turns out EV tires are helpful for range and power consumption under some special circumstances even if the main battery has charge the auxiliary battery may die I read the Tesla manual they recommend replacing every two years I think it's complete bullcrap not feasible in HK is it just Tesla? or electric cars in general? in fact, we asked Lung sir he has some thoughts he thinks hello everyone, I'm Ah Fu I know many viewers have become EV owners or about to buy an electric car electric cars are quite a concept even though I driven one for quite a while that's just 2 years or so, not very long people's experience on maintenance may not be as plentiful as petrol cars although the maintenance that EV needs should be much less than petrol cars there is no engine oil, no belt much less maintenance on the engine and gearbox but it's still a car it's still a machine all machines need regular maintenance some can be handled by the car dealer but many things can be DIY pay attention and take care of it yourself in this episode, I want to share as a user of electric vehicles which part require special attention towards the maintenance and repair the first thing I want to discuss is the tires tires for any car no matter private or commercial, EV or petrol tires are important for any car because it is the only part that contacts the road if it wears out or underperform definitely is a safety issue as a responsible car owner you should regularly check your tire pressure check your tire tread for abnormal wear Lung sir has reminded us many times for electric cars I think tire wear needs special attention for several reasons firstly, EV is heavier most of the weight rests on the floor of the car it has less body roll in bends but the g force hasn't gone away, it's physics without body roll, who carries the load? of course, the tires and suspension in addition, EV generally have stronger torque if you always go pedal to the metal always step on the accelerator the tire wear will of course increase every time so I think the tire health of electric vehicle definitely need regular attention tire pressure is simple perhaps every week or every few days, go check the tires check the tire pressure sensor if the numbers change you can pump the tires according to the manufacturer's suggestion in fact, according to personal preference go over or under 1 to 2 psi should be within safe margin maybe you prefer a more comfortable ride or you like a stiffer ride to save energy it won't be much of a problem if you drive a front wheel drive electric car I suggest that you can rotate the tires earlier do it at about 10,000 km in fact, I read Tesla's guidelines for example, my rear wheel drive Model 3 they recommend tire rotation every 10,000 km the tire wear is greater compared with petrol cars, those can last up to 30,000km or even 40,000 to 50,000km before changing tires not the case for electric cars in my situation the car came with Michelin Pilot Sport EV after 20,000 km or so I can already feel the drop in grip significant degradation so after about 30,000 km I have had enough swapped my tires to Bridgestone Potenza Sport this brings us to another issue tire change for electric vehicle comes with certain caveats first of all, my first tire is specially developed for EV whereas Potenza Sport is a normal high-performance tire actually, they belong to the same class after I had replaced it, the grip returned but the power consumption skyrocketed it was around 132Wh/km before but after getting new tires at first the consumption increased a lot up to more than 150 Wh/km, a full 17% higher turns out EV tires are helpful for range and power consumption but after a while travelled more than 10,000 km now maybe the tire has run in or they become close friends the power consumption gradually decreased 140 Wh/km or so now but compared to my previous EV tires it's about 10% higher you must consider this when changing tires do you want performance, battery life or comfort? but there is one crucial point even if it's not special EV tire still can be used on electric vehicles now I want to talk about batteries not the main battery in the floor of the car but the other auxiliary 12V battery some people may not care about it in EV since the main battery is so big, it won't run out actually not the case just like a petrol car there is a set of 12V power system that is low voltage the main battery at the floor of the car is high voltage because the electrical gadgets in the car such as screens and sensors stereo, air conditioner in fact, these are powered by the 12V system no the high voltage batteries under the car this 12v battery maybe lead acid or lithium batteries how is this little battery charged? petrol cars rely on dynamo electric vehicles use the main battery to charge it you might think, if the main battery has power it can always top up the auxiliary battery, right? no need to worry of course that's not true because the auxiliary battery has its lifespan necessary to replace when it expires also, don't think your car is new so you are immune under some special circumstances even if the main battery has charge the auxiliary battery may die for example, if your car is unused for a long time the main battery has depleted a lot the vehicle may go into sleep mode for example, Tesla has this protection system because when the main battery is fully depleted it's bad for the main battery health the vehicle initiates self-protection mechanism automatically when the battery is low it goes into sleep thus the auxiliary battery will not be topped up hence, the auxiliary battery is slowly drained until completely dead if the auxiliary battery is dead the gadgets and functions on the car will not work including unlocking the car for Tesla you can't even open the bonnet another problem with the bonnet is that the auxiliary battery is under the bonnet even if you want to top up the auxiliary battery there is no way to open the bonnet then what should we do in fact, if you look at the manual for example, my Model 3 there is a round cover on the bumper you open it and you can pull out two wires positive and negative terminals then you can attach external power and start your car there is another little trivia in fact, electric cars can be jump started that is, you can use portable chargers or someone else's car go jump start your auxiliary battery but in reverse we do not recommend using electric cars to jump start other cars might not be possible there is a chance that your main battery power module could be damaged don't try this after you successfully jump start your car you can unlock it to drive keep your car running for 20 to 30 minutes give the main battery enough time to charge up the 12V battery then I suggest you all to either replace the battery or go to the service centre for inspection the third point is very simple change the wipers regularly refill washer fluids and replace aircon filter wiper blades when used in HK climates should be replaced every two years hardened due to sun exposure even more straightforward for