Electric cars indicate that the automotive future will be quieter, greener and cheaper. This is why they require different maintenance from other conventional cars. Anyone who has an electric car knows that the most important component is its battery, so there are several precautions to be taken with batteries to prolong their useful life.
Above all, electric vehicles are appreciated for their many advantages for instance; the absence of CO2 emissions and other pollutants, savings on the energy bill, silence and driving comfort, etc. That’s why, in this guide, we tell some electric car maintenance tips and what parameters you need to take into account.
ELECTRIC CAR MAINTENANCE TIPS
Even with an electric car, regular checkups are necessary. Here’s what you need to pay attention to the following parts if you want to extend the life of your EV.
THE EV BATTERIES
One of the main features of electric cars is that they have batteries. Once charged, they make the vehicle autonomous and allow it to drive without polluting the environment. The batteries require no maintenance. There are different aspects that must be taken into account to extend the battery life:
- Batteries should be replaced every ten years at the latest.
- They should not be overloaded.
- They should be allowed to drain completely before refilling.
- Never exceed the charging time set by the manufacturer.
- It is forbidden to use a charging cable other than that supplied by the manufacturer.
Since the battery is one of the most expensive components of an electric car, it is important to not overcharge it. Don’t even let it fully discharge. Follow the 20% and 80% rules. Because the way to preserve the maximum capacity of the battery is not to let it charge to the maximum, hence whenever the charge exceeds 80%, you must unplug it from the socket. You can also install EV chargers at home or find electric car charging in Dubai.
Other tips for electric car battery maintenance are:
- Avoid full battery charging and discharging and do not keep the electric car stationary for a long time with the battery fully charged.
- Higher power charging raises the temperature and can affect battery cell longevity, so avoid it and ultra-fast stations.
- Avoid charging in intense sunlight, especially in cars without a battery cooling system.
- The car’s retention system helps to charge the battery, so the more you use it to brake, the more range you’ll have.
- Finally, when taking a long trip, you also need to consider where you need to stop so you don’t push your batteries to their limit. Plan your brakes well to take care of the health of your vehicle on the road.
THE ENGINE
The maintenance of an electric vehicles in the UAE is much simpler than that of a combustion engine. The latter is made up of many parts and gears which heat up and can therefore cause a breakdown. Also, many modern car models are equipped with warning lights that sometimes indicate a problem with the engine. In reality, it is more a matter of overheating or excessive friction between these parts.
The electric car motor has no moving parts. This absence means that none of the parts rubs against each other, reducing the overall engine temperature. This saves time (and more importantly money) on maintenance, as there is no risk of any mechanism failing. It is nevertheless advisable to carry out permanent checks to verify the absence of dirt or to detect any internal electrical faults.
BRAKING SYSTEM
Since electric cars use a regenerative braking system, they should be checked regularly. However, the brakes of electric vehicles don’t need replacement quite often. The regenerative brakes help in maintaining the brake pads’ condition for a longer time. Hence, due to the recovery of braking energy, the brakes of electric cars don’t wear quickly.
Also, the kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy which serves as an engine brake, resulting in less rapid wear of the braking system. Besides, avoid driving at high speed, without hard acceleration or braking. This driving practice will make your EV battery last long and make driving more efficient.
With this, we conclude our guide on electric car maintenance tips. If your car is under warranty, do not hesitate to go to your dealer’s workshop. Hence, if you need a replacement or if something in the engine or batteries fails, they may be able to fix it at no extra cost. Also, before you plan to buy make sure you know pros and cons of electric cars.
If you find this guide useful, visit First Cars Blog.