning and equipment configuration to ensure the quality of practical training and education.  

• Instructor Training: CATL offers official instructor training and certification, aiming to build a "dual-teacher" team that combines both practical and academic knowledge, ensuring the curriculum is aligned with frontline technologies.  

• Course Resources: The project provides original factory teaching tools, specialized equipment, and systematic textbooks. It also incorporates the IETM intelligent learning and training platform for a blended learning experience, efficiently enhancing skills.  

• Certification and Employment Assessment: Participants receive CATL official certification, with priority recommendations for employment within CATL's global service network, thus completing the entire "Learning — Training — Certification — Employment" process.

China New Energy Vehicle Maintenance Training Institution Skills Competition [Master Public Lecture] NING Service Keynote Speech

4. IETM Intelligent Learning and Training Platform: Making Skill Learning More Efficient

A major highlight of NING Service's talent development initiative is the integration of the IETM (Interactive Electronic Technical Manual) digital intelligent learning and training platform. This platform fully digitizes repair manuals, operating standards, and fault cases. Through four key modules — demonstration learning, theoretical assessments, simulation training, and hands-on practical assessments — students can systematically master battery structures, equipment operation, fault diagnosis, and safe repair skills. Learners can complete the entire learning process and simulated training on a PC, reducing safety risks, enhancing learning efficiency, and saving on training costs. This digital approach is redefining the training model for new energy vehicle maintenance talent.

5. Driving Industry Upgrades through Talent Development 

From its global service network layout to the creation of an innovative talent system, NING Service is building a comprehensive, open, shared, and co-created ecosystem for the new energy aftermarket. By providing industry standards, technical solutions, training systems, and ecosystem resources, NING Service not only supplies high-quality talent to its own network but also addresses the core challenges of the entire industry — the issues of "unable to repair, unwilling to repair, and lack of technicians." Through talent upgrades, NING Service is driving industry upgrades.

China New Energy Vehicle Maintenance Training Institution Skills Competition 20 Participating Institutions Receive Technical Certification from the Competition Organizing Committee