US car manufacturers that have switched to making electric vehicles (EVs) have had to employ at least three times more employees, bucking expectations that the shift would require fewer workers, according to research.

In theory, EVs should be easier to manufacture than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles because they have fewer moving parts and simpler powertrains. Unlike ICE vehicles, which require complex engines, transmissions and exhaust systems, EVs primarily consist of an electric motor, a battery pack and a simpler transmission system.

But researchers at the University of Michigan have shown that plants in the ramp-up stages of transitioning to full-scale EV production required 10 times more workers to assemble every vehicle. At one plant, which has been producing EVs for over a decade, the total number of workers needed to make each vehicle remained three times higher.

“There is a shortage of information out there about how the transition is shaping up,” said Anna Stefanopoulou...