One of the main advantages of an electric vehicle is that it has much less maintenance restrictions than a thermal vehicle. Explanation.
Simplification mechanism
Electric vehicles are fairly simple vehicles and therefore less prone to failure: an electric motor, a battery, a drivetrain without a gearbox and many electronic devices. As a result, mechanical components are limited, while electric motors are known for their longevity. As a result, the maintenance of electric vehicles is almost zero.
More limited maintenance than hot rods
Compared to a gasoline or diesel car, there are fewer maintenance operations on an electric car: oil changes, timing belts, spark plugs, etc. Only parts such as brake pads/discs or tires need to be replaced regularly, and of course windshield wipers and windshield washers need to be replaced.
As we will see later, these wear parts last longer than a hot car. In fact, regarding brake pads, it is worth noting that many electric vehicles are equipped with brake energy recovery systems that reduce the burden on brake pads and thus reduce the number of replacements.
Specific maintenance of electric vehicles
With regard to specific maintenance operations for electric vehicles, some manufacturers require that the condition of the battery be checked periodically. This is part of the overhaul of a classic electric vehicle to ensure it is working properly.
However, while a thermal car requires maintenance every 15,000 to 20,000 kilometers, an electric car may only require maintenance every 30,000 kilometers.
In the course of these modifications, fewer parts necessarily need to be changed compared to a hot vehicle. The absence of a transmission and the presence of a less complex engine greatly help to limit costs. The air filter would be the only component on such vehicles that would require regular replacement.
What is the lifespan of an electric vehicle?
Electric vehicles are usually very durable because there are fewer wear and tear parts to replace during their lifetime. The battery is obviously the most important, although this battery can last for many years.
It is true that manufacturers generally guarantee their batteries for about 8 years and 150,000 kilometers. Obviously, it is the first of these two numbers that stops the warranty in question.
It represents the only major modification related to wear and tear, and certain manufacturers – such as Renault in the context of its leasing Zoé – replace them when they lose too much autonomy compared to the initial capacity.
As for brake pads, they last about twice as long as thermal cars. Thus, using the same brake pads, an electric car can travel an average of 90,000 kilometers instead of an average of 45,000 kilometers. For this reason, regenerative braking systems that do not wear out the brakes must be used.
Tires are also less often tested. In fact, electric cars will be more linear in acceleration and smoother in braking. With the drives available for such vehicles, they will last much longer than internal combustion engine vehicles.
What is the maintenance cost of an electric car?
While it is still difficult to quantify the exact maintenance costs of electric vehicles, it is widely believed that these costs are about 25 percent lower compared to gasoline or diesel vehicles. That’s why not all dealers are excited about the arrival of electric vehicles.
After the first few years, it is expected that the annual maintenance costs for an electric car will be about 800 euros. This is lower than the cost of a thermal car, which would be more than €1,000 per year.
Obviously, replacing batteries can raise this average and bring the maintenance costs of electric vehicles closer to those of thermal vehicles. However, the savings allowed by “zero emission” vehicles over time necessarily give them an advantage over their internal combustion engine equivalents.
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