Pure Electric Cars: Service & Maintenance

Electric Cars: The Basics

For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

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EVs: Service & Maintenance

It is true, in that, there are many ways to save money driving an electric car, compared to driving a conventional petrol or diesel vehicle. An excellent example is the lower cost per mile of driving electric versus driving an internal combustion engine (ICE). Depending on the cost of charging the electric car, the average per mile cost of driving electric is between 5 pence and 10 pence. Significantly lower than the per mile driving cost of a petrol or diesel vehicle (20 pence and over).

The affordability of owning a pure electric car is further enhanced by the lower maintenance and servicing burden and its associated costs. We all have faced unexpected maintenance and repair bills from owning a petrol or diesel vehicle, given the significant number of mechanical components in an internal combustion engine. Moreover, even the day-to-day upkeep of an internal combustion engine car can be overwhelming. Pure electric cars are not maintenance free, but these environmentally-friendly cars certainly offer a more attractive proposition of a lower maintenance schedule, compared to petrol and diesel cars.

In general, an all-electric car has a lower demanding servicing schedule, compared to a combustion engine car. As an example, Renault, the French automotive manufacturer recommends an EV to be checked every 30,000 km, compared to 15,000 km for a petrol or diesel car! In terms of service intervals for pure electric cars, it is best to follow the recommended guidelines of the automotive manufacturer. Best for the long-term health of the EV!

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BEVs: Service & Maintenance
Do electric cars require less maintenance?	Yes, indeed this is the case. Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), also known as pure electric cars, incorporate far fewer components compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) petrol and diesel vehicles. For example, a petrol car could have up to 30,000 components if you count every bolt, screw etc. Some of these parts include: the engine block, pistons and valves for the combustion engine, carburettor, fuel injection, fuel pumps and fuel filters for the fuel system, timing belt, cylinder head gasket etc. None of these components are required for a pure electric car. In fact, an-all electric car also has significantly fewer moving parts, compared to a petrol car. An average petrol car has 200 moving parts, while an electric car (EV) has up to 25 moving parts. Bottom-line, the fewer the moving parts, the lower the level of vehicle maintenance. It is also worth noting that pure electric cars have a simplified transmission compared to manual petrol and diesel cars. An electric car does not have a manual gearbox or clutch (and its associated components!).
Are pure electric cars cheaper to service & maintain?	Yes. According to CAP HPI, a leading supplier of automotive data, EV’s cost on average 23% less to service and maintain over three years / 60,000 miles, compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) petrol and diesel cars. These were findings from research carried out by CAP HPI in 2018. The research also highlighted that the the gap increases for smaller cars. For example, the all-electric Renault Zoe is 35% cheaper to maintain compared to the conventional internal combustion engine, Vauxhall Corsa! Similarly, the research found that the all-electric Nissan Leaf costs £1,197 to maintain over three years, compared to £1,429 for the Volkswagen Golf 1.0 TSI 110 SE, a saving of 19%. The lower costs for maintenance are due to a combination of fewer moving parts and lower levels of wear and tear. Findings from KeeResources, another leading automotive data supplier, supports the conclusions above. According to KeeResources, over a period of four years / 60,000 miles, plug-in electric vehicles can deliver significant savings compared to petrol and diesel cars.
What are the other maintenance advantages of a pure electric car?	Pure electric vehicles do not require the frequent oil changes, filter changes, tune-ups, exhaust system repairs etc that internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles do. It is a much simpler and cleaner maintenance experience with pure electric cars.
Are pure electric cars maintenance free?	Not exactly. Like conventional automobiles, all-electric cars do have the following potential maintenance needs, as part of the normal operation of the vehicle: tire wear and tear, brake fluid maintenance, brake pads and discs maintenance, EV battery maintenance.

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