What Maintenance Does An Electric Car Need?

Get ready for more and more electric cars on Kalkaska roads and our car lot in the coming years as automakers produce more of these vehicles. EVs are a hit with owners because they cost less to fuel compared to internal combustion engines. EVs also cost less to own, and they also have fewer moving parts than internal combustion engines. You won’t find pistons, spark plugs, engine air filters, fuel lines, radiators, and oil changes as part of electric car maintenance. Even better, your purchase has zero emissions as an eco-friendly choice. 

Despite having a lower cost of ownership for daily Bellaire drives, weekly errands, and weekend getaways to your favorite lake or camping destination, you’ll still need to perform some maintenance on electric cars. Luckily, the maintenance is pretty low-key.

Find out more about electric car maintenance from our service staff at Serra Volkswagen of Traverse City. Look over our inventory of new electric cars to see which one fits your budget and lifestyle. We encourage you to get behind the wheel of one of these new vehicles to truly experience how one of these cars performs.

Is It Expensive to Maintain an EV?

An EV is a great long-term investment for Lake City drivers. They’ll give you plenty of advantages over internal combustion vehicles, including reduced maintenance costs. EVs generally have fewer parts, but they are still complicated machines. However, many of the upkeep maintenance costs you’re used to with an internal combustion engine aren’t found in an EV. You’ll have less stress because you won’t have to worry about oil changes and other maintenance from internal combustion engines. 

Say goodbye to these types of maintenance when you own an electric car:

• Oil changes 
• Gasket replacements 
• Cooling system flushes
• Belt replacements
• Spark plug replacements

Make sure the electric vehicle’s software stays up-to-date because the complex computer that maintains your electric car, truck, or SUV will need periodic improvements to its operational program. The overall goal of the software is to monitor the performance of the EV battery and keep you and your family safe. Software updates can also fix glitches and make your car run more efficiently as the automaker upgrades the program.

Think of your EV battery like you do your phone: never go out with a low battery. Driving around consistently on a low battery diminishes the capacity of the battery over time. You’ll lower your battery’s overall effectiveness and shorten its lifespan if the electricity level gets too low and stays low.

Do electric cars need maintenance? Yes, they do. But not as much maintenance as internal combustion engines.

What Maintenance Does an Electric Car Need?

Electric car maintenance includes some familiar tasks that all vehicle owners need to do, such as rotating the tires, replacing fluids like windshield wiper fluid, brake fluid, and sometimes transmission fluid, as well as changing out cabin air filters. There are also a number of EV-specific maintenance tasks that drivers of these battery-electric vehicles need to accomplish.

Battery Maintenance

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the United States predicts EV batteries will have service lives of between 12 and 15 years in moderate climates. Extreme environments may reduce the service life to between 8 and 12 years. It’s a good idea to avoid driving in extreme temperatures, although your EV has cooling and heating systems to regulate the temperature of the battery to keep it running properly. A major part of your electric car maintenance comes from keeping your battery in top shape with your driving habits to make your investment last longer.

Wiper Fluid and Windshield Wiper Replacements

Windshield wipers generally last about six months. Keep an eye on them once in the spring and once in the fall. Use this time to look at the windshield wiper fluid reservoir, too. Make sure it’s filled up, and use fluid geared for de-icing in the winter for better visibility when it’s icy and snowy. Windshield wiper replacements and wiper fluid fills are some of the easiest, and most important, electric car maintenance you’ll need to perform! Wipers keep your visibility clear when it’s raining.

Brake Fluid Replacement 

EVs don’t wear their brakes as often as internal combustion vehicles because of regenerative braking systems. However, you might need a certified technician to lubricate the braking system once a year to make sure they work properly. Brake fluid is normally clear. If you look at the reservoir and the brake fluid is a rust color, it’s time to change it. The best thing you can do is bring your vehicle in for a brake inspection annually for the best results. Brake fluid typically lasts around 30,000 miles. 

Over time, you’ll need new brake pads at around 50,000 to 70,000 miles. Every car needs brake pad replacement at some point. Even though EVs are heavier, they use regenerative braking that doesn’t cause as much wear to the brake pads.

Tires

EVs are a bit heavier than internal combustion engines. As such, tires typically wear out faster. Inspect the tread on your tires every six months. And make sure to rotate the tires regularly to reduce the wear, also around every six months.

You might need to replace tires every 30,000 miles, depending on your tires and how often you drive. Tires on internal combustion engines might need to be replaced every 50,000 to 60,000 miles. However, your overall costs of ownership are still lower because you won’t need to worry about oil, transmission fluid, and a radiator.

Cabin Air Filter

Your cabin air filter needs periodic replacement because it will eventually get pollen, dust, and debris in it. This part is typically behind the glove box or the dashboard, and it takes some doing to replace it. We suggest changing the cabin air filter every couple of years. If you notice lingering smells from the air conditioner, bring your EV into our Traverse City service center, and we’ll take care of the cabin air filter for you!

Test Drive an Electric Vehicle at Serra Volkswagen of Traverse City!

You’ll want to get behind the wheel of a world-class electric vehicle from Serra Volkswagen of Traverse City. Contact us or call 231-486-0890 to schedule a test drive of a new Volkswagen ID.4, one of the best EVs you can buy! And look for more EVs coming out in the coming model years as Volkswagen continues to engineer fantastic vehicles.

While you’re here, look over our finance center to see what you can afford with your budget. We’re happy to help in any way we can!