Can it be seen as a “boon for the industry” as a whole even if the small independent operators find they need to team up with or be absorbed by a fleet operator? I think the answer to that depends on whether you think of “the industry” as vehicle maintenance, or as independent operators.

Overall, I would expect the press release to be correct that individual vehicles will need service at shorter time intervals for the same distance-based service. That should not significantly affect the total workload of the vehicle maintenance industry, which still provides one service per 15,000km travelled, but a higher utilisation rate of a smaller fleet might smooth out the bumps and troughs to a degree.

Overall, vehicles are becoming more reliable and regular service intervals are stretching out further anyway, so there is a decline in that industry. A mass shift from liquid fuel to electric vehicles would also have a significant effect on vehicle maintenance.

Perhaps a lot of car mechanics should be transitioning to diesel mechanics, as I suspect we’ll have intercity autonomous trucks well before we have battery technology that is as light as a diesel engine and 1000 litres of diesel and capable of driving non-stop for 1000 km, then recharging in the time it takes to unload and reload the cargo for the return trip.