Quang Nam College students won first prize with specialized auto garage project

DNO - From an idea formed during their studies, the car garage model specializing in electrical parts and car refurbishment by a group of students from Quang Nam College won first prize in the Quang Nam startup competition.

The group of students were enthusiastically guided by lecturers from the Faculty of Automobile - Mechanics - Construction, Quang Nam College. Photo: PHAN VINH

Business ideas during class

A garage model specializing in repairing electric car electrical parts, at first hearing, seems to be only academic, but from the perspective of two final year students majoring in Automotive Technology Cao Anh Tuan and Dinh Quoc Sy, it is the solution to a market problem that not many units are bold enough to solve.

During their internships at auto repair shops on and off campus, the group of students realized that, despite the increasing number of electric cars on the market, the existing repair garage system focuses on traditional cars using internal combustion engines.

Meanwhile, the electrical part is the "heart" and also the most prone to problems of electric cars, but very few garages dare to invest in repair equipment and specialized technician training.

"We once witnessed an electric car with a faulty control battery, but the garage did not have enough machinery, so we had to wait for a technician from another place to come. Long waiting times and high costs... were the things that upset customers. The more we went into the field, the more we wondered why we didn't try to open a garage specializing in this field," Cao Anh Tuan shared.

Not stopping at electronic repair services, the group's project also designs additional interior refurbishment and car care packages, especially specialized mobile repair services for electric cars aimed at customers in urban areas, industrial parks or remote areas.

Each option is carefully simulated by the team in the proposal, from the organizational chart, initial investment costs, to the expansion roadmap.

The school cooperates with businesses to create conditions for students to access real electric cars. Photo: PHAN VINH

"Statistics from Google show that electric cars currently account for about 22% of the car market share in Vietnam, and it is predicted that by 2030 this number will increase sharply.

That means the need for repair and specialized maintenance will also increase exponentially. If we do not prepare now, the market will be slow. As students majoring in automobiles, the above data further motivates us to realize our ideas," Dinh Quoc Sy said.

Accompanying students

To turn an idea from a group assignment into a project highly appreciated by experts, the group of students received enthusiastic support from the lecturers of the Faculty of Automobile - Mechanics - Construction, Quang Nam College. The teachers directly guided, advised and accompanied the group from the very beginning.

According to Mr. Vo Van Hien, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Automobile - Mechanics - Construction, the initial idea of ​​the group of students was general, only stopping at opening a general auto repair garage.

After discussing and analyzing technology trends, the lecturers directed the students to focus on electric cars - a new segment that requires high technology but lacks human resources. From there, teachers and students researched in depth the electrical system, popular car models and necessary equipment for repair.

Student Cao Anh Tuan (right cover) representing the author group received the First Prize of the Quang Nam Startup Talent Search Competition 2025 in June 2025. Photo: PHAN VINH

Not only guiding the topic, Mr. Hien and the lecturers also support students to approach reality when the school proactively contacted businesses to bring electric cars to serve teaching. Thanks to that, the group of students were able to directly disassemble, check the battery pack, learn the circuit diagram and practice handling common errors.

"Many days we sat with the teacher until evening, looking up error codes for each electrical system, reading dozens of technical documents in English to understand how each part operates. Through that, we realized that building a garage not only requires good ideas but also requires a deep understanding of technology and customer needs," Dinh Quoc Sy shared.

Notably, the school does not consider this a competition project but is gradually realizing it. Recently, Quang Nam College worked with a unit to build an electric vehicle charging station next to the campus, and at the same time planned to invest in an experimental garage for a group of students to directly operate and welcome real customers under the supervision of lecturers and experts.

"The greatest joy for me is not the award but the maturity of the students through each step of project development. They know how to survey the market, design a business model, calculate costs and gradually approach the operation of a real garage," affirmed teacher Vo Van Hien.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/sinh-vien-truong-cao-dang-quang-nam-doat-giai-nhat-voi-du-an-gara-o-to-chuyen-sau-3302661.html