Why automotive manufacturers should shift to electrical heating for paint shops | Opinion

The transition from gas to electrical heating in automotive paint shops is a critical lever for achieving carbon neutrality and enhancing operational efficiency. As paint shops account for roughly 65% of a factory’s total emissions and over 50% of its energy use, electrifying these processes directly addresses the industry’s most carbon-intensive “hotspot”.

Good reasons to shift from gas to electric heating

• Decarbonization and net-zero goals: Switching from natural gas to green electricity can reduce a conventional paint shop’s emissions by 100%. This shift allows manufacturers to operate entirely carbon-neutral when powered by renewable sources such as solar or wind. Electrifying only the ovens results in approximately a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions.

• Superior energy efficiency: A modern electric oven uses 40-65% less energy than a gas-powered base. Electrification in brownfield sites can still achieve energy savings of around 20%. Unlike gas heaters, which lose energy through combustion exhaust, electric heaters offer nearly 100% conversion efficiency from electricity to heat.

• Cost stability and supply security: Transitioning to electricity reduces dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets and potential gas supply uncertainties. While electricity can have higher unit costs, higher efficiency gains and heat recovery capabilities often compensate for these additional operating expenses. Looking ahead, it is expected that generating energy from its own solar and wind farms will bring down energy costs to a level below fossil fuels.

• Precision and quality: Electric heating provides stable, precise temperature control, which is essential for consistent paint application and high-quality curing. Technologies are available which can intelligently adjust energy demand based on the exact number of car bodies in the oven.

Key electric technologies

• Electric ovens: Systems like the Dürr EcoInCure and EcoSmartCure with Qflex technology (central heating) are energy-flexible oven systems that allow switching the energy source without converting the oven itself. Also, hybrid heating, which means combining gas and electric heating, is possible and a pragmatic way to operate ovens electrically if electricity is available, with a switch to gas as a backup.

• Electric boilers: Hot Water generation using electric heaters transitioning from gas-based boilers.

• Industrial heat pumps: These can reduce energy consumption in paint booths and pretreatment baths by 50% to 70% by transferring existing thermal energy rather than generating it through combustion.

• Smart energy network: EcoQPower accounts for the entire energy supply of the paint shop. The system ensures that each process area receives only the amount of energy it needs. The innovative system makes maximum use of all available energy sources and enables complete electrification of the paint shop. 

Dürr can provide the above sustainable technologies that suit the requirements of OEMs, enabling them to capitalise on the advantages.

“Amid ongoing LPG supply uncertainties and rising cost volatility, automotive manufacturers must rethink their energy strategy. Electric heating offers a reliable, efficient, and future-ready alternative—ensuring operational stability while supporting the industry’s transition toward cleaner and more resilient manufacturing.” – Chandrashekar Kulkarni, National Service Manager, Dürr India Private Limited.

About the author

Chandrashekar Kulkarni

Chandrashekhar@durrindia.com | +91 950 0046768

The Dürr Group is one of the world’s leading mechanical and plant engineering firms with particular expertise in the technology fields of automation, digitalization, and energy efficiency. Its products, systems, and services enable highly efficient and sustainable manufacturing processes – mainly in the automotive industry, for producers of furniture and timber houses, as well as in the assembly of medical and electrical products and in battery production. The Dürr Group generated sales of just under €4.2 billion in 2025 and currently has around 18,000 employees and 124 business locations in 32 countries.

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