washer fluid refill if not enough very basic aircon filter also needs to be replaced regularly I read the Tesla manual they recommend replacing every two years I think it's complete bullcrap not feasible in HK because in my experience it turns musty very quickly means mould grows inside definitely need to replace once every six months is about right one time after I replaced mine after four or five months especially in humid weather musty smell appear very quickly replacing the aircon filter I have tried to DIY before for right-hand drive version of Model 3 it's a bit difficult if you are interested I can film it for everyone to watch I want to try replacing Edmond's filter as well I wonder if it's easier on Model Y because of the right hand drive design some access points are blocked left hand drive should be fine if you are interested leave me a comment let me film it later replace the aircon filter of Model 3 and Model Y of course you can leave the task to someone else it can also be done at the service centre but actually I do it myself cost just HKD100 or so, good price these DIY items if you really want to watch me do it, let me know I can film it for your viewing pleasure well, many people have said mould grows quickly in Tesla'a aircon I can confirm this fact is it just Tesla? or electric cars in general? in fact, we asked Lung sir he has some thoughts he thinks it is due to EV having no engine lacking a large heat source when the air conditioner is on the cabin humidity might be higher than petrol cars when you park it the whole car turns cold without the waste heat from the engine the humidity of the trapped air inside the cabin may also be higher high humidity means a wetter aircon filter prone to grow mould so maybe electric cars in this regard have their weaknesses compared to petrol cars the fourth point needs more attention the brakes EV have kinetic energy recuperation function in addition to recapturing energy its side benefit is braking in fact, the friction incurred on EV brake pads must be much less than a petrol car therefore, the wear of brake pads is also reduced brake disc wear is also reduced they will last longer but brakes are brakes they are consumables at some point, they need to be replaced so you also need to check it regularly monitor its condition or pay attention to whether the car has fault codes if it's seldom used its life is prolonged but I discovered another problem a small problem because it's used very little especially those who are skilful with recuperation In fact, Edmond is also very proficient in that covering the longest distance and recapture the most energy while using the least braking to stop the car a lot of energy can be recaptured but because your brakes are used very little and the brake pressure is so light rust may build up on the brakes because it is used so little can't wear those blemishes away then you might hear some squeals or they would appear dirty the solution is actually very simple brake heavier from time to time maybe brake a bit harder if it's safe to do so brake more and harder you can grind those blemishes away if that doesn't work, you can use brake cleaner try cleaning the brake discs in addition to the brakes, the brake fluid must be changed you need to monitor its condition actually if you open the bonnet the yellow-orange liquid, that's brake fluid look at its remaining level every once in a while, when you go to the service centre they'll check its condition and level even replace it if necessary electric vehicles do not need to change engine oil save a lot of money every year but in fact, there is oil in the motors but it's completely sealed you don't need an oil change if it does leak and needs oil refill your problem is much greater than a simple oil change usually the entire motor needs to be replaced that can't be dealt with easily you can pay attention to that if you want to however, electric vehicles should take care of the coolant because the battery has its own cooling system usually coolant is used regularly check the coolant level of the car for example, it's hard to check on my Tesla I have to open the bonnet and remove the cover then remove the entire front trunk to see I read Tesla's manual changing the coolant by yourself is not recommended do not add coolant yourself don't open the lid yourself some car manufacturers have different instructions for example, Hyundai IONIQ 5 manual recommends checking coolant level every month check if it is between max and min level the layout is relatively simple open the bonnet and you can see this part depends on the manual check the guidelines, whether it recommends DIY if you don't mind DIY also have the confidence to do it you just need to check the suitable coolant type ratio of water to coolant then you can add coolant yourself but there is one thing to note must be done when the car is cold even without an engine you must ensure your car is turned off for a long time maybe an hour or two even better, overnight before unscrewing the coolant cap because there's a chance, if there's heat inside coolant will squirt out those are corrosive, not good although most cars these days there should be a fault code for coolant if it falls below the minimum level but as a responsible car owner you should check often ensure the health of the car don't wait until something happens sixth point I want people to be aware of the suspension I mentioned it when I was talking about tires EV is heavy and the suspension loading is huge so the knuckles and bushings inside endure much higher pressure levels they may age faster than usual how to spot the symptoms of suspension faults? listen to the sounds in fact, you can try it yourself under safe conditions for example, if you are in an empty parking lot try going full lock on the steering and drive back and forth listen to the noises for example, Edmond noticed a strange squeak a few months back he returned to the service centre for inspection turns out some joints were not lubricated enough after lubrication, the vehicle is healthier or if the bushings deteriorate those also need to be changed these cannot be done by ourselves I recommend going to the service centre of course you have a trusted mechanic and you don't mind going with him, it's fine that's all for today actually, the Tesla that I own we often talk about Tesla they don't require specific intervals of visiting the service centre this is a double-edged sword you gain freedom but on the other hand, if people are negligent ignore inspections they may not maintain their cars for years not recommended at all so better check your car regularly have it checked by a mechanic and do the regular checks I was talking about when a problem is found handle it yourself if capable if not, visit the service centre or hand over to mechanics if you still have questions about EV maintenance comment below remember to subscribe to our channel press notification bell follow us on IG Facebook the official REV Channel IG Facebook and the trio's IG Facebook follow them all TTYL bye-bye
