I-CAR receives recognition for new hands-on skills training in EV and ADAS

A panel of international media judges has awarded I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repairer, a prestigious SEMA Global Media Award in recognition of its new Electric Vehicle (EV) Hands-On Skills Development course.

Introduced earlier this summer, the 5-Day EV Hands-On Skills Development course serves as the capstone to eight (8) prerequisite EV courses for collision repair professionals, and is taught by I-CAR’s growing bench of EV experts at I-CAR’s new Chicago Technical Center (CTC) in Vernon Hills, Illinois.

“We are thrilled to receive this extraordinary global award for an important course from I-CAR’s educational programming portfolio,” said John Van Alstyne, I-CAR President & CEO. “This course was developed in collaboration with the Inter-Industry and its international recognition further underscores I-CAR’s commitment to our vision of ensuring that every person in the collision repair industry has the information, knowledge and skills required to perform complete, safe and quality repairs on behalf of the consumer. We are deeply committed to leading the industry forward in Electric Vehicle and ADAS repair excellence; our new coursework and investments in world-class research and training facilities are a testament to this.”

“The SEMA Global Media Award affirms the technical and industry depth of I-CAR’s subject matter experts,” said Jeff Peevy, I-CAR Vice President, Technical Products, Programs & Services. “Through the development of intentionally designed education, I-CAR continues to serve the needs of the Inter-Industry today and into the future.”

[Left] Jeff Poole, manager and subject matter expert, I-CAR, and [Right] Dirk Fuchs, director, technical programs and services, I-CAR, with the SEMA Global Media Award.

The SEMA Global Media Awards (GMA) Program recognizes those companies that manufacture specialty equipment products and accessories that would have mass appeal to consumers in countries outside the United States. The products are voted on by a prestigious group of international journalists who serve as judges.

“Vehicle customization and personalization has been growing worldwide,” said Linda Spencer, SEMA director of international and government relations. "The GMA program taps top international media experts to weigh in on which new products are likely to succeed in their home markets. The global automotive specialty-equipment market is made up of enthusiasts who are passionate about the hobby. This passion can be found not only throughout the United States but also in countless spots around the globe including in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Melbourne Australia and Stockholm, Sweden.”

Each judge carefully reviewed and evaluated nearly 2,000 product entries at the SEMA Show before selecting the products that they felt would resonate and appeal most to consumers in their home countries.

I-CAR was also recognized as a runner-up in the SEMA Best New Products Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) product category for its recently launched Hands-On ADAS Calibration courses, Ford ADAS Calibration 2-Day Hands-On Skills Development and Static ADAS Calibration 3-Day Hands-On Skills Development. Both courses are also taught at I-CAR’s Chicago Technical Center in dedicated ADAS learning and research labs.

According to SEMA’s website, SEMA’s annual New Product Awards competition recognizes outstanding achievements in the development of products being introduced to the automotive specialty-equipment market at the SEMA Show. Products are judged in 18 award categories, and each category has one winner and two runners-up.

Nearly 2,000 products were entered into the 18 different Showcase categories to be considered for SEMA New Product Awards this year. Winners were selected based on a variety of factors that included superiority of innovation, technical achievement, quality and workmanship, consumer appeal and marketability and more.

To see how I-CAR is supporting the industry with EV and ADAS education and technical information and services, go to I-CAR.com/EV and I-CAR.com/ADAS.

For the latest I-CAR news, resources and course offerings, visit I-CAR.com.

This article originally appeared on VehicleServicePros.com.