Maintenance and Safety of Electric Vehicles

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  • Beginner

Electric vehicles are great for both the planet and for your wallet. They cost less to maintain than gas cars, partially because they have far fewer parts, but they still require care.

If you're ready to take the plunge and purchase an electric vehicle, here are a few basic things you need to make sure that you are taking care of so that your car runs properly and is safe.

This is not an exhaustive list, so read your manual carefully to schedule regular maintenance. In the long run, that will be much cheaper than repairing worn-out parts.

Motors

What's essential for every electric car on the planet? A motor. The motor in your electric car will need maintenance and care, but lucky for you and for your wallet, it won't require as much care as a traditional combustion engine.

Your motor needs to be serviced just as regularly as you would have a regular engine serviced. Because even though the electric motor will hold up better in the long run, it’s better safe than sorry when it comes to car care!

Tires

Tires are one of the only parts of EVs that might cost you a little more (at least while the world economy makes the transition to the new models).

EVs tend to be a little heavier than gas cars, so their tires need a stronger rating. They also tend to need rotation slightly more often.

Finally, if you like whisper-quiet ride, you might opt for tires rated for silence. With no motor rumbling to mask it, you'll hear your tires much more.

Filters

Cabin filters keep the air in your car clean and breathable. In general, you should replace yours every 15,000-30,000 miles.

If you notice funny smells, extra dust, or low AC flow, you might want to replace your cabin air filter sooner.

Battery Basics

electric car battery

Learn about the ins and outs of your specific battery and your specific car. This will help you maintain the car effectively and learn all the safety procedures required to work with the battery in your car.

Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of a particular battery in your car will help you save money and time in the long run. So, before you get behind the wheel, get behind a computer screen and learn as much as you can about your specific battery.

electric car drivetrain

For instance, your battery may be more heat-sensitive than other electric car batteries, and you may need to give yourself more time when charging your car outside for your battery to fully absorb the charge that it needs.

Knowing little things like that will help you always interact with your car battery no way that maintains the battery and keeps you safe.

electric car drivetrain

Battery Care

Extending the life of your battery is one really important piece of electric vehicle car care and maintenance. There are really simple things you can do, like parking in the shade as often as possible, that will extend the life of your battery.

It's not cheap to replace the battery, and the longer you can make your battery last, the better it is on the environment, so make sure that you are doing everything you can to extend the life of your battery.

electric car charger

It's also really important that you charge your battery the right amount as often as possible. Charging your electric car battery too much or too little can be dangerous for a lot of reasons. It's recommended that you never charge your battery fully and that you only charge your electric vehicle battery to about 80% when possible.

Undercharging your batter can be just as bad when you let the charge stay low for longer than a week or two. Make sure to keep your battery appropriately charged to extend its life.

And when it does come time for you to replace your battery, consider recycling your electric vehicle battery I'm using it for something else. Just because it can no longer power your car doesn't mean it can't go towards another great cause.

The Basics

And just because your car runs on electricity doesn't mean that the rules of the road don't apply to your car. Your car needs to be regularly maintained by a mechanic in a lot of the same ways that gas cars need to be maintained.

Basic things like a tire rotation or adding more windshield wiper fluid still have to happen no matter how your car runs.