Category Archives: Electric Vehicles

What EV Maintenance is Required for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles?

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Electric and hybrid vehicles (EVs and hybrids) are growing in popularity for their fuel efficiency and eco-friendly benefits. While they function differently from traditional combustion engine vehicles in many respects, they still need regular maintenance to stay in peak condition.EV Maintenance for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

If you’re new to EVs or hybrids, here’s a quick summary of what kind of EV maintenance they require.

1. Battery Health

The battery can be considered the heart of an electric vehicle. While EV batteries are designed to last many years, it is very important to monitor battery health. Most modern EVs have a battery monitoring system that tells you when something is wrong. Regular checkups at the dealership or service center can help ensure your battery stays in optimal condition is a key part of EV maintenance.

2. Brake Maintenance

Both electric and hybrid vehicles use regenerative braking, which helps recharge the battery while slowing down the car. This system puts less wear on traditional brakes, meaning they last longer than in gas-powered cars. Still, it’s important to have the brakes inspected periodically to make sure everything is working properly.

3. Tire Rotations

Tire care is an important part of EV maintenance. EVs and hybrids are typically heavier due to the weight of their batteries, which can cause tires to wear down faster. Regular tire rotations are essential to ensure even wear and maintain proper tread grip on the road.

4. Cooling System Check

Electric and hybrid vehicles have cooling systems for their batteries and other onboard electronics. Ensuring these systems are functioning properly is a vital part of EV maintenance, which prevents overheating and keeps the vehicle running smoothly.

5. Software Updates

EVs and hybrids often receive over-the-air software updates that improve performance or fix bugs. Keeping your vehicle’s software up-to-date as regular EV maintenance ensures it operates efficiently and stays secure.

While EVs and hybrids require less maintenance than traditional vehicles, staying on top of these key EV maintenance services will help your car last longer and run more efficiently.

5 Common Questions & Answers About Electric Vehicles

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As gas prices continue to skyrocket, more people are considering the purchase of an electric vehicle. On the outside, electric vehicles do not look a whole lot different than their combustion engine counterparts. There are, however, significant differences on the inside, which are designed to make them more economical and fuel efficient. 

Electric Vehicles at Charging Station

The most obvious difference with an electric vehicle is that it relies on a high-powered battery rather than the gasoline that a combustion engine requires. When it comes to the engineering of an EV, about 70% of EV component parts are different from those in a gas powered vehicle. 

If you don’t know much about electric vehicles, we’ve got some basic answers to questions many people have when first learning about this new generation of cars. 

1. Are electric vehicles more expensive than gas vehicles?

Even though the up front price tag may be higher, an EV will be a much less expensive vehicle to operate, especially considering the rapid rise of gas prices since the beginning of 2021. However, the cost of natural gas for power generation also caused electricity prices to rise in that same period. Unfortunately, current instability in the market will continue to impact the cost of driving any type of vehicle. 

Looking at maintenance costs, an electric vehicle has far fewer moving components than a combustion engine vehicle, which has hundreds of moving components. For this reason, EVs could prove to be less costly to maintain over time.

2. How does a hybrid car differ from an EV?

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) primarily rely on gas but also have electric components. Hybrid vehicles have a gas-powered combustion engine as well as a small electric motor. They self-charge during operation, with some models also having plug-in charging.

Fully electric vehicles have one high-powered electric motor that is fueled by a large electric battery, which requires charging at a charging station.

Both EVs and HEVS have regenerative-hydraulic braking systems, which are designed to recover energy and “top-off” the battery. 

3. What is the charging process for an electric vehicle?

Electric vehicles must be regularly plugged into a municipal, commercial, or residential charging station to be recharged. Hybrid electric vehicles have the ability to self-charge as they drive, but may also have to be plugged in to charge. There are rapid charging stations that deliver power faster, but lower-powered home chargers are designed to charge a vehicle overnight.

4. How long does an electric vehicle charge last?

Of course times will vary depending on the vehicle and the charging equipment used, but normal driving should take an electric vehicle approximately 200 – 400 miles before requiring another charge.

5. Are EVs as fast as combustion engine vehicles?

To answer this question, it is important to note the difference between quick and fast in this context. Quick refers to accelerating from point A to point B, and fast describes the ability to achieve top speeds for sustained periods of time. Electric vehicles are actually quicker than gas-powered vehicles, the combustion engine of the latter is faster.