For some people on the fence about electric vehicles, the promise of reduced maintenance and upkeep costs is what won them over. This claim is valid, but you might wonder what is responsible for the fewer maintenance of electric cars compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. Read the rest of this article to find out.
EVs are inherently more reliable than ICE cars
When you have two machines with different numbers of failure points, the one with the higher number is more likely to break down. This is the case when comparing an electric car and a gas-powered one. In fact, a Consumer Reports study shows that an electric vehicle will save you an average of $4600 in repair and maintenance costs over the vehicle’s life.
An electric car uses an electric motor to rotate the tires. Compared to an internal combustion engine with hundreds of moving parts, these battery-powered motors have perhaps a dozen moving parts that could wear down. It is clear that your friends with ICE cars will visit their mechanics more often than you.
Many of the routine maintenance that keeps ICEs working are simply not required on electric vehicles. For example, while electric cars use antifreeze in the cooling system, you do not need to change it as often as you would with an ICE because the EV does not have the risk of contamination by engine oil or combustion by-products contamination.
Speaking of oil, that is one more way you experience freedom because you do not even need to change any. No gasket to change either, nor clogged valves to clean up.
ICEs cost significantly more to maintain as they age, unlike electric motors. In fact, electric motors usually outlast the EVs that they power.
Other parts that electric cars and ICE cars have in common tend to fare better in the former. For example, the regenerative braking systems found in electric vehicles use resistance from the electric motors to halt the car, meaning there is less stress on the brake pads. As such, you won’t replace brake pads as often as you would with a gasoline-powered vehicle.
While EV batteries may be expensive, you will seldom need to replace them in the vehicle’s lifetime.
Interestingly, the latest EVs tend to be more reliable as manufacturers improve their offerings. This improvement means you can count on the EVs of the future to last even longer.
