Is there a solution to the expensive and difficult maintenance of new energy vehicles?

According to the latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on November 11, 2025, the monthly penetration rate of new energy vehicles in China exceeded 50% for the first time in October 2025.

However, a real problem has emerged: Why are there so many new energy vehicles, but so few repair shops specializing in them?

This question, which has been viewed more than 8.6 million times on the Zhihu platform, has received thousands of answers and more than two thousand followers. Behind these numbers reflects an increasingly acute contradiction: the mismatch between the booming new energy vehicle market and the lagging repair system.

01

The real barrier is not technology, but "permission"

The reason why it is difficult to repair new energy vehicles lies not only in their more complex technology and faster iteration, but also in a deeper obstacle, which is actually "permission". Many people should be familiar with a similar scenario, as it happened in the early smartphone industry.

As is well - known, Apple's moat is its highly closed ecosystem: core components, system data, and diagnostic interfaces are all integrated within the official system, and third - party repairers are almost completely excluded. This model has distinct advantages and disadvantages. The core advantage is the high - level control over product safety, quality control, and consistent user experience. The cost, however, is that the cost of repairing an iPhone for users can sometimes be comparable to buying a new one. It wasn't until 2019, under the pressure of user protests and government legislation, that Apple launched an external repair service provider program. Although there are still many restrictions, users finally have a new option for repairing their iPhones.

Now, most new energy vehicle manufacturers also pursue a development strategy of a closed ecosystem. Building a closed - loop ecosystem from hardware to software to provide stable and reliable services for car owners is often the focus of major car manufacturers' press conferences. It is precisely this closed - nature that forms the primary barrier for third - party service providers to enter the market. Repair work without official authorization may not only invalidate the precious "whole - vehicle warranty" rights of car owners, but also expose the repairers themselves to great legal risks.

This manufacturer - led closed model may work when the vehicle is within the warranty period, but it is difficult to cover the entire life cycle of new energy vehicles. When a large number of vehicles gradually go out of warranty, the high official repair costs and sparse service network will become a double burden for car owners. At this time, a professional and reliable third - party can not only provide car owners with more convenient repair options through a more extensive and flexible service network, but also promote the improvement of the efficiency and transparency of the entire industry through reasonable market competition, making repairs more cost - effective.

02

The game - changer appears: Tuhu's "triple deconstruction"

So, is there a third - party that can break through the barriers and answer three urgent questions for consumers: Who can repair? Dare they repair? How much does it cost to repair?

Tuhu, the leading independent automotive aftermarket service provider, has quietly carried out a systematic layout in this field and provided its own answers to these three pain points.

First, who will repair. New energy vehicle repair is, first of all, a competition for talent. Tuhu's solution is not to wait for the industry to mature, but to actively cultivate talent. Currently, it has more than 1,000 professional new energy technicians with low - voltage electrician certificates.

This group of technicians is trained through a complete path of "online theoretical learning + offline practical training" and is further divided into two professional directions: whole - vehicle new energy repair and special repair of power batteries. This means that Tuhu is nourishing the industry and systematically solving the fundamental talent problem of "who will repair".

Second, dare they repair? With talent in place, where does the car owners' trust come from? The core lies in "compliance" and "genuine products". Tuhu's key move in this regard is to successfully obtain official authorization from 12 mainstream battery manufacturers.

The value of this authorization list comes from the long - established trust with the upstream of the supply chain. Before directly serving end - consumers, Tuhu has cooperated with several battery manufacturers to handle a large number of complex and real - world repair cases. This in - depth industrial cooperation enables it to obtain officially certified spare parts from the source and even provide a better warranty commitment than the original factory for some components. For example, a certain brand of air - conditioning compressor provided by Tuhu can offer car owners a 5 - year unlimited - mileage warranty, one year more than the original factory.

This fundamentally answers the question of "dare they repair": official authorization guarantees the compliance of repair work, genuine parts directly from the factory ensure the repair quality, and the long - term warranty gives car owners ultimate confidence.

Then, the more crucial question is, how much does it cost to repair? If Tuhu uses official spare parts, will the repair cost be similar to that of the official?

Tuhu has provided an answer to this question with a real - world case: After a domestic new energy vehicle owner reported a power battery fault, the official solution was to replace the entire battery pack, which would cost tens of thousands of yuan; Tuhu, through professional testing, accurately identified that the problem was only an excessive voltage difference between the battery cells and then provided a solution of only replacing 96 faulty cells. Finally, the battery pack was restored to a normal and safe state at a cost of just over ten thousand yuan.

This is not about sacrificing quality for a low price. It is only after opening up the genuine supply chain and having the ability of accurate diagnosis that "high - quality" and "good price" can be achieved simultaneously.

03

The new center is launched, highlighting the industry value

Recently, Tuhu's New Energy Technology Center was officially inaugurated in Daxing, Beijing, and the Shanghai center has also been put into operation. The emergence of these professional centers marks that Tuhu's layout in the new energy vehicle repair field has entered a new stage of physical presence and in - depth development.

This also provides an initial template for our original question. As the early new energy vehicles gradually go out of warranty, the huge market demand for the repair of the three - electric systems (battery, electric motor, and electronic control) is being released intensively. The value of a professional and trustworthy third - party service system will become increasingly prominent.

For car owners, this means that in addition to "going back to the official after - sales service", they finally have another reliable, professional, and more cost - effective option. For the entire industry, a healthy and diverse aftermarket ecosystem is the inevitable path for the new energy vehicle industry to reach true maturity